Al's Wingman Blog

Dennis Allen Faces Decisions on Offense in 2012

2012-01-31T21:40:00.000-08:00

In his first press conference, new Raiders head coach Dennis Allen surprised me a bit. Maybe I had pie in the sky expectations but I was sure Allen would bring a completely new approach to the head coaching position. Instead, I heard the exact same thing we always hear when any new coach is hired. It never ceases to amaze me that so many new coaches talk championship immediately. To me, that is promising the moon and sets yourself up for disappointment.

Why go on a limb so soon? Give yourself some time to work into the role before the word championship or super bowl is mentioned.

For Dennis Allen to say that the Oakland Raiders defense has the talent in place for a championship is outright pipe dreaming. As noted, there are a vast array of holes to fill of defense. You have at least half the starting 11 of 2011 up for free agency and a questionable secondary on their very best day. With no high draft picks this year you have to wonder if Allen has really looked at what he has or if he is spouting what he thinks people want to hear.

On offense, it's hard not seeing them go with a proven commodity in Carson Palmer as number one QB. If Palmer stays healthy, we know we are getting an excellent QB. You need a capable backup so keeping Jason Campbell makes sense too if they can re-sign him for the right price. Though, personally I would like to see what Terrell Pryor can do. I think we have seen enough of Kyle Boller to know he is not an answer. Rhett Bomar is an intriguing prospect if he makes it into training camp. You always need guys to play through preseason.

Tight End Kevin Boss and WR Chaz Schillens are brittle and unreliable in the receiving corps. Though Boss is due 2 million and will therefore be counted on to make his presence felt. There's no question Darrius Heyward-Bey has finally developed as a professional receiver. Jacoby Ford is an excellent third option but with the regression of Louis Murphy, a solid number 2 receiver is needed.

Who will be at RB seems less clear, despite the encouraging development of Darren McFadden at the beginning of last season and the ability of Michael Bush to pick up good yardage totals (256/977). McFadden simply cannot remain healthy and therefore, is unreliable as a number one back. Michael Bush is a free agent and just might be done in Oakland.

Worse news is dynamic FB Marcel Reece is a free agent. Oakland will need to pay him to stay around. I hope they do.

It would be nice if Taiwan Jones emerged to replace McFadden as a number one back. Well, Jones has shown some flashes of ability at the pro level but he needs open space to be effective. Once he found his game, McFadden found ways to bang through a D-line. Maybe that is what makes him get injured so much but that's what it takes to rack up yards in the NFL. Taiwan Jones is not a Darren McFadden clone. I don't see Jones being able to break lots of tackles up the middle.

What makes the offensive effective will be the offensive line. This has been a weak spot of the Raiders for years while Al Davis overspent on fruitless defensive talent (DeAngelo Hall anyone?). While the O-line has played much better than in season's past, it is still a suspect unit, proven by leading the league with 24 offensive holding penalties, most of which were called on the O-line:

Veldheer 7
Wisniewski 4
Satele 4
Barnes 3
Carlisle 2

Despite the penalties, I'm in favor of Jared Veldheer continuing to develop. He is turning out to be a solution at left tackle. Stefan Wisniewski is certainly a keeper either at guard or center (we all could have predicted that but it is nice to see actually happen). Khalif Barnes? Is that really the best we can do at right tackle?

Coach Allen has lots of roster considerations to make on offense. I'm just not sure handing Greg Knapp the keys to the offense is a good idea.

Rebuilding the Raiders - Where do you start?

2012-01-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, a new sheriff has FINALLY arrived at 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda California. Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has tapped a bright, young talent to be head coach and assemble a staff to re-shape the product we see on the field. Now the hard part. Where do you start? Just about every aspect to the roster needs tweaking and some big decisions need to be made. My guess would be resolving the defensive woes is the best place to start. The defense has been decimated by Al Davis aimless tinkering and needs an overhaul.

It should be interesting to see what kind of defense Dennis Allen will build. It is well known Reggie McKenzie likes a 3-4 defense. Last year, Allen built a 4-3 defense with the Bronocs. We have to assume the two men have reached an accord on direction they will take with the Raiders since the personnel they select will be critical to the defensive scheme they put in place.

We know that Dennis Allen likes fast, athletic guys on the defensive line. This is in contrast to what the Raiders currently have with the exception of Richard Seymour. Fortunately, Big Dick has played in the 3-4 scheme before and seems an ideal fit to build a defensive line around as far as skills. However, Seymour has shown less than stellar team play with his abundance of penalties (11/95 yards), fines, suspensions and ejections. Seymour is due $7.5 million plus a $7.5 million roster bonus so if they keep him, my guess would be this would be the place for Dennis Allen to begin his disciplinary approach. If Big Dick falls in line, chances are the rest of the defense will follow.

The rest of the defensive line is a wild card since they are neither fast nor athletic. We don't know how Matt Shaughnessy will bounce back from injury. He has shown flashes of strong play but you never know if a player can regain the same form he had prior to injury. Shaughnessy has one year left on his contract. My guess would be the Raiders will keep him.

Trevor Scott is athletic and fast but did not fully rehab from injury last season and got mimimal playing time. He used to be a monster sackmaster and could switch to linebacker. However, he is a free agent and may not be back. Other free agents on the D-line include Desmond Bryant, Jarvis Moss and John Henderson. These are all very big dudes but only Henderson is still under contract. McKenzie and Allen need to be careful here not to let all these guys go without backfilling for depth.

Tommy Kelly is still playing out his monster contract and will likely be kept. It is unknown what to make of Lamarr Houston who has been invisible after a promising preseason as a rookie.

Linebacker is a bit of wildcard as well. You have to figure they will keep first round pick of two years ago Rolando McClain, provided he does not go to jail or is suspended by the league for off the field issues. McClain has not lived up to the top billing Raider fans would have hoped but the potential is there. Maybe Dennis Allen is the right guy to straighten things out with the linebackers. The only consistency has been Kamerion Wimbley who is a beast. It is safe to say Wimbley will be kept around along with his $48 million contract with $29 million guaranteed. He is an ideal fit in the 3-4 scheme and should continue to pile up sacks.

Aaron Curry on the other hand is due almost 6 million and has not demonstrated the aptitude to play at a high level in the NFL. If anything, he has been a liability. This is a disappointment and it would be surprising if Allen and McKenzie did not seek to find a more solid replacement at weakside LB as well as backup at strongside. Quentin Groves is likely gone.

Speaking of liabilities, the entire secondary is in sorry shape with the exception of Michael Huff. It is likely Huff and his big new contract will stick around and contrary to Hue Jackson's plans to move him to CB, I would expect Huff to stay where is at FS where he has excelled. His replacement while he was injured, Matt Giordano, played well at times, leading the team with five INTS. He just might also stick around for depth.

When it comes to discipline, that means nothing to Stanford Routt who has shown a remarkable lack of team first attitude. This guy is on an Al Davis scholarship and carrying a grotesquely large contract which makes it impossible to trade him. It is doubtful any team would want such a player anyway. This is a guy who led the league in defensive holding with 8 and also led the entire league with 17 penalties for 167 yards. That is embarrassing. Naturally, Routt could care less about that. If any player deserves the axe it is Routt so it will be interesting to see if McKenzie chooses to eat Routt's contract for the good of overall team performance. We are not going to win with Routt. End of story and everyone knows that. Besides which he is only a marginal player. If the guy was a shutdown player making good penalties, I would say keep him but his penalties hurt the team and lose games, as they have for 8 seasons now.

