NAPA, Calif. -- Al Davis summed up the Raiders organizational philosophy during his first post-Jon Gruden press conference: With the Raiders, it's all about the players. That may be true, but Davis can't escape the fact this year that -- to some degree -- it will be about the coach.

Bill Callahan, a former offensive line coach and offensive coordinator, takes over for Gruden, the Raiders most successful and popular coach since Art Shell. With 11 starters in their 30s following Gruden's back-to-back AFC West title runs, everyone knows the Raiders biological sundial is running out of light. Nothing short of a Super Bowl ring is acceptable, so trading a coach for draft choices is tricky.

	Bill Callahan was a popular choice among Raiders players.

Was it the coach or the players that revitalized the Raiders Commitment to Excellence? "It's going to be up to the players," wide receiver Jerry Rice said. "George Seifert filled in some big shoes for Bill Walsh and Bill (Callahan) is going to do the same thing. I think Bill being with Jon Gruden so long will help because he knows the scheme so well."

Still, the balance is delicate. Seifert replaced Walsh in 1989 and the 49ers repeated a Super Bowl run. Barry Switzer went to the NFC Championship and a year later the Super Bowl after replacing Jimmy Johnson following a Super Bowl season. On the flip side, Ray Handley went 8-8 after Bill Parcells' last Super Bowl trip with the Giants. The Bills went from perennial playoff team to 8-8 after Chuck Knox left and Kay Stephenson took over.

"Cally's a straight shooter," wide receiver Tim Brown said. "He's not the emotional guy that Gruden is. With the veterans we have, we don't need a lot of hurrahs. I told the guys that he's no pushover, and he's tougher than you think. Guys came over to Gruden, and said, 'Come on, Gruden ...' You can't get that past Cally. I've already tried, so I know. He'll say, 'No, we aren't doing that.'"

And as long as Callahan's plan works, all should be right with the Raiders. What was evident during this visit with the Raiders is that Callahan used his seven years of working with his close friend to absorb Gruden's strengths and think about what changes he would make if given the chance. He has a plan and even though it's basically the same as Gruden's, Callahan is going to be bold enough to implement it and make it player-friendly.

"This is a great situation because of all of the veterans," Callahan said. "I know from being here for the last four years, there is a simple transition knowing the operation. But it's always about the players, first and foremost. My goal during the year is put the focus on the players."

In the past, that's become dangerous because Raiders veterans have traditionally been headstrong and not afraid to run to Davis if they didn't like the coach's plan. Obviously, none of that is happening now. Callahan has that lovely honeymoon afforded new coaches. Only a regular-season losing streak will spawn those type of problems.

Callahan was clear in how he will handle this team. First, he'll go back to the 2000 game plan of re-emphasizing the power running offense. The twist in the strategy is there will be more of an effort to throw downfield. Cleary, Callahan felt that more 25-yard plus passing plays are needed.

"We became a normal down passing team and threw more on first down," Callahan said. "Statistically, we ran the ball about 65 percent of the time on first and 10 two years ago. Last year, we were more balanced on normal downs and sometimes instead of running, we'd check down to a pass to Charlie Garner. Those carries normally went to Tyrone Wheatley (who had only 88 carries for 276 yards)."

Of course, Wheatley was hurt most of the season. The offensive line lost center Barret Robbins for the season. Tackles Barry Sims and Lincoln Kennedy fought through injuries that would sideline other players. Mo Collins played injured and missed time. Combine that with the eight-man defensive schemes used against the Raiders, and Gruden changed his philosophy from power running to short passing, but it created some grumbles internally.

"You aren't going to win Super Bowls when you throw the ball 40 times a game," Brown said. "We knew we couldn't do that. We tried to, but we couldn't get it done. We need Tyrone Wheatley. We need a guy like him to move those piles."

But here's Callahan's biggest challenge. The Raiders are loaded with weapons, but those weapons have egos. Garner will start, and the plan is to get him 15 to 20 touches a game. Can he do that and keep Wheatley and the other veteran backs happy, too? Brown and Rice also want catches. Can Callahan keep quarterback Rich Gannon honest in distributing the ball to those receivers along with using Jerry Porter and the tight ends on more downfield plays?

"We didn't have a lot of big plays, and that was something that was a weakness a year ago," Gannon said. "We also weren't successful on third-and-medium plays."

Still, despite those problems, despite finishing 24th rushing the ball and 22nd on defense, the Raiders under Gruden were a tuck rule interpretation away from going back to the AFC Championship game. What's apparent, though, is Callahan and his staff have studied and reviewed everything from last year and have answers.

After all, though Gruden is gone, the rest of the staff is the same.

	“	I'm different than Jon. I don't think I will be as aggressive as Jon was on the field. I'm not going to get in the mix with the wide receivers in drills. That's not my background. My career has been with the offensive linemen working in the pits. ”
		— Bill Callahan, Raiders coach

To answer the problems of poor run-stopping, Callahan will use more two-gapping techniques in which a defensive tackle wrestles with a blocker and is responsible for making tackles on either side. Former Chargers defensive tackle John Parrella, one of the better run-stoppers in the league, was brought in for that purpose. Last year, Raiders defensive linemen shot the gaps and missed the tackles.

Callahan also recognizes the age of this team. He plans to be more flexible with the practice schedule, particularly late in the season. The Raiders lost four of their last five regular-season games, forcing them to play on the road in the second round of the playoffs.

Davis plans to help some of those problems by installing Field Turf on the practice field. A rainy December forced the Raiders to bus to nearby high-school fields because the Raiders grass was a mess. Players couldn't make sharp cuts. Execution suffered in those final games.

Still, no coach in football faces more pressure than Callahan. He doesn't have the luxury of Gruden to be 8-8 in his the first two seasons. Gruden emerged as a great coach. Callahan has to be one in his first season. But he's confident.

"I'm different than Jon," Callahan said. "I don't think I will be as aggressive as Jon was on the field. I'm not going to get in the mix with the wide receivers in drills. That's not my background. My career has been with the offensive linemen working in the pits."

Naturally, that's where Callahan gets his best reviews.

"Right off the bat, he's installed his own little signature," Robbins said. "He's going to have the guys motivated to be in shape. He understands what he has here. He comes in with a veteran ballclub, an older ballclub. He's been able to sit back in his position under Gruden and absorb, and I think that's made him a better coach."

There is an energy about Callahan, a quiet energy. He's thorough and well-prepared. He'll be stoic on the sidelines and somewhat vocal in practices.

"I'm emotional, I'm vocal, but I come across in a different way than Jon," Callahan said. "I'm a little bit older. I have confidence in the way that I can teach and the way that I can communicate."

Callahan turns 46 on July 31 and is seven years older than Gruden. But the challenge is that he doesn't even have the luxury to be as successful as Gruden. He has to do one better. He has to win a Super Bowl.

"We're an older team, but we are a very smart team," Rice said. "Who knows? This might be the last run here. The guys really have to dig down deep and try to win the whole thing. It starts here in camp."

Now, it's up to the players to help the coach.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.