The Mindset of Al Davis

Al Davis has been called befuddled, senile, crazy, inept, foolish, evil, and even possessed in recent years.

But he has, and continues to hold to this day, the reins of the NFL's version of the “Bad News Bears.”

Davis, who will be 79 when the season starts, has always been a maverick throughout his career. From his days in San Diego picking up on Lance Alworth to his "stretch the field" offensive scheme, nothing Al has ever done has been orthodox.

Al took over the Oakland Raiders after a couple disastrous seasons and brought a mentality that can only be described as creative.

At the time of his arrival, the Raiders were coming off a 1-13 schedule. That season, two coaches left: Marty Feldman, 0-5, and Bill Conkright, who went 1-8.

After he assumed control in 1963, the Raiders rebounded to 10-4, finishing a game behind the Chargers, who won the AFL Championship that year. It was the first of three seasons Al would run the team as coach before bringing in John Rauch for three more.

Ironically, Al's blueprint brought fruit, for in 1967 and 1968 the the Raiders would lose only three games total in the regular season and would face the Packers in the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Al was just being Al. To his credit, he helped set in motion the merger between the AFL and NFL simply by employing tactics designed to cripple NFL teams. He was known to target the big pro quarterbacks. Without a solid QB, the teams would flounder, and it would cause a ripple effect for the League.

Pete Rozelle, to his end, didn't have much choice. Merging would ensure that the AFL did not steal any more players, and he could retain his job.

As things went on, Al was a little miffed at not getting his hands on control of the NFL, so he returned to Oakland to keep working on his project. Needless to say, the Raiders’ prime was dead ahead.

Something that cannot be doubted is Al's penchant for finding talent in the people he works around. John Madden, for example, helped lead the Raiders to their first ever title. Bill Walsh, who helped set up the 49ers dynasty, originally worked for the Raiders in the early ‘60s. Ron Wolf worked for the club as well.

Once you play for the Raiders, people will always remember that about you, either as a star or a problem player who was thrown out.

He also makes creative draft picks. Guys like Stabler, Upshaw, Art Shell, and Marcus Allen all came from inside the system.

He too finds creative ways to pluck discarded talent. Todd Christiansen, for example, went through two other clubs before the Raiders got him. Willie Brown, considered by some to the one of the best corners ever, left the Broncos unhappy and found his home in Oakland.

Some you can attribute to pure luck, like Jim Plunkett. But Al found a way for all of them to thrive.

Some of his more recent stabs into free agency are questionable: Aaron Brooks and Kerry Collins, to name a few. Some might look at it as a desperate ploy to plug holes. Other clubs too have done creative things: the Chiefs took Elvis Grbac over Rich Gannon, the Broncos ditched Brian Griese for Jake Plummer.

But the Raiders tend to attract the most attention because they are a polarizing force in the league.

But one thing can't be doubted. Al's passion for the game is still there. And unlike a lot of clubs, he's got three rings to prove that his ways work.

Only question remains: Can an old dog learn new tricks, or is he too set in his ways to accept new creative ideas?

Only time will tell.