The other veteran corners are shopworn and not really worth keeping. Chris Johnson and Lito Sheppard should be gone next season. It remains to be seen if Demarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa can raise their level of play to become solid starters. Both guys have shown good ability.

If Tyvon Branch's body holds up, he is likely to stick at strong safety. It would be surprising if Mike Mitchell stuck around. Mitchell hasn't done much and doesn't seem to have the skills set to get any better. He does have one year left on his generous Al Davis contract so that may be reason enough to try and squeeze something out of him.

I will take a look at the offense in a separate post.

McKenzie's Bold Hire Just Might Pay Off

2012-01-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

You have to admire the gumption of new Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie hiring a guy to be head coach who has no head coaching experience and just one year experience as an NFL defensive coordinator. In checking under the hood however, Dennis Allen is not so much of an unknown. In fact, he is a football "lifer" as Al Davis would say. Allen was a star in high school as a defensive back. He was a four year starter at Texas A&M. You know a guy is pretty good if he starts all four years at a DI program. He had a very brief stint in an NFL training camp. Then Allen proceeded to work up the coaching ladder ever since.

You don't just get NFL jobs so Allen must have been recommended and had a great network of contacts to even get interviews along the way, never mind landing the jobs (which he did with the Falcons, Saints and Broncos). Then of course it's not just who you know but how well you say it. Allen is clearly an excellent communicator both to players and during the coaching interview process.

Reggie Mckenzie is not an easy man to impress. You can tell right away McKenzie is a no bullshit type of NFL executive. He walked into Raiders HQ, cleaned house with just a single command. Once Hue Jackson was fired as head coach that left every other coach on staff in limbo as to their fate, essentially letting them go without having to tell them so.

As for what he had in mind for a head coach instead of Hue, I am now seeing the logic of McKenzie. It's all about the defense. This has been the nagging flaw of the Raiders since the Super Bowl XXXVII hammering by the Bucs in 2003. This is the Achilles heel that wouldn't heal. Al Davis was the architect of the defense every year. In Raiders tradition, it was carefully worded by coaches and observers to try and disguise this reality but having no control of the defense was one of the conditions of being offered the head coaching job. The D was all up to Al and what he dictated to his defensive coordinator. This is a key reason that made it so hard to succeed as head coach of the Raiders as well.

Now, we have a defensive-minded head coach with fresh ideas and a direct, in your face demeanor to his players along with a soft spoken Texas drawl to the media. I think we can expect player accountability across the board. No more scholarships. Just this fact alone changes everything about the previous Raiders culture.

I'm willing to keep an open mind with Dennis Allen. For now, I have faith that McKenzie knows what he is doing. I have no reason not to believe it. Reggie was mentored by Ron Wolf during his tenure with Green Bay. Long time Raiders fans know Ron Wolf was the player personnel architect who built the great Raiders teams of the 70's (including the 1976 Super Bowl team) and put the pieces in place for more Raiders Super Bowls in the 80's. It was Ron Wolf's drafting recommendations to Al Davis that got it done, not Al. Look it up. Ron Wolf was one of the best personnel men in the business and now his influence has come full circle with the hiring moves of his protégé, Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie.

Of course now I have to admit Al's hiring of Ron Wolf to begin with was a stroke of genius. To that I agree.

A Man Named Smelley Pt II

2012-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

Unbelievably, there is another man named Smelley. This guy is playing for Alabama or at least did. I thought Chris Smelley was the only unfortunate lad with such a distinction.

I don't quite understand why these smelley folk are both from the south. Is there a problem down there? Hey dumbass, CHANGE YOUR NAME. You have got to be kidding.

Fox Sports Dumps on Hue

2012-01-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

The dismissal of Hue Jackson by the Raiders organization was a bit of a disappointment to the Raider Nation. We all knew Hue was full of bluster but he was a likeable and effectual head coach, despite the team losing down the stretch. We blame that on the ghost of Al Davis and his pathetic personnel decisions in building the defense, not Hue.

We also don't blame Hue for triggering the Carson Palmer trade. Palmer is a much better QB than Jason Campbell and who are we going to win with, Kyle Boller?

So, Jason Whitlock's article at FoxSports.com has got it all wrong. Whitlock pulls the race card which, quite frankly is horseshit. There was no racism implicit in the decision to fire Hue.

What is true is there are residual elements of Al Davis flunkies at Raiders HQ. So a good housecleaning is an excellent idea. But Hue is far from an Al Davis flunkie. The simple fact is the new Raiders brain trust wanted their own man as head coach. There is no reason to believe any different. But, it is apparent dolts like Mike Silver and Jason Whitlock just like to kick up dust for the sake of meeting their quota for writing articles. This way they give the impression they are earning their salary.

I'm even surprised at Rich Gannon's comments. He contradicts himself in the same breath, “What a stunner...I’m not surprised with the change.”

What is ridiculous about Whitlock's comments is it is obvious he does not even know the first thing about Hue. He cites Hue's "enablers" needing a reality check. If you look at the career of Hue Jackson you will see a guy that came out of obscurity. He played and then coached at the University of the Pacific. They don't even have a football program any more. The guy ascended to the NFL from that. His only enabler is a blue collar work ethic. Hue knows offense and as stated numerous times, Al Davis built the defense. The defense lost the games.

Nice try Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com but you are just a minuscule step up from pansy ass Mike Silver and his lame Cal Bears who can't win a damn thing since Aaron Rodgers has moved on.

Mike Silver Starts the Mark Davis Era Off With Unwarranted Criticism

2012-01-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

Mile Silver, currently of Yahoo Sports, is an experienced NFL writer. He's also a Bay Area resident and therefore, has had more than ample opportunity to get a read on the operations at Oakland Raiders HQ, specifically the demeanor of Al Davis.

I'm wondering why then, Silver saw fit to unleash abuse directed at Al's successor, his son Mark Davis. Silver targeted Mark Davis as being "in over his head" as the new CEO of an NFL franchise.

Considering the fact that Mark is a 50 something year old man and has been part of the Raiders organization his whole life, it should be obvious to anyone following the Raiders that Mark is not a football man. Mark has said nothing at all publicly on football operations his entire career until this past week. His duties within Raiders HQ are business-related. If he was a football man then we would have heard a lot more from him by now, don't you think?

Silver pokes fun at Mark based on a former employee's account of Al embarrassing his son in front of Raiders staff. I'm willing to lay odds the source that informed Silver of Al's harsh treatment of Mark was Randy Hanson. You may recall Hanson is a humiliated figure himself. The former low level Raiders coach had his jaw broken ostensibly by either former head coach Tom Laying Cable or furniture, depending on which account you believe.

Silver seems oblivious to the fact that Mark has never claimed to be an expert in football operations regardless of what his relationship with his father was. We don't know anything about the father and son relationship. Perhaps Al did try to mold Mark into a football man and just maybe, Al was disappointed in his progeny's lack of "can do" energy. Therefore, choosing to humiliate his son in front of others as a result. Who cares?

It's not for us to say and frankly, it's not very interesting. Mark is his own man, period. Mike Silver took journalistic liberties usually reserved for freewheeling bloggers like myself. Though Silver has a vaster audience and therefore showed irresponsible and underhanded tactics for a supposed professional.

We do know Mark is honest in his approach, relying on people like John Madden and other people close to the franchise for advice.

