Davis on Program to Tackle Weighty Issue : Pro football: Raider offensive lineman has tried all kinds of diets but still weighs 350 pounds.

Raider tackle Bruce Davis has tried all kinds of diets to lose weight.

Davis, 6-feet-6 and 350 pounds, lost 20 pounds in the Nutri/System program, but gained it back. The result was the same with Ultra Slim Fast and the Cambridge diet.

“I’ve probably screwed my metabolism up because of all those diets,” Davis said. “The diets work while you’re doing them, but the minute you get off them, the weight comes back. I probably would have been better off not doing them.”

Now Davis is going on a program devised by defensive end Lyle Alzado, a 41-year-old fitness fanatic who is trying to come back after a four-year layoff.

“Lyle has a program that has worked for a number of years, so I’m going to try it,” Davis said. “He says that 80% of it is (the correct food in your) diet. It’s not how much you eat but what you eat.

“He’s going to put together a program for me, and I’m going to try it. I try to eat twice a day, but Lyle told me that even if I took the same meals and broke them into four meals, that would be better. It’s worked for him.”

Alzado, 6-3 and 265, is proof that his program apparently works.

“I’m just going to add some muscle to Bruce and drop some added weight that he doesn’t need,” Alzado said. “I’m going to make him quicker, faster, stronger and better looking.

“I don’t have anybody’s diet; it’s just eating differently. I don’t believe in diets. I’m going to combine his protein, carbohydrates and his glycemic intake at each meal. And I’ll supplement it with some amino acids.”

Davis said too much is made of his weight.

“When I was in Houston in 1988, I was probably the biggest tackle in the league and I probably had my best season,” he said. “It was never a problem. It only became an issue last year because I got hurt and people thought I wasn’t producing as well.

“People have ideals for what they want a player to be, and as long as you’re doing the job well, not too much is made of (weight); but as soon as performance falls off, it becomes an issue. I had torn (cartilage) in both knees, but they thought I was too heavy.

“I’m going to work on my weight, if for no other reason than my health. I’m winding down my career and I want to be able to enjoy my family. One way or another, I’m going to do what I think’s necessary.”

Asked if Coach Art Shell mentioned his weight after the Raiders reacquired him from the Oilers last week, Davis said: “No, but I’m sure he will eventually. I might as well preempt him and start now.”

Shell has been his mentor since Davis joined the Raiders in 1979 out of UCLA.

When Shell retired as a player in 1983, Davis replaced him at left tackle.

“Art taught me how to play offensive line,” Davis said. “He taught me the attitude that was necessary and the way in which you represent yourself as a Raider. He personified that.

“He taught me how to be a smart player and how to make situations work to your advantage. He taught me how to be a consummate professional.”

Shell helped to ease the transition for Davis.

“When I was given the starting job, he was the one who told me, (not) a coach,” Davis said. “And that made it easy. He had prepared for the day he’d retired and he was very graceful about it. It could have been an awkward situation with somebody who was less of a person than he was, but it was a smooth transition.”

Shell downplayed his contribution to Davis’ career, saying: “He’s just being nice. Bruce was always a very bright man. He listened and he learned.”

Davis helped to anchor the Raider line until he was traded to Houston midway through the 1987 season.

“In some ways it seems like I never left,” Davis said. “It was like I was on a long vacation. Some of the guys have changed, but other things are pretty much the same.”

The major change since Davis departed three years ago is that Shell is now the head coach.

“When all the speculation was swirling last year about who was going to be the next Raider head coach, I was hoping against hope that he had a shot at getting the job,” said Davis, who became an offensive lineman by accident.

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue came to him after his sophomore season and asked him to move from defensive tackle to offensive tackle.

Davis refused.

“I fought it because I didn’t think there was much athleticism involved in offensive line play in college,” Davis said. “I didn’t think there was any aggression in the offensive line. I thought all the recognition and the stardom was on defense. But I was wrong.”

After the Bruin offensive line was depleted by injuries, Davis agreed to move to offensive tackle before his senior season and bulked from 270 pounds to 290.

“Had I known that was where I would eventually wind up, I would have moved a lot sooner,” Davis said. “In retrospect, if I had moved (in) my sophomore year when they asked me to, it probably would have worked out a lot better.”

The Raiders selected Davis in the 11th round of the 1979 draft. The reason he went so low was that he had played only one year as an offensive lineman.

A week before the final cut, tackle Lindsey Mason suffered a knee injury in the Raiders’ final exhibition game. Davis made the team.

He played 8 1/2 seasons for the Raiders, earning two Super Bowl rings, before he was traded to Houston.

The trade stunned him.

“I had been in (the Raider training complex) that morning, working out because it was our day off,” Davis said. “But they didn’t say anything. I had to run some errands and went to my accountant’s office. My wife had heard about it before I did, and she called my accountant’s office and told me.

“At first, I thought she was joking, but I stopped back by the office and talked to (then-coach) Tom Flores and Art Shell and Al Davis, and they told me that I had been traded to Houston. It happened so quickly that I didn’t have much time to reflect on it. I had to get down to Houston and learn a new system.”

Davis learned quickly, moving into the starting lineup in his second week with the Oilers.

But he became expendable this season when Houston switched to a run-and-shoot offense.

“My forte is run-blocking, but run-blocking isn’t necessary in the run-and-shoot because you pass nearly every down,” Davis said.

After the Oilers released Davis two weeks ago, he called the Raiders. He signed quickly and joined the team in London last week.

“They were the first team I called,” Davis said. “We basically agreed to a contract within a few minutes. Ironically, I started getting calls from other teams, but this is where I wanted to come back to. I didn’t want to go to a team where I had to play on turf and play indoors. I like playing on grass.”

Davis, 34, would like to end his career with the Raiders.

“I think every player entertains the idea when he starts playing football that he’s going to end up where he began,” he said. “And this is a good team to end up with, because they have an appreciation for continuity and tradition that other teams don’t have.”

Raider Notes

Although doctors thought defensive end Lyle Alzado would be sidelined for six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago, Alzado hopes to return next week and plans to play in an exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 18 at the Coliseum. Is he amazed by his rapid recovery? “I’m an amazing guy,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t compare me to other people.” . . . There has been little progress in negotiations with the Raiders’ five unsigned players--quarterback Steve Beuerlein, defensive end Greg Townsend, fullback Steve Smith, safety Vann McElroy and cornerback Mike Haynes. At what point does the absence of the holdouts become a problem? “It’s always been a problem,” Coach Art Shell said. “We want them here. We want them in camp. It’s time to go to work. So it’s a problem.”