Al Davis: Like It or Not, He'll Do Things HIS Way.

Al Davis has been making football headlines for 50 years.  He will forever be remembered as one of the most innovative, risk-taking, ground-breaking figures in sports.  Davis was one of the first owners to hire an African-American head coach in Art Shell.  He hired the first female president in Amy Trask.  Early Raiders teams were often labeled as misfits, or, my favorite, criminals.  It almost seems as if a Frank Sinatra song was written specifically for Davis; he would do things HIS way.

It seems like since the beginning of the new millennium, people have really begun to attack Al Davis’ decision-making ability.  Davis was questioned for signing Jerry Rice.  Rice had a couple good years with the Raiders.  I remember when the Raiders signed Rice.  I wasn’t expecting him to have the explosive 49ers ability anymore, but he was still a very good receiver who, along with Mr. Raider Tim Brown, made just about the best WR tandem you could ever hope to learn from as a youngster.

Then came the Jon Gruden trade incident.  Mr. Davis essentially traded his coach, and in return got four draft picks over the next few seasons, and some cash.  Gruden’s contract was set to expire after one more season, so it made sense.  Looking back, Tampa Bay crushed the Raiders in the Super Bowl, but I still doubt that any other team would have beaten the Raiders with the team of seasoned veterans that they had.  That means that Mr. Davis took the calculated risk that any of the other 14-or so teams could be beat if the Raiders reached the Super Bowl, which they did.  Unfortunately, sometimes gambles don’t pay off.  Look at the odds and it’s clear that this was a calculated risk by a known gambler.

One of the biggest points of contention has been the Raiders’ draft picks over the recent years.  Players like Robert Gallery, Michael Huff, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and even the former #1 pick, JaMarcus Russell, have been attacked as “busts”.  Gallery has shown himself to be developing into a solid player, Heyward-Bey has been attacked before he’s even played a regular season game, and Russell, who essentially had a solid rookie year last year, has been written off by multiple “experts.”  People forget the picks that have developed into quality players for the Raiders, such as Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders’ all-time leading scorer,  Shane Lechler, multiple-time Pro-Bowler, and Nnamdi Asomugha, considered to be the best cornerback in football.  Keep an eye on Chaz Schilens, who may have a breakout year this year.  Davis has been attacked for veteran acquisitions, such as Rice, Warren Sapp, and Randy Moss.  Even if these moves didn’t always work out, who would have passed up on Randy Moss?

We can’t forget the “coaching carousel”.  After Jon Gruden’s departure, the Raiders began a search for the next solid head-coach that the Nation hopes has ended with the Cable Guy.  Coaches included Bill Callahan, who took the Raiders to the Super Bowl, only to show that it was essentially still Gruden’s offense, Norv Turner, who was supposed to revive the offense, Art Shell, who was supposed to bring the old “Raider Football” image back, and Lane Kiffin.  Hiring Kiffin was another example of Davis’ risk-taking, ground-breaking style.  Kiffin was signed as the youngest head-coach ever.  He was supposed to bring a new way of thinking to the team, with a young, fresh style.  Though it blew up in the Raiders’ collective face, it just showed that Davis is always looking for innovative solutions to reach his goal; Just Win, Baby.

The biggest thing Al Davis gets ripped on is his obsession with speed.  Davis will always believe in the vertical offense; stretching the field opens up multiple opportunities.  This overall obsession is what drives all of the other moves Davis makes.  He searches for the right coach to drive the offense, the right quarterback to throw the ball, and the right receivers to open the field.  Does this obsession lead to neglect in the defense?  Probably, but recent moves have shown that the Raiders are aware of their issues on defense.  This year, the Raiders may have finally set up a dream offense for Davis’ vision.  He has a QB with a cannon for an arm, the fastest WRs in football, and a head coach who shares his vision.  I think it will be a couple years before the youngsters thrive, and I truly hope Mr. Davis is still around to reap the success.

This may sound like I’m absolving Al Davis of all of the questionable moves he’s ever made.  I certainly am not trying to do that.  There have been plenty of decisions that just don’t make sense to me.  However, Davis is a risk-taker.  Lately, those risks have not paid off.  But, if you honestly think that will derail a genuine maverick like Al Davis, then you haven’t been paying attention to the decisions of a Hall of Famer that has always, and will always, do things HIS way.