I'm not too impressed with Silver or Yahoo Sports in general. I'm surprised Yahoo has any budget at all to pay writers. I've always wondered where they get their money from since they gave nearly 6 billion away to Mark Cuban for technology they never used. Do you remember that Yahoo believed Cuban's broadcast.com was going to enable them to stream sports across the web? I do and it was as much of a joke then as it is today. All it served to do was make Cuban ultra wealthy.

We all know Cuban is laughing at Yahoo now as well he should. Yahoo sucks immense donkey balls.

Yahoo has no products to sell so where do they have the funds to pay Mike Silver whatever meager salary he makes? I wonder if he scrapes enough to pay his mortgage and stock up on PB&J to make it through each month.

Here's a photo of Mike wearing sunglasses, perhaps inspired by his role model, gossip extraordinaire Paris Hilton.

Mark Davis One Ups His Dad In His First Press Conference

2012-01-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Various people associated with the Raiders organization who have met Mark Davis all have said he is a nice guy. I never had any reason to doubt any of them. I was curious why he remained in the backdrop of the organization all these years (he's in his mid 50's now), never even a hint of him being involved in football operations. Clearly, he was no chip off the old block. Not only does he look nothing like his father, he does not share the same demeanor. Though, Mark does have an odd haircut.

It never seemed to me Mark had even the slightest interest in football period. I mean, imagine growing up around pro football but never caring enough to get involved except in a perfunctory sense. But now, with the hiring of a GM, his hand was forced into the limelight. For the very first time, the Semi-Reluctant New Mr. Davis has spoken to the media at large and fielded questions. This is indeed a new era in Raiders history.

Imagine Al Davis fielding questions in a polite, engaging manner. I think Al has tried hard at times to do that but it comes off as awkward. Al had an on again, off again contentious relationship with the media. I recall an interview he did with Paul MaGuire who was an old friend from the AFL days where Al was smiling and happy to be there. Otherwise, I think he dreaded talking to the media. Even when he spoke to Ice Cube in his documentary on the LA Raiders, Al was stiff lipped.

Mark Davis on the other hand showed right away he wants to be an ally to the fanbase.

DHB earns his keep with help from a man named Sanjay

2012-01-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I openly questioned Undead Al's selection of Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round of the 2009 draft in addition to giving him so many reps in games when he clearly was not ready for the pro level. The guy looked horrible as we all know and we all labeled him DHBust.

Now of course, we all look foolish because not only is DHB producing, the guy was 20th overall in receiving yards in the entire NFL in 2011, outranking guys like Percy Harvin, DeSean Jackson, Dez Bryant, etc. See for yourself.

I'm not saying DHB is great by any stretch. He has a long way to go as far as consistency and polishing his game but it answers a fundamental question I had in 2009. Undead Al demoted Fred Biletnikoff from WR coach (maybe Freddy was just not cut out for the job any more), then for some odd reason Al decided James Lofton was not the answer either. But to replace these hall of famers with some guy named Sanjay Lal did not make any sense. Lal had very little in the way of an impressive resume. He was however, a quality control assistant on the Raiders staff already. Apparently he impressed Al who bumped him up the ladder.

Lal has survived three coaching changes and clearly has gotten Heyward-Bey on the right track. Who would've thunk it? Not me. I was in favor of the Raiders taking a much needed left tackle in that year's draft. As it turns out, the highly regarded Eugene Monroe taken by the Jaguars in the first round that year has been a resounding disappointment.

Hey, at least I can admit when I am wrong.

Now all the Raiders need is a few more decent receivers. I have just about had it with Chaz Schilens. Some guys are just snakebit with injuries. It's time to cut our losses with Chaz. I also don't think Louis Murphy has progressed and it seems pretty obvious T.J. Houshmandzadeh is out of fuel.

I really don't think Kevin Boss was worth all that money to play TE. He's ok but now he's damaged goods and he really didn't do too much this past season. Neither did Brandon Meyers who seems less and less important after a decent pre-season as a rookie backup TE.

Some more depth at WR and TE and another breakout season from DHB will have me believing in our offense for a change. I'm still not sold on Jared Veldheer at LT but the OL as a whole has played a lot better than it has in years past and who can argue with having a QB as experienced as Carson Palmer.

So to sum up my impressions, nice job, er, uh, Sanjay and congrats to DHB for earning the respect of the Raider Nation.

Everyone Wants to Blame Bresnahan

2012-01-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Raiders coaches, fans, haters and Raiders players themselves can all agree on one thing. The defense just does not get the job done. This has been a problem for many years. We can talk alignments and strategy all day but it comes down to personnel decisions of years past catching up with reality.

Al Davis signed several players to big money deals that did not work out. I have written about this in an article Raiders Defensive Line By the Numbers. We don't even half to rehash all of the horrible signings Al is responsible for. DeAngelo Hall, Gibril Wilson, the list goes on. There is no denying all of that spending to marginal players (with the exception of Richard Seymour) has hurt not only the Raiders spending ability but their flexibility in bringing in good players to backfill the mistakes.

With just a few exceptions such as Tyvon Branch and a resurgent Michael Huff, there has not been any real consistency on defense. What happened to Lamarr Houston? He was an animal for a while and is now invisible. Injuries have taken their toll no doubt. Matt Shaughnessy was doing well and has been out. Trevor Scott has not gotten the playing time after showing promise as a sackmaster. I will also admit Tommy Kelly has lived up to his contract after all. I doubted his big money signing when it happened as did most everyone else but I will eat some crow. He has played well.

But Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour is not enough. Signing a flameout in Aaron Curry is not going to cut it. A shutdown corner like Nnamdi was not enough. Bringing in a great former player in Rod Woodson to coach the secondary was not enough to salvage a crumbling defensive backfield. You'll get some decent plays here and there from guys like Matt Gioradano and (ugh) Stanford Routt when he is not negating his successes with penalties. I'm not so sure Mike Mitchell is anything but a bull in a china shop. You can change defensive coordinators and alignments. You can blitz more. None of it will change the lack of depth and talent to compensate for bad personnel decisions by Al Davis.

What is worse is no matter how hard the front office has tried to fix this such as drafting Rolando McClain in the first round, there are just too many holes to fill on defense every year. So if you are looking for someone to blame, don't point the finger at Chuck Bresnahan. The guy is as adequate a defensive coordinator as there is in the business. The problem is/was with Al Davis. Just as it always has been.

The franchise has a chance to fix this but not in next year's draft. The Raiders have sparse picks to be had there. They have no choice but to mine the waiver wire and see what they can haul as far as trades and free agency.

Is that really a tattoo...?

2012-01-01T01:04:00.000-08:00

I've seen some really clever Raiders tattoos over the years but I don't think I have ever seen one of the...Oakland Coliseum.
Is that for real?

Wow, from the look of those grilling tongs, I am going to guess the guy had the tat done to memorialize all of the great tailgating he has experienced in the parking lot. He doesn't look old enough to have lived through the glory days of the franchise but who knows. I applaud him for his devotion to the Raiders. Though, I wonder if he realizes the Coliseum is actually run by the City of Oakland and Alameda County, not the Raiders.

Photo credit to Al Reyes of Bay Area Sports Drive.

Do you visit the comcast sports site? Me either

2011-12-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

Last year or maybe the year prior, I read about well regarded sports columnist Ray Ratto leaving the San Francisco Chronicle to go to Comcast SportsNet. On one hand, I can understand job change motivation. More money (presumably), maybe try something a little different. With Comcast you obviously get the visibility of being a personality on sports talk TV. For Ray, he is a master of words. His columns are hilarious and with very few exceptions I can recall, he's the most interesting perspective in the sports section of the bygone newspaper era.

