For Raiders, A SuperTanker Full of Kool-Aid Won’t Fix Davis’ Mess

By MikeBullock  |   Tuesday, September 01, 2009  |  Comments( 9 )

Oakland Raiders
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Late August used to mean the coming of the Autumn Wind, the sound heard round the NFL that had opposing teams shaking in their cleats. Not so long ago, the Oakland Raiders had a winning all-time record against EVERY other team in the league. That’s quite an amazing feat when you factor in the inclusion of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers – three teams with a combined Super Bowl record of 16-4, two of which are considered Raider rivals.

However, this is a new era, one marked by double-digit blowouts, embarrassing errors in fundamentals, terrible play calling and some of the worst mismanagement in professional sports history.

So, what’s a Raider fan to do besides continue to guzzle the Al Davis Kool-Aid by the gallon every Sunday? Pray Al steps down.

The team’s spiral from greatness began in the late eighties when Al first became heavy handed with the day-to-day operations. At the time, the losses were blamed on poor coaching, so they fire the coach and move on. But, instead of hiring a great coach, they go through wanna-bes, retreads and never-weres (the poor cousin of the has-been) until landing on a diamond in the rough, Jon Gruden.

The hiring of Gruden created the perfect storm of team management, whereby Davis and General Manager (sure Al won’t call anyone that, but the position is what it is no matter what title you give it) Bruce Allen. In comes Gruden’s “brother from another mother” Rich Gannon and a score of other great players and suddenly it seems as if the Raiders are headed back to the Glory Days. But, trouble brews between Davis and Gruden, leading to infighting that ruined a season and saw Gruden leave for a team that would eventually defeat the Raiders in their first Super Bowl appearance since the early eighties. What caused the infighting? Al trying to be the coach, not the owner.

Now, Gruden gets the scapegoat label, along with Allen, as to why the team failed to rise back to the prominence it earned with blood, sweat and tears years ago.

So, they usher in a new era of poor coaches after cleaning out the front office, but this time Al takes the team in a new direction: It’s not the coaches fault, it’s the players. Let’s cast off any player who might be seen as trouble. What happens next? Six straight losing seasons, culminating in the worst win-loss record in modern NFL history in such a span.

Who can Al blame now? Fire the defensive coordinator. Elevate the offensive line coach to the head office and let the overpriced young rookies show their stuff.

Now that 2009’s season is upon us, the Raiders have shown no signs of improving from their previous six seasons and there’s no one left to blame. Since the spiral began, Al has replaced EVERYONE in the organization except a few Yes Men. With each replacement he’s added more hats to his already overcrowded head. Sure the man is sharp, and there is no doubt he’s a football genius, but no one on earth can do all those jobs with excellence. Especially ones that are so all-consuming. It simply can’t happen. Not for Al Davis in his prime and certainly not for Al Davis in his twilight years.

Raider fans made Al who he is today and he owes it to the Nation to look in the mirror, realize he has a great eye for talent but no chance of running a successful franchise single-handedly and pass the torch on to people more suited to achieve greatness.

And maybe then, Raider fans won’t be going into diabetic shock from the Kool-Aid overdose it takes to stomach the product Al is fielding these days.
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CommentsComments: 9  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
01:00 PM
09/01/2009
Anyone who wishes Al Davis dead is a pathetic douche bag. The man’s days are numbered. I will follow Al until his death. I ...
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No.2
B1-Raider		04:24 PM
09/01/2009
You are right BIG, I don't think anyone wishes Al to die. Just to pass on the reins. Although I still look upon the upcoming ...
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No.3
Kevy Kev		05:23 PM
09/01/2009
Good artical man. Yeah, it's terrible what the team, the legacy, and especially the fans have had to endure the last handful of ...
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