Mantracker to Hunt Al Davis

By MikeBullock  |   Tuesday, November 17, 2009  |  Comments( 8 )

Oakland Raiders
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Some of you may be familiar with a Canadian Reality TV Show called Mantracker, where an expert tracker named Terry Grant pursues two individuals across the wilderness in western Canada. The object for the “prey” is to elude Mantracker and reach the finish line in under thirty-six hours. Mantracker’s goal is obvious, run the prey to ground.

In an episode that aired on the Science Channel last weekend, one of the prey was cornered, caught, ready to be taken in when he suddenly leaped over a fence and charged off into the thick woods, tearing himself up on the stickers, thin branches, etc. He was running blindly, simply trying to escape, completely unaware of the fact that any step could plunge him into a deep ravine, ending his life. It was a little crazy, as his desire to escape overcame his desire for self preservation.

At this point, Mantracker made a comment that Al Davis should hear.

It went something like this, “I pity the man who doesn’t know when he has lost, doesn’t know when to give up.”

Just like the prey on the show, Davis would rather risk utterly destroying the franchise he’s guided for over forty years, than concede that he no longer has a viable chance to achieve the fourth Lombardi trophy he so desperately wants.

You often hear about “the will to win” when NFL sportscasters refer to front offices around the league. Some teams have it, some don’t. But, when you unpack that phrase, you realize there’s more to it than simply trying to will your team to victory. It takes intelligence, strategy, great management, great leadership, the ability to spot great talent, and the capacity to nourish that talent so it has the best chance to thrive.

While Davis has the will and the eye for talent, the rest is simply leaping over fences and charging off into the wilderness, flesh be damned.

And, worst of it all, is Davis, a once great mind is now viewed as a crackpot. He’s yet another story of a competitive man who lingered around too long, soiling his legacy with hubris.

This past offseason, the media compared Brett Favre to Jerry Rice, Franco Harris and many other former greats who hung around too long, effectively ending their careers on a down note that would forever stick with them. While Favre is currently proving everyone wrong, when you put Davis under that scrutiny, it’s apparent he’s proving them all right.

Maybe Al Davis and Amy Trask can audition for an episode of Mantracker, where the consequences of your inability to call it a day are made immediately and painfully apparent. Maybe then he’ll get what he’s doing to Raider Nation. Maybe then, he ride off into the sunset and a new day can dawn.
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