On the other hand however, I don't think it was a simple transition of media formats. Ray has additionally made the commitment to tweeting on twitter and boy is it lame. Through no fault of his own, Twitter is lame. Ray Ratto's strength is stringing sentences together. This falls completely flat in twitter format.

I realized a few days ago that I missed Ray's columns so I did some sleuthing and eventually found him buried on the Comcast Sports' web page. I can't imagine anyone visits that site regularly for sports info. Not that the info is any worse than other sites but it's just low profile despite Comcast's big name. I would be curious to see the page view stats.

I can tell the CSN people tried to build a team of sports writers on their staff to compete with local sports coverage. But, I don't think it's really very effective. Especially so when they see fit to promote a second string guy like Paul Gutierrez from the Sacramento Bee.

Who is going to be impressed by Paul Gutierrez? And it doesn't take much to know he's not an insider of the Raiders. He's just a "newspaper man" (as Al Davis labeled such folk).

By the way, in case you are wondering why CSN does not promote Ray Ratto as a Raiders insider, it's because A) Ray would not want to be a Raiders insider, B) Ray has had a LOT of fun taking loquacious jabs at Al Davis over the years. Raider fans know this so such a promotion would not go over well.

Paul Gutierrez? Who?

Does Anyone Really Take Mike Florio Seriously?

2011-12-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

I remember when there was no ESPN or NFL Network. Local newspapers usually covered local teams but you had to wait a week to read about last week's overall NFL news. This came in the form of magazines or newspapers that focused on NFL coverage. The Sporting News was one of those publications but it was never a very good read. In fact, it was always incorrect in their predictions and analysis no matter who the writer was. The Sporting News was and always has been a hack publication.

It comes as no surprise that Mike Florio's entire professional writing experience as far as football coverage is concerned, was with The Sporting News. This is a lawyer who lives in West Virginia and decide to set up his own very poorly designed web site called "Pro Football Talk" where he just spews his opinions. No crime there but Mike only discusses his moral perspective of the NFL and players. He has no other angle other than wagging his finger and pointing out how players crossed the line of ethical behavior. He is far more concerned with what goes on in players' personal lives than he is about football. This is indisputable and obvious.

It would be hard to make a case in favor or many pro football players being model citizens. Though, most football fans are not into gossip. We just like to enjoy the sport. What a letdown it is when readers discover Mike Florio comes off as a skinny little assclown who doesn't even know the game very well. He's just the moralist police. MSNBC for reasons unknown, hitched their wagon to the PFT site but it's really just Florio and a few dweebs who chime in useless articles every so often.

It's one thing to have fun as a blogger or talk football with your friends or acquaintances but to consider yourself a professional sports writer because you have a moral stance is a very unfortunate symptom of the times. Deadspin likes to highlight the flaws of professional athletes as well but their articles are usually funny and don't project a moralist view, just an intent to embarrass their target.

One time, I was taking a dump and reading PFT on my phone. Hey, it's a downtime activity, right? It so happened Florio posted a happy birthday to his wife so it was at the very top of the article list. What I read put everything in perspective about who Mike Florio really is. First he wishes his wife a happy birthday. Then he compliments her by saying she "never complains" that he is never around or "working" late. So why are you married you imbecile? What is the point of acknowledging your wife as part of your "work"? Posting blog articles is your work? Your "work" is more important than your wife?

When I need a good laugh I think about Mike Florio and the lameness of his existence. At the same time I feel sorry for his wife who apparently does not know any better but to be a submissive, background component to am NFL moralist police blogger.

I know this is a football blog but...

2011-12-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

It always surprises me how retread coaches keep getting opportunities in the NHL. If it was up to me, I would want to hire a head coach who was innovative and learned from their mistakes. If a retread coach is available, that usually means the guy failed at his previous gig. The NFL is a revolving door of opportunity as well but typically, you don't see a guy getting more than a 2nd opportunity. Like Herm Edwards for example. We're not likely to ever see him again as a head coach and rightfully so.

The NHL is a good ol' boys network. Can you believe Daryl Sutter was actually hired again? Thank LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi for that. Now let it be known that being a GM is tough work as well and as a GM, Dean Lombardi often times came close to being decent but more often just was not up to the job.

As we know, it is not that difficult to make the playoffs in the NHL. Lombardi was given too much credit for the San Jose Sharks success at making the playoffs (but never advancing very far). Daryl Sutter was head coach of the Sharks and Lombardi also fired him. Then Lombardi was fired by the San Jose owners finally after far too many seasons of letting him run the show. Then, for some reason no one seems capable of explaining, the LA Kings hired Lombardi to be their GM.

Daryl Sutter meanwhile had some success as the Calgary Flames head coach, making it to the Stanley Cup finals but losing. That was the very best he has ever done. The rest of his resume as a coach is marginal. Yet, Calgary saw enough in Sutter to make him their GM where he proceeded to destroy the organization with horrendous personnel decisions.

Daryl Sutter was a tough as nails player in his day but is a very generic knock heads and bang the boards type of coach. He's not an innovator. He is not a master at utilizing personnel effectively. He is a very typical, snap his gum, stand there and look grim type of guy with nothing in the way of good ideas. It's one thing to have that look and have it work for you but there is no chance of that happening in LA for the Kings, sorry to say. The Kings deserve a winner after so many years of losing. Dean Lombardi is not your guy to bring about that change. Daryl Sutter is certainly not the guy to get it done.

I Should Really Update This Blog

2011-12-14T00:08:00.000-08:00

I only have myself to blame, allowing this blog to slip off the radar. If I remember correctly, the period between 2008 to maybe 2009, I switched over to Bleacher Report but was eventually booted off that forum for getting into numerous arguments. One bad blogger in particular bothered me. A fat guy from South Dakota. His photo graces this page below.

I guess I just can't help myself ridiculing hapless fools.

I have also been booted off a few other forums for the same behavior. None of it means anything to me of course. I am just amusing myself.

To bring everyone up to date, Fat Pat, another bad Raiders blogger, kicked the bucket. He was so fat he just keeled over. Too bad for him huh. That'll teach him to eat so much bacon (with all due respect to Romo)

Undead Al also finally died. How many of you actually thought that was possible? I didn't. I really thought he would live until his body disintegrated. It looked like no blood was getting to his face for years on end. He was like a rotting raisin.

I'm not so sure Mark Davis is an upgrade in ownership. He seems to be an empty shirt. That's a corporate term used to describe management that doesn't actually do anything. As good as Amy Trask is at whatever it is she does, she's not the real answer either. Everyone knows the Raiders need a GM with personnel decision authority. We'll see if that really happens or not.

One thing is certain, now that Undead Al is no more, his only remaining henchman, John Herrera has receded into the background. He's no doubt keeping a low profile now that no one in the building supports his antics. That means no one anywhere has any respect for you John, in case you missed the point.

And what of Huey Baby? A little quick to pull the trigger on dealing away so many draft picks for Carson Palmer I'd say. I actually thought Jason Campbell was playing well until he was injured. Huey Baby could not wait to strike a deal for Palmer. Palmer may or may not return to his old form but I think there were other options they could have gone with rather than deal away next year's draft, which is razor thin with picks as it is.

See, that's the thing, when you win a few games, as Baby Huey did for a stretch in the 2011 season, you get a little full of yourself and want to tinker. Undead (or dead now) Al apparently gave Baby Huey a little GM power before he checked out. Baby Huey is no GM, as he has learned. I have no doubt he will be back for the 2012 season as head coach but by then hopefully the front office grows some wisdom teeth and finally does the right thing. Find a football guy to make personnel decisions. It would mark the beginning of a new era instead of the half-baked stuff thrown into the mix by Baby Huey and his new quasi-overlords Mark Davis and Amy Trask.

