Oakland Raider Arsenal: "Weapon Of Choice"

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Many fans steeped in Raider lore are familiar with New York raised Alphonse Davis’s love of the Big apple’s baseball teams of yore, that dominated the major leagues in his era and how he melded those two great baseball teams philosophies into Oakland Raider football.

Davis admired the Brooklyn Dodgers innovative attack and speed and loved the Yankees power and intimidation.

Combining the two led to some great Raider victories, endless highlights and one of the best records in sports history.

According to some, its also responsible for the 6 year disaster endured by Oakland faithful.

But, over the last few seasons Sir Al has quietly assembled another youthful offense packed with the elements he cherished so much in those Championship baseball dynasties.

It will be up to new Coach Tom Cable, new passing game coordinator Ted Tollner and their crew to add the innovation, but with Darren McFadden capable of Westbrookian / Reggie Bush type of versatility, Oakland could and should be able to throw some new wrinkles into what has been more of a vanilla play book of late.

New receivers in the form of dangerous Johnnie Lee Higgins, 7^th round 2008 selection Chaz Schilens and 2009 7^th overall

 pick Darrius Heyward Bey all have after burners and the type of 40 times Davis covets.

For the Raiders DMC and their speedy new wides represent the old school Dodgers.

Speed and innovation.

At the other end of the spectrum...

Michael Bush showed he was healthy enough to play toward the end of the year and despite rancor over his supposed refusal to play FB in a pinch, Oakland knows they have a winner with the former Louisville Cardinal, even if the rest of the League doesn’t know it...yet.

Bush can catch, throw and run out of the backfield and is thought of by Raider coaches as a "finisher". Using his 6-1, 245 lb frame to bash tired defenses, pick up time killing first downs late in games and power his way into the end zone in short yardage, Bush can add a defense saving element to their offense.

Likely assisting his abuse of winded defenses will be almost mythical FB Lorenzo Neal who’s devastating second level blocks have led running backs to 1,000 yd seasons 11 times in a row until last years La Ron McClain managed only 900.

Not only is he as new Raider Head Coach Tom Cable put it, "Probably the best blocking FB in the last 15-20 years."

And the 16 year vet can pass block too.

Bush and Lorenzo Neal represent the old Yankees "power and fear."

Davis’s unwillingness to compromise a system some think of as outdated reminds me of a show I watched once about WW II fighter pilots experiencing jet combat in Korea for the first time.

The wily old combat ace stated quite simply there was no difference despite what others less informed might’ve had to say.

The game remains the same.

"So the speeds are faster. So what? Your going 600 miles and hour, he’s going 600 miles and hour. No difference."

In Davis’s philosophy, power, versatility and intimidation are still valid and relevant no matter the era.

In 2009, for the first time in far too long, he finally has pieces in place to test whether or not that notion is correct and whether his vision of Raider football can still win.

Once again trademark speed, size and power are in place to execute Davis’s battle plan and help secure his legacy as an innovator, genius and football master mind.

If he’s right, we should begin to see the benefits this year.

If he’s wrong and Oakland doesn’t show marked improvement, it could be the beginning of the end of Raider football as we’ve known it.

All or nothing.

You have to imagine thats exactly how the old gambler likes it.