FanPost

A gift, or a curse?

   With the everlasting presence that is Al Davis, I have been push and pulled in different ways since I was a child.  My father, one of 10 children, instilled in us the institution that was being a Raider fan. 

   Growing up, I learned about how Al was such an influence in the merger, about how he hired the first Latino head coach in Tom Flores, the first African American head coach in Art Shell, and the first female executive in Amy Trask: the marks of an innovator. 

   His growing the Raider brand has been most impressive.  He brought many great years to the fans of the Raider Nation, and has acknowledged that by annointing the Raiders as the "team of the decades."  The legacy of great teams, great players, and a slew of timeless games with outrageous endings.  Endings that could only be described with a legendary name like "The Immaculate Reception". 

   The greatness that is Al Davis has been well documented.  Even people that may not be on the best terms with Al, a la Gruden and Kiffin (reportedly), they will only characterize him as a hands on owner with a wealth of knowledge and a legend in the game.  So where are we now, as of today?  Is Al the innovating legend that is unfairly characterized, and misunderstood?  Or has he been the single most destructive force from within the once proud Raider organization?

   If you listened to every available form of media, Al is the latter, and not the former.  He runs the drafts, chooses the free agents, and runs (or tries to run) coaches out of town that aren't loyal "yes" men.  The Raider job is apparently the job that nobody wants, and the cycle plays itself out again and again. 

   I find myself struggling between wanting to believe that the Raiders are a part of a conspiracy, a product of being a Raider fan from birth, and accepting the truth that seems to reveal itself.  The mere mention of dysfunction can send some of the more "faithful" Raider fans into a name calling rant to include, but not limited to, "traitor", while I've read others say that the Raiders will remain irrelevant until he goes away, or dies.  Harsh.

   So I've decided that Al Davis can neither be regarded as a gift or a curse, because he has become equal parts of both.  You can't deny the contributions that he's made to the game, and yet, there is also no denying his influence on the recent history of the franchise.  You can only describe Al as "The Gift and the Curse".