Hey, I wonder if all those lawsuits Al had his fleet of attorneys working on is still churning. That would be revealing where the new front office stands for real in regard to keeping or releasing the ghost of Al from Raiders HQ.

Trent Dilfer - the jury never delivered a verdict on his career

2008-10-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'll give credit where it's due. Trent Dilfer has accomplished more than most of us ever will, with his money and ability to rise over mediocrity - at times - as an NFL quarterback.

He really did overcome enough obstacles to earn his keep. Few manage to endure a lengthy NFL career, including a memorable Super Bowl victory with Baltimore. Though let's face it, no one was going to beat the Ravens defense that year.

Nowadays, Trent is learning to be a broadcaster, which I find to be unfortunate. If he ever gets to call games he may be better but his analysis is tough to handle with all that smiling and the lights glaring off his dome.

I happened to catch a bit of his diatribe directed to Al Davis on firing fellow Fresno State alumnus, Lane Kiffin.

I know Trent is a decent guy on many levels but he really is annoying as well.

It's almost a Ned Flanders kind of annoyance. The guy who doesn't realize how frustrated he makes other people. In Trent's case, playing well only some of the time.

On one hand, I can admire a guy who's been at both ends of the spectrum on the field. I can recall games he played so bad it seemed impossible he would even be kept through the next week. That takes a lot of grit and confidence to overcome.

Still, there is the somewhat suspicious, homoerotic photography with chum Matt Hasselbeck. What are we to make of all this?

I kind of see Trent's duty as backup to Hasselbeck as more prominent in his career than his wins as a starter with Baltimore. He played well enough to not lose a Super Bowl but he's humble enough to not just hold the clipboard and be a locker room strength for Seattle. This was an honorable pattern he developed as a veteran.

Trent also has the distinction of being an old school, orange clad Tampa Bay Buc. He took his lumps but he bounced back as a career backup with a lot of teams.

All told, I'm not sure we can have a firm conclusion one way or the other what to make of Trent or his career. Good? Bad? Bad but wanting to be good and it not working out as often as he'd like?

I guess we'll wait for the jury to come back a while longer.

Jets vs Raiders, a winnable game for Oakland?

2008-10-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

With everything going wrong for the Oakland Raiders, the smart money is all going on the New York Jets this Sunday. Whatever the point spread, you just have to figure the Jets have the edge.

As expected, Brett Favre is still slinging arrows all over the field and that simple formula is exactly what has destroyed the Raiders thus far this season. With a stagnant offense unable to pull it's own weight, an overworked, vulnerable defense puts the Raiders precariously close to another blowout loss.

Yet, there is hope. The Jets defense has been anything but impressive. Despite being 3-2, the Jets have not coasted. They are earning their yards and their wins with grit.

If we can block out the opening day fiasco to Denver and last week's laugher at New Orleans, the Raiders have had their share of leads this season thus far. They have tasted some success and will treat each Sunday as new life. Tom Cable is right about one thing, the Raider players are professionals and they are not going to abandon their will to win.

A few breaks, some special teams play in Oakland's favor, it is entirely possible Oakland could emerge victorious.

I wouldn't count on Darren McFadden being game ready. Turf toe tends to really hurt and linger. I would be surprised if he came back strong so soon from that particular injury.

I think if Justin Fargas is healthy and we finally see more of Michael Bush, some life from the receivers, there is a chance for a win. I'd like to see the Oakland passing game show some consistency. If I was in Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp's shoes right now I would continue to turn Jamarcus Russell loose. Throw downfield, get Chaz Schilens in the game if our top guys are not getting it done. I never thought I'd say this but Ronald Curry, you are really stinking it up.

Hey, Javon Walker. Why are you only in the game the first series or two? Are you tired or WTF? Get your ass out there and make some plays.

It's criminal Todd Watkins is not active. What is the deal with that baloney. The guy can catch and run at a professional level. The Raiders need those types of guys so the fact he is not in the game and getting an opportunity can only mean the Raiders are once again hurting themselves with bad decisions.

It is interesting this game is such a longstanding rivalry. These two franchises first met in 1960 in the AFL (the NY Jets were the NY Titans at that time). There have been some great games between the two teams, often with much at stake.

For this upcoming game the Jets could realize they are going to need to stick with the grit strategy to pull out a win. This is an Oakland home game and a chance for the Raider Nation to get behind their beleaguered team. If this does end up a Jets blowout, I want to see them earn it at least.

I have not heard the latest on ticket sales for the game but Oakland Coliseum will likely be sold out since Favre is a draw for people to come out. If it was Chad Pennington coming to town I doubt this game would come close to selling out.

As the NFL moves forward, the Raiders stumble to keep pace

2008-10-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

In 1963, Oakland Raiders majority owners Ed McGah and Wayne Valley tried to sell Al Davis on becoming head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Believe it or not, Al was not stoked on the idea at first.

Al still had his heart set on making it in the NFL. The AFL was no sure thing but gave him a foothold in the professional coaching ranks. The Raiders ownership group and their methods of team organization were unimpressive to Al.

What really bothered Al was that Oakland did not even have a decent field to play on let alone a stadium. One of his major conditions for taking the job was that a world class football stadium be built.

He got the concession. It didn't hurt that McGah and Valley were real estate magnates. Eventually, after a few years of hiccups, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was born in 1966.

It's not a bad stadium but it is no longer state of the art. Despite millions of tax dollars building so-called luxury suites and incorporating amenities in recent years, the Coliseum just can't compete and never will be able to compete with other NFL stadiums in terms of modernization.

In today's market, you also need corporate naming rights to add significant value to the franchise.

In the latest Forbes valuations of NFL franchises the Oakland Raiders are valued next to last (31), right behind fellow Bay Area stumble bums, San Francisco 49ers.

In this day and age of corporate branding, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is now at a disadvantage. McAfee (who acquired former rights holder Network Associates) has decided not to renew their stadium naming rights agreement, which they paid the Oakland Coliseum Authority 12 million for.

The reality is finding a corporate sponsor willing to lay down double digit millions to be affiliated with the Coliseum is a serious long shot.

The additional reality is most corporations would not want to be affiliated with a Raiders-only facility. The Oakland Coliseum's other major tenant, the Oakland A's, have already committed to re-locating within the San Francisco Bay Area to an as yet to be built stadium sometime in the next decade.

This type of deal must have been a slap in the face to Al Davis and the entire Raiders organization. A brand new, state of the art facility is exactly the crown jewel that has long eluded Al.

He'll never get it either. The nutshell version of this tale is the Raiders are stuck with Oakland Coliseum as much as the city of Oakland is stuck with the Raiders. It is in a irreparable political quandary. Plus, how can anyone expect to do business with Al Davis? You'd need $100 million for lawyers. It's a bad investment the politicians of Oakland have been paying for mightily for years now. When they agreed to bring the Raiders back to Oakland they agreed to stay in bed with Al Davis for the sake of having the Raiders stay in Oakland. This has cost the tax payers of Alameda County millions of dollars as a result.

The most damning is the Raiders have the perception of attracting troublesome fans. On one hand, the Raiders experience can be family friendly but on the other hand, we're always hearing about fights and problems on game days. Not that every NFL stadium doesn't have troublemakers but with the Raiders, sometimes that perception proves to be too true. It just provides more reason not to do business with Al and his renegade stature. NFL= family friendly, Al Davis=unfriendly fartbag.

