The Oakland Raiders and their "Commitment to Suck"

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words.  Well, this picture of Al Davis (or is that the Crypt Keeper?) says it all...On the outside, a nice, shiny black jacket, menacing Silver and Black helmet, and even a cup of booze to keep that "rebel" spirit alive. 

On the inside, a crusty shell of a man, a wrinkly road map that has "excellence" buried somewhere within, and a painfully confusing look on his face, leaving us viewers completely perplexed.

On the outside, the Oakland Raiders appeared to have a talented team.  Russell finally has a few notches on his belt and has a chance to explode onto the NFL scene.  The defense was already decent, and should have become better in the off-season with the addition of DeAngelo Hall. 

Not to mention a young coaching staff who won more games last year than they probably should have.  And last but not least, two powerful running backs—one of which was considered by many as the best of the 2008 Draft class. 

But as week one proved, you can polish up the Raiders, but deep down inside they are still Al Davis.

As a Broncos fan, this is nothing but bliss.  I know that the city of Denver shared in my joy as they ESPN cameras caught a glimpse of old Al in his stadium box with that bewildered look on his face after the Broncos had easily put up 41 points. 

Perhaps the pain in his face was driven by rookie Wide Out Eddie Royal, who made fellow Virginia Tech alum DeAngelo Hall look like he just came from a community college.

But for the first time in my life of bleeding Orange and Blue, I actually felt a little bit bad for the rabid fans of the Oakland Raiders.  How could this be, you ask?  There is one simple reason:  Right now, the Denver/Oakland rivalry means absolutely nothing. 

When the Broncos play the Raiders, both fan bases get that feeling of excitement.  Memories of the 70's, 80's and 90's fill our minds and we get geared up for the game.  And up until 2002, this rivalry was the most important game of the season for both teams. 

But over the last six years the Raiders have gone from one of the best teams in the NFL to quite possibly the worst.  This is arguably the sharpest and deepest decline of any team in the last 15 years. 

By contrast, the Broncos have had their ups and downs, but have remained competitive in the AFC.  When the Broncos play, they have a shot at the playoffs.  The Raiders simply don't have a shot, and they haven't for the last six seasons.

Early in the ESPN broadcast, Mike Ditka pointed out that "the NFL is better when the Raiders are good."  At first I scoffed at this comment.  But then I watched the game.  It was great in the first half as I watched my team put up 17 hard earned points on their hated rivals.  Admittedly, the Defense got lucky on a play or two.  But the first half actually felt like a football game.  The 2nd half made me realize what Ditka was saying was true.  It's hard to watch a team completely melt down, even if they are an arch enemy.

Oakland seemingly gave up and the frustration was instantly present in the whole stadium.  Then the camera pans to Al Davis, and it becomes obvious... Al is the King of this frustration. 

His controlling ways allow not for Kiffin to coach his game, or for Russell to shine.  His pride and stubbornness still pump through the veins of the team, and poison any chances of improvement.  His team gets mad and makes stupid mistakes, and continue their "commitment to penalties." 

His legacy is tarnished by his unwillingness to let go, and let the team move in a different direction.  As a result, the Raiders completely suck.  The rivalry that once stood for dominance in the AFC now stands for nothing. 

Just another win for the Broncos.  Just another reason for Raiders fans to get all geared up and excited only to watch a meltdown occur.  Just another reason for Al Davis to throw yet another coach under the bus.  Meanwhile, Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden are smiling, happy to be coaching for owners who let them coach.

It will always be fun for the die hard fans, when the Broncos play the Raiders.  It's even more fun when the game has playoff implications.  But for Broncos fans, now it's only fun because it's not really the Broncos versus the Raiders...it's the Broncos versus the Ghost of Al's Legacy.