Leave Al Davis Alone

I wrote this a couple of years ago in defense of my football idol, Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders. Al passed away 10/8/11. I republish this in his honor. Rip Al.

One thing that bothers me is how much flak Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, has been taking the last few years. While its true that the Raiders have been anything but committed to excellence the last seven or eight years, it certainly is not all of Al's fault. It is safe to say that Al HAS forgot more football than most of us will ever know. Even so he still knows more than any of us ever will about the game of football. This is the man that forced the NFL to merge with the AFL to make the league the way we all know it today. His thanks for these efforts have been to be picked on by referees, and commissioners, ever since Pete Rozelle failed to forgive, or make up with him.

Many people believe that Al no longer recognizes football talent, and that he should give the reins over to a General Manager. Al has always been a height/weight/speed guy, and sometimes it has cost the Raiders. The Hall of Fame is filled with people who were not the fastest, or the tallest, but had the largest heart, and loved to play the game of football. The size of a player's heart is one stat that Al has never looked at. This has led to some major disappointments like JaMarcus Russell, and Darren McFadden (so far). However, that being said, the Raiders are loaded with talented players, that have all been found by Al such as Chaz Shillens, Thomas Howard, Nnamdi Asomough, and many others. If the Raiders can find a winner at the QB position, the world will see just how talented the Raiders are because of Al.

Aye, there's the rub.