There's just no easy to way to explain the morass of why the city of Oakland is still affiliated with the Raiders franchise since 1966. It's just too complicated a tale but what is of interest is speculation the franchise will move once again, when their lease with the Oakland Coliseum expires in 2013 (recently extended from 2010).

"The Raiders' more passionate fan base makes them more likely to stay," the Forbes writeup tells us.

It is more likely the reason the Raiders will stay is because they have nowhere else to go. My speculative guess is the franchise has been unable to make any substantial progress with a re-location plan or a new stadium plan of any merit.

Amy Trask, Raiders CEO, commented that a possible solution is to build up the surrounding area with commerce. It' s not a bad idea. A few restaurants, ice cream shops, that sort of thing can only help. There's no eats around the Coliseum now at all that is really accessible or inspires confidence with most fans to stray from the concourse. It would be a tough sell though because it is questionable the area around the Coliseum would really attract potential revelers (unless it's tailgating).

So what about a scenario that has the Raiders re-locating? It's a hassle moving, not to be taken lightly. Another reason why they probably won't ever leave. Going back to Southern California is probably not going to work. Las Vegas and San Antonio have been ruled out. Who is going to pay for a new stadium in Oakland with surrounding commerce?

I'm sure there are land developers out there though it would not be easy of course to make such a deal. A main problem is Oakland is one of the top murder capitals in the U.S. It's a full fledged ghetto and unstable in many ways.

During and after World War II Oakland grew real fast and had a solid working class economy so that is why the AFL wanted a franchise there in 1960. The economics are not the same in 2008.

The good news is there is plenty of Raiders fans elsewhere in northern California so people should not look at the possible moving of the Raiders as a bad deal. They would probably sell out a 50,000 stadium if they moved to Sacramento (where a stadium would need to be built). Maybe not 70,000 which seems to be the desired size of new stadiums these days. I would say they would also fare well if a stadium were to be built somewhere in the Central Valley.

Sources:

East Bay Express
Matier & Ross

Justin Fargas and Michael Bush on the trade block?

2008-10-13T01:07:00.000-07:00

CBS Sports reported a scoop today that Justin Fargas and/or Michael Bush are potential trade material before Tuesday's NFL deadline.

So, the pattern continues. Someone is intentionally and selectively feeding high profile NFL journalists with early scoops supposedly obtained from an un-named source inside Raiders HQ. Last time it was Jay Glazer at Fox Sports and Chris Mortensen at ESPN. This time it went to CBS Sports.

Lane Kiffin is gone. So that means my source at Ricky's Sports Theater & Grill was incorrect that Kiffin was the information leak. Maybe Kiffin's friend Mark Jackson, still on staff within Raiders HQ in some low level administrative capacity is the overlooked element.

It just doesn't seem to be Team Al's style to concoct a clever ploy to stir the pot of controversy, like a propaganda technique. For what purpose? That would imply an oaf like John Herrera, laconic PR specialist Mike Taylor or some unknown individuals within Raiders HQ have some form of sophisticated PR mindset - which we know they don't. Or if they do, wow, that would be shocking.

All Raiders HQ has ever shown in the way of strategy is to emphatically deny everything, regardless if the information would help or hurt them in the public domain. Ineptitude is an appropriate description most of the time when it comes to anything to do with Raiders public relations.

Here's the bottom line: Raiders Senior Executive John Herrera has denied Fargas and Bush are on the trade block. This means they are in fact on the trade block.

The Christmas Grinch Arrives Early for the Oakland Raiders

2008-10-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

Some people never learn. Take John Herrera for instance. John is perhaps the top Al Davis henchman, vigilantly standing guard for any affronts to the Oakland Raiders organization.

John must be thinking that his attitude has worked just fine for however many years he has been with the Raiders. Therefore, there's no reason to change, despite being outted as a tough guy wanna be in the Raiders media room just a few short weeks ago.

Underlying a big problem with Raiders organization, John Herrera answers to no one but Al and therefore, has the flexibility to exert his poor judgement. This bad business model is one of the main reasons the franchise is in such steep decline in the front office as much as it has been in the standings.

According to a New York Times article on 10-10-08, Herrera objects to Lane Kiffin and Jamarcus Russell staying in contact.

“That’s not a good thing. When somebody leaves any organization, they shouldn’t be meddling or trying to meddle. It’s not right and we will make some decisive decisions there as to how to deal with that.” Herrera is quoted as stating.

Sounds like the Christmas grinch arrived a little early this year. Hey Mr. Herrera, lighten up. Loyalty cuts both ways. If people want to remain friends what is the threat to Raiders management?

"Meddling" is friendly advice. Deal with it Herrera. I mean, no one takes you seriously. Let's be real. Al just keeps you around as muscle because that is all you are capable of, trying to throw your weight around.

Jamarcus is a good vibes type of guy but the dark side of the force runs rampant at Raiders HQ. There's no escape from the black cloud of tension. Jamarcus is in a tough spot. Understandably, his frustration has been flaring up more and more as the weeks progress. When you're not winning, you don't need dumb, off the field distractions getting in your head.

Contractually, no doubt there is something forbidding conduct interpreted as detrimental to the team. Staying in communication with a terminated head coach could potentially become a more serious issue than it needs to be on top of the team's on the field woes, just because John Herrera feels like being a mean SOB.

It would be interesting if Al would have Herrera's back in this instance.

Al has wisely said nothing relevant about John Herrera's media room clown act. In my view, the Herrera incident comes second only to Sean Salisbury's cell phone episode at ESPN as the dumbest move by someone involved in pro football in 2008.

I guess we'll find out if Herrera or some other team representative, perhaps even Al himself, addresses the issue of Jamarcus staying in open communication with Lane Kiffin.

A closer look inside Raiders HQ

2008-10-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

I made my way towards the back of Rickey's Sports Theater and Grill in San Leandro, California. I had been receiving mysterious messages on my voicemail for several weeks now, all leading up to this encounter with a source who claimed he knew the secrets of Raiders HQ.

I spotted my contact seated at a table eating beer battered onion rings and drinking Lagunitas Copper Ale, an excellent choice. I knew I was in good company.

"I would be eating the wings but you know, first of all they're from Buffalo and second, they're messy as all get out", my source remarked.

The waitresses at Rickey's wasted no time. I ordered a Jack n' coke and a refill for my new friend.

"John Herrera would never betray Al Davis. That is Raider sacrilege. He's not the leak at Raiders HQ" my source dove head first into the topics at hand.

I have to admit, I have given my initial theory more thought and sort of regret pinning the leak on Herrera simply because he seemed like the obvious choice.

Why would loyal Team Al guys talk to a guy like Chris Mortensen? Everyone knows Mortensen is not respected. Why not go to someone they respect at least?

"It wasn't Mike Taylor either" the source said as he polished off his Lagunitas Copper Ale and thanked me for the refill.

"It was Kiffin" he said flatly, as if it was obvious all along.

He was right. I was hoodwinked. It was Kiffin. Though why would Kiffin be so forthcoming with media guys about his imminent firing?

Because Kiffin has always been clueless with the media. He has no tact. Mortensen and Jay Glazer probably got in touch with Kiffin, not the other way around. Doh! I goofed in my initial analysis.

"Don't worry, it's happened to the best of them. Al has had newspaper men chasing their tales for forty years now." source said.

"So let me ask you something" I said, "What about Al's professional liar remark from his last press conference?"

