A Super Bowl Carol: The Future Of Bill Cowher and The Oakland Raiders

Now that the NFL Season is near the end for 2008 and Christmas looms in the midst, the hot-stove has fired up over speculation on the future of Super Bowl winning-coach Bill Cowher.

Some believe that the Cleveland Browns make sense because of Cowher's connections to the team.  Yet, Cleveland has also expressed interest in former headcoach Marty Scottenheimer.

Others believe that the Washington Redskins will be in the fix after one season of the promising Jim Zorn, because Dan Snyder is basically Al Davis without the Super Bowls.

Yet, I am here to make the case for why Bill Cowher should lobby Al Davis to become the next headcoach of the Oakland Raiders; as dysfunctional as they've been.  I still maintain that Oakland has talented players but that they lack a) coaching, b) confidence, and c) cohesion. 

In other words, the coaches (sic, Al Davis) call bad plays so the players put their head in the sand and start blaming each other (sic, Al Davis) rather than playing as a team.

In this story however, Al Davis is Ebenezer Scrooge, Bill Cowher is Bob Crachit, the ghost of Jacob Marley is John Madden and the Oakland Raider roster is the Crachit family, but most notably, Tiny Tim.

John Madden as Jacob Marley must watch the Raiders eternally after retirement, invisible among his fellow Raiders, burdened with chains, seeing the misery and suffering he could have alleviated in his life but now powerless to intervene.

Somehow, Al Davis must get haunted by the Ghosts of Super Bowl past, and the Ghosts of Super Bowl future.  And I don't mean Dave Casper.

Tom Flores as the coach of Super Bowl past would show Al Davis memories on NFL Films of Fred Biletnikoff, Ken Stabler, Jim Plunkett, Marcus Allen, Jack Squirek, Ray Guy, Jim Otto, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Dave Dalby, Henry Lawrence, Clarence Davis, Mark van Eeghen, Jack Tatum, Lester Hayes, Cliff Branch, Howie Long, Phil Villapiano, Otis Sistrunk, George Atkinson, Dave Casper, Raymond Chester, Todd Christensen, Greg Townsend, Don Mosebar, Steve Wisniewski, Bo Jackson, Daryle Lamonica, Pete Banaszak, Hewritt Dixon, Billy Cannon, Warren Wells, Tom Flores, Art Powell.........

And the list goes on.  Back when Al Davis was the kind soul he was before the misery he has wrought upon the Fans.  NFL Films of The Sea of Hands, The Ghost to the Post, The Holly Roller, The Cutback, The Heidi Game, Bo Jackson on Monday Night Football, the Downs of Tim Brown, and ... Just Win, Baby.

Of course, we all know who the coach of Super Bowl future is: Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan.  So yes, Al Davis has yet to recant and prevent the horrors of Super Bowl future -- who would point to a tombstone engraved with the legacy of the Detroit Lions.

The only hope for the Oakland Raiders would be for Al Davis to trust a coach like Bill Cowher.  Al upon hiring Cowher could pretend to be his old miserly self, before revealing his new person to an astonished Cowher. He would assist Bill and his roster, and become an admired guardian to Tiny Tim (sic, the Raider players), and regain a reputation as a cunning and shrewd man who embodies the spirit of the Super Bowl in his life.

I ask in effect, for NFL Coaches to recognise the plight of those whom NFL Parity has displaced and driven into mediocrity, and the obligation of the NFL to provide for them humanely. Failure to do so, will result in an unnamed "Doom" for those who, like Scrooge, believe their Enshirement in the Hall of Fame and Super Bowl rings qualifies them to sit in judgment on the poor rather than to assist them. 

In other words, the NFL can sit in judgment of Al Davis all they want and maybe win a few Super Bowls or induction to the Hall of Fame, but the failure to assist the Raiders will ultimately lead you to the same fate.

Thus now on the topic of Oakland's potential to turn around in 2009 like Miami and Atlanta did in 2008: The fact is that the Oakland defense is loaded with underrated talent, that gets a bad rap because of bad-calls and a mangled offense that prevents them from resting.  Nnamdi Asomugha is arguably the best corner in the NFL, while S Gibril Wilson has played admirably and Chris Johnson, Stanford Routt, Michael Huff and Tyvon Branch have showed promise.

Linebackers Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard can be a wrecking crew when the tackles occupy the line, and still enforce the defense when the tackles are lacking.  I like what I've seen from LB Ricky Brown, LB Jon Alston, and DE Jay Richardson and rookie DE Trevor Scott from Buffalo: another Jared Allen?  Maybe, but only under the tutelage and control of good coaching. 

So, my wish-list for free-agency would be for Oakland to snag DT Albert Haynesworth from Tennessee (because his contract now prevents Tennessee from tagging him).

As for the offense ... where do I begin?  You know, if the Raiders would commit to the run, they would be much better than this.  Tennessee has "Smash-n-Dash," Carolina has "Razzle & Dazzle," while the Giants and Dolphins also utilize a two half-back rotation.  The Raiders have the talent to do that, yet insist on things that aren't there, which leads to injuries and inconstancy. 

Darren McFadden and Michael Bush have the talent to be in the same conversation, and could even earn the nickname, "Run and DMC."  Their theme song could be "Walk This Way."  Alas, the Raiders insist on Justin Fargas as the lead back.  Fargas is a good runner, but I think his time has come.  He's at best a backup who can't find the endzone in short-yardage.

A commitment to the run would take the pressure off the shoulders of JaMarcus Russell.  If you're reading this JaMarcus... don't get discouraged, even Drew Brees struggled in his early career.  The Raiders have a bull at tight-end in Zach Miller to get tough hards for the first-downs and a burner at wide-receiver in Johnnie Lee Higgins to run the distance, but the offense should not look to them first, but to the running game... which it does not commit to effectively.

So I greatly encourage Al Davis to lobby Bill Cowher to become the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders, instate some form of "Blitzburgh," and take up the Silver and Black's burden, and if, well, read "Calling All Raiders: You Control Your Destiny in the Unforgiving Minute."

BECAUSE UNDER THE RIGHT COACHING, the Raiders could achieve such visions.  Visions of what Bill Cowher did in Pittsburgh, and so in some ways my visions are plagiaristic.