Mike Taylor is a man of few words but his long standing incredibly effective stealth as Public Relations director came to an abrupt end with a two word e-mail to a newspaper man, stating "Yes, Chris"

"Yes" as in validating Al was in fact calling Mortensen a professional liar, not Kiffin.

It is entirely possible the leak was inadvertent as starts and stalls with Al actually following through. It is possible a Team Al member was simply reporting what they knew at the time.

Team Al is:

Al Davis
Jeff Birren, chief legal counsel for over 20 years.
John Herrera, senior executive with extensive job security within the organization
Mike Taylor, public relations man

"So we can rule out Team Al feeding info to Mortensen as some clever misinformation campaign?" I sheepishly asked.

"Well, you can never rule anything out but you'll notice Mort's scoops have come only during Kiffin's reign." source affirmed.

We continued to hash out theories for the next hour and a half. I gladly absorbed the bar tab as his insight poured forth. Finally, his cell phone alarm was triggered.

"I have to run. Thanks for the beers. We'll find out if you, me or Al is full of shit if Mortensen gets any scoops in the Tom Cable era"

And with those closing remarks, we all move into the next phase of the Raiders 2008 season.

Billy Cannon, the Original Raiders Outlaw

2008-10-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Billy Cannon was a special talent in the 1950's, earning legendary status with LSU, including a Heisman in 1959. Cannon was a powerful, fast, smart ball carrier. He could run it, catch it, field kicks, whatever. He dominated in college.

In the 1950's south, it was well known Cannon was a roughhouser type from "the wrong side of the tracks." One trait that stood out with Billy was his street smarts. He got away with a lot because of his status as football hero.

Cannon signed a three year contract in November 1959 for $50,000 with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. He even held a press conference with then-Rams general manager Pete Rozelle. Then on New Year's Day 1960, as soon as the Sugar Bowl ended, Cannon, before 83,000 fans, signed another contract, this one with the Houston Oilers of the AFL. That contract offered him $100,000 over three years, a $10,000 gift for his wife and a slightly used Cadillac.

He just had to throw the symbolic Caddy in there. It shows Cannon's thinking at the time. He was a man in search of the high life. He wanted to cash in on his athletic fame. Problem was, pro football had not yet become the cash cow it is today. Billy had to play his hand the best he could - and he did pretty well at it.

The Oilers were a very strong team in the AFL winning the Championship in 1960 and '61, losing in OT in '62. Cannon led the AFL in rushing in 1961 but hurt his back in 1962. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1964.

This trade to Oakland is not a coincidence. One year head coach Al Davis was re-modeling the team in his own image and there could not have been a better fit. Billy Cannon represented a true Al Davis reclamation project. You know how Al loves absorbing former number one picks on a downswing. Billy Cannon had become fat by this point because of his back problem, he had slacked off on his exercising and playing time had diminished significantly.

Still, it did not take a genius to see he had could run with power and could still catch the ball. He was an ideal Tight End and a potent guy to have in your lineup.

Billy's contributions with the Raiders ran through 1969. In fact, he was an all star in 1969, after which he retired. For his career he amassed 3,656 yards receiving, 2,455 yards rushing and 1,882 return yards for a combined total of 8,003 yards and 63 touchdowns.

Sportswriter Rich Koster described Cannon ending his career as a "loner who snarled at sportswriters."

Though his luck ran out a few years after football when he was arrested for counterfeiting and did prison time.

A journalist from Los Angeles called Cannon "the most repugnant young profiteer ever to sell his talents to anyone who'd bid."

During the offseasons, however, Cannon had gone to dentistry school. With five children, Cannon knew he had to prepare for the future. Because of his popularity, Cannon's practice flourished to an estimated $300,000 a year.

It still was not enough for Billy who craved mass wealth. He continued on a path of bad business deals of many varieties, none working out, some breaking the law.

As an elderly fellow, Billy has done more prison time and not in country club style. Billy has lived in Angola, Louisiana as punishment for his greed. Symbolically, he's got a little too much Raider in him.

Super Bowl II: Raiders vs Packers

2008-10-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Super Bowl II is a long forgotten contest played by two iconic, old school football teams: the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. Everyone expected the Packers to win and they did, methodically and convincingly with long drives, chipping away with field goals and the occasional TD.Mbr>

We all know about the Packers offense and Bart Starr. For their part, this was a pretty good offensive starting lineup for the Raiders:
SE Bill Miller
LT Bob Svihus
LG Gene Upshaw
C Jim Otto
RG Wayne Hawkins
RT Harry Schuh
TE Billy Cannon
FL Fred Biletnikoff
QB Daryle Lamonica
HB Pete Banaszak
FB Hewritt Dixon

The Raiders limped into Super Bowl II. The entire team was really banged up after a very physically exhausting 13-1 regular season. Their one loss came against the Jets. The high margin of victory (40-7) in the AFL championship game against the Houston Oilers does not reflect the fatigue the team experienced. Getting to this Super Bowl took just about everything they had. Both the Raiders and Pack had three weeks rest before the game. The Raiders main loss to injury was running back Clem Daniels. With Daniels in top form, the Raiders running game had tremendous speed to compliment their power with guys like Pete Banaszak and Hewritt Dixon. An overall healthier Raiders team may have given the Pack a better game.

Super Bowl II was not Daryle Lamonica's best day as he threw an unfortunate interception returned for a TD which sealed the game. The Pack's defense played extraordinary well all game in fact. Other highlights include Ben Davidson knocking Bart Starr out of the game. Though by that point the Raiders were down 19 points (26-7). This game was never really in doubt. The final score was 33-14 Pack. It was Vince Lombardi's final game as head coach.

John Madden was a Raiders assistant coach in Super Bowl II. Bill Walsh would have been but he left the Oakland Raiders coaching staff prior to the 1967 season to be head coach and general manager of a semipro franchise, the San Jose Apaches. Al Davis was just a few weeks removed from his stint as AFL commissioner and was still solidifying his executive authority with the Raiders. Despite the Raiders' success in getting to the Super Bowl and head coach John Rauch being AFL Coach of the Year, relations between Al Davis and John Rauch was never strong and in fact, had deteriorated over the course of the 1967 season. After leaving his post as AFL commish, Al sought to establish his executive command and set his sights on getting rid of Rauch the following season in 1968.

In 1968 the Raiders went 12-2 and lost to the New York Jets in the AFL Championship game. The Jets went on to beat the Baltimore Colts in the historic Super Bowl III. The Jets were a fierce AFL rival so the sting of finishing the 1968 season on a sour note was tough for Al to take. No matter how many times the Raiders beat the Jets from that point forward it did not remove the crushing blow of that particular loss in the AFL 1968 Championship game. It's no coincidence the Jets and Raiders are scheduled every year, to keep the rivalry alive.

The Raiders always felt they should have been the AFL representatives in Super Bowl III. They wanted another shot after getting beaten by the Pack the previous year. Al Davis couldn't let it go. Head coach John Rauch was fired after the 1968 season, replacing him with John Madden. Rauch ended up in Buffalo and would never again come close to the type of success he had with the Raiders.

It would take Al Davis, John Madden and the Raiders eight more seasons to get back to the Super Bowl.

The Anti-Raider Nation emerges from within the Nation

2008-10-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

There's
* the Yin and the Yang
* Night and day
* Friday and Saturday night at Ricky's Sports Theater and Grill in San Leandro, California, epicenter of the Raider Nation.

Usually, both nights are equal. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference. This year, Saturday nights are traditionally a rally night at Rickey's as a prelude to Sunday's Oakland Raiders game. That's where all your staunch silver and black foam finger waver types can be found, doesn't matter what the team's record is or any issues surrounding the organization. They just support. They have invested too much time, money and energy to even consider showing any chinks in their armor of "Go Raiders!" resolve, their chosen passion in life.

This Friday night however, October 4th 2008, drew a surprising number of rabble rousers proclaiming the Anti-Raider Nation movement was officially afoot. No longer will such blind obedience from the foam finger wavers go without an obvious sneer from the anti crowd.

You wouldn't be able to tell the Anti-Raider Nation from a foam finger waver because the two are one and the same, wearing team merchandise (as was I this evening).

This firing of Lane Kiffin has upset a lot of fans. The difference between this firing and others is:
* people knew Art Shell was not the right guy for the job at that particular time.
* Norv Turner was not highly regarded.
* Bill Callahan punched his own ticket out of town as did Jon Gruden.
* No one remembers who Joe Bugel is anymore so why mention him or Mike White.

Kiffin was fairly well liked for his honesty and more or less competent handling of affairs. Despite a horrendous first game embarrassment and his questionable judgement with the media, the team was getting better. They're battling, they're getting close to learning how to close games out. The general thinking is we're not playing bad all of the time.

Raider fans are highly disturbed by Al more than ever as his walls of secrecy have finally come tumbling down. This key point cannot be overstated in its importance. Really, up to 2008, most of the Raider Nation turned a blind eye to Al's ways, at least in spirit. At this specific moment in time, the Nation is highly disturbed and truly fed up with the downward spiral.

If the conventional thinking is a divided house cannot stand then this year's Nation defies that rule. The Nation is intent on making it through this latest power play by Al. Looking ahead to better days is an old standby but it's all that's left.

Overall, the Anti-Raider Nation people I spoke with felt that the team would be better regardless of head coach but the whole way the team is run has become a tired tale of one man's arrogance.

The Nation, anti or not, has really become a parody of itself, at least on Friday nights at the Nation's epicenter. What you get is an extravaganza of Raider memorabilia, walls of satellite TVs and every element of the Raider Nation in your face.

The reason for this blog part II

2008-10-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Since I started this blog just a few months ago I've gotten a few different reactions. Some people like it, some people ask me what the point is. Some think I have an axe to grind against Al and the Raiders.

Actually, I think my real axe to grind is with the Raider Nation. You're a sad sack nation yet smart enough to know your loyalty means getting other people rich by burning your budgets on everything Raiders. Yet you don't care. You keep Al's cash cow alive. That's your problem is you feed the very root of the problem. You don't just feed it, you are obsessed with it.

Go ahead, call me a hater. That's real original.

I back up everything I put in here as best as possible. If you feel differently, I will gladly revise any mistakes. Just leave a comment if you are so inclined. I make it a point to re-visit and challenge my own assumptions. I will make corrections as needed, ongoing.

I'm not doing this for site hits or popularity or some ego quest. This is a very part time hobby, assembling all of the data I have accumulated over the years and current web searches. I see Al and the Raiders as separate components. I know others may see it differently but consider the fact that the Oakland Raiders existed before Al arrived. The Raiders concept is not his creation. Not even the emblem is his creation though he tweaked it a bit.

I do not regard Al Davis as the beginning or the end of the Oakland Raiders franchise. He's just a highly intelligent weasel with a dominant personality who seized control of the franchise. That's it man. That's all it is.

It doesn't matter what Al's accomplishments are or if they were a bad team prior to him becoming head coach in 1963. Today is different. Nobody needs Al to have a winning franchise anymore. Not in the front office, not on the sidelines, not in the luxury box.

The legacy of Al Davis is not a commitment to excellence. Thanks to Al's bluster over the years, there is still the residue of past glory. The franchise still carries an illusion of itself as the greatest in professional sports. Obviously this is not the case. Even if someday they win another Super Bowl, WHO CARES. The legacy of Al Davis will simply be that he made a $180,000 investment in 1966 and it became an 800 million dollar business 40 years later.

My purpose here is not a crusade to bash Al Davis (that would be too easy to keep taking cheap shots). For the percentage of people who actually get it, my objective has become to dispel myths and illuminate the motives of Raiders HQ. I don't claim "cold hard facts" in all cases because at the end of the day, football blogging is all about speculation.

Thanks for reading. I hope you are entertained.

Raiders vs City of Oakland Gets Ugly - a look back at 1995

2008-10-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

He saw disaster looming, but could only watch
By Tom FitzGerald San Francisco Chronicle

Sunday, August 21, 2005

A half dozen death threats were left on his answering machine. When he went to public hearings to inveigh against the Raiders deal, he wore a team jacket -- for camouflage.

In 1995 public officials were blasting Joe Debro. They said he was spiteful that he hadn't gotten more jobs for his construction business. One accused him of a "shakedown." Another called him "damaged goods." Actually, he was just a concerned citizen with an eye for the fine print and a contractor who was used to battling the big boys.

Ten years later, Debro says he takes no solace from the fact that he was right and so many people were wrong about the potential costs of the deal that brought the Raiders back to Oakland.

Sitting in his cramped office in his East Oakland home, Debro, 77, said there's no badge of honor for him in the costly public embarrassment the Raiders deal became. "No, that doesn't do anything for me or the people who were wrong."

From the beginning, he thought the deal smelled bad. "What I wanted more than anything else was for the citizens to vote on it,'' he said. "I looked at the documents and they were misleading."

Others thought so, too, he said. "I was the only visible person. Nobody else was prepared to be visible, because it was not pleasant. ... I was vilified.''

He felt projections of the stadium expansion cost of $85 million were "insane. It ended up costing $150 million." The contract was awarded to a company headed by builder Ronald Tutor, a friend of Raiders owner Al Davis. "It was a no-bid contract," Debro said, "and that was against state rules."

Raiders attorney Jeff Birren and Dina McClain, attorney for the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum Authority, both dispute that contention. "When the deal was structured, the Raiders owned the stadium capital improvements," Birren said. "As a private entity, they weren't subject to those provisions."

McClain said the contract was legal but that cost overruns on the expansion forced the authority to use much more of the personal seat license revenue than was anticipated.

In 1995 Debro also took aim at what public officials were calling a $63.9 million "loan" to the Raiders. "There was no collateral, there was no repayment schedule, there were no provisions for default,'' he said. "It was simply not a loan. What I called it was a payoff."

Birren and McClain insist it was a loan. "The Raiders pay $525,000 a year (on it), plus half the parking and concessions, which amounted to $1.2 million last year," McClain said.

The NFL felt it was a fee rather than a loan and therefore had to be shared with other teams. The league won a lawsuit over the Raiders on that issue. Debro had no luck in his own court battles against the deal, the final case being thrown out in 2001 because, a judge ruled, it was filed after the statute of limitations to challenge the deal had expired.

He had projected that the deal would cost the taxpayers $400 million. "It looks like it's going to cost $600 million in subsidies by the time the bonds are paid off," he said. "At the end of the 16th year (2010), there are no provisions for any kind of payments (to the city and county). So the subsidies are going to have to go up. That's just atrocious. We have schools that are falling down, a school district that's in default."

He claims city/county officials were duped into the deal by people who had a lot to gain from it. And now?

"I don't think there's any way out of this," he said. "They've antagonized Davis, and they don't have any leverage."

At the same time, Debro has nothing but admiration for Davis. "I just wish we had somebody on the public side who fought as hard for what they believed as he does."