Al Davis' Day of Reckoning Has Come:

by saint on Nov 16, 2009 6:28 PM PST Comment 37 comments

"Hey Mo!" (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

On a day when the Oakland Raiders were begining to show the signs of their earlier heritage, the thing that stood out the most was a wide receiver, drafted number 7 over-all, who was selected over numerous more talented AND proven guys by an old man who has lost his mind.

There have been signs all around us, but, when Heyward-Bey let that last pass bounce off of his chest and into the Chief's arms it became clear to me that Al Davis', losing his mind, has really cost this team too much this time.

Instead of keeping the second rounder last year, it was shipped off to Atlanta for 'Angelo Hall. The one who left the "D" somewhere between Atlanta and Oakland.

Wouldn't you just know that DeSean Jackson was available when that pick was made and the Falcons ended up getting a bookend O-Lineman, Sam Baker.

What did the Raiders get? 8 Million dollars of NOTHING but Burnt Toast that smelled like the "Scrip Club" while the Falcons and Eagles have "Landed", pardon the pun, Huge pieces to their franchises.

Then, this season the Raiders drafted the laughing stock rookie wide-out of All-Time, and that was before he'd even attempted to catch a pass in the OTA's...He's gotten worse.

I mean, before the season started, you still had hope that MAYBE the Old Man had outfoxed the entire League by finding the next Cliff Branch and Jack Tatum. Perhaps the old man had one more one finger salute for the "Liars" and was two fisting the "Professional Liars"!

Now, all we see is a franchise being run into the ground with the same gusto with which it became a symbol of the NFL.

When you get the chance to draft the Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Macklin or Percy Harvin's of the World, you do not take a project with hands of stone. You just don't. THEN, when you realize he can't catch, at the very least, you let a veteran, like ummm, I don't know...Javon Walker maybe!?!?...step in until the kid calms down a bit.

That is unless you just really DON'T see it. And at this point, I don't think that Mr. Davis does see reality any more. I bet, after hearing him speak, that he is still wondering WHY Cliff Branch missed that last pass.

I have often wrote, "Today is the DAY", before Raider games, and for me, yesterday was the day that I lost faith in AL's ability to run things. I'd questioned it, and have been in doubt about it for a while. Now I KNOW, it is time to get someone in here to run things. It has to be someone that Al trusts and it has to be soon, otherwise his great legacy will be forever tarnished.

Yesterday was a day of reckoning for you Mr. Davis. You have either lost your touch or have lost touch with reality. You choose.

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No way should it have taken you this long to figure out Davis' brain was fried

he hasn’t done anything smart since the Gruden/Gannon days.

by Southfield_2001 on Nov 16, 2009 6:48 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

He has created a legacy that players want to join:

Greg Ellis and Richard Seymour were HUGE pickups, yet, noone can catch the ball on offense, and therfor the team is doomed!!

It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09

by saint on Nov 17, 2009 2:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey it's a start

I agree Seymour was a nice addition he has done really well and u guys need more players like him to change the culture of your team. You guys need a qb some oline help and a wr still (dhb blows) but your guys secondary is really good.

by 49ersAllTheWay on Nov 18, 2009 8:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

too bad

Seymour will be gone next year.. No way he stays with this rotting corpse..

by G_M on Nov 18, 2009 3:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Rookie Wide Receivers

I actually thought that outside of Michael Crabtree, Darrius Heyward-Bey was a better pro prospect than Percy Harvin or Jeremy Maclin. Just taking Heyward-Bey over Crabtree was stupid. It was just another dumb move by someone who hasn’t been remotely successful for six-plus years now.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Nov 16, 2009 7:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Weren’t there a lot of people on this board defending DHB and saying he would have no problem developing into a nfl WR?

by Rocland on Nov 16, 2009 7:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yes

Some people even wanted him instead of Michael Crabtree. I thought Heyward-Bey would develop into a good wider receiver, but I wouldn’t have taken him over Crabtree.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Nov 16, 2009 7:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If the Raiders really wanted DHB (why? who knows)

they easily could have traded down and still gotten him and picked up an extra draft pick.

The drafts the last several years have been scary and the Raiders often seem to take players too early like 2nd round pick Mike Mitchell (remember him?)

I really don’t like taking wide receivers in the 1st round as I think that’s a position where you can find talent later in the draft but I certainly don’t like taking a player with the number 7 pick who wasn’t even All-ACC first team.

It’s widely reported that Al choses the players in the first two rounds of the draft so Russell,McFadden and Heyward-Bey are on him.

Let’s just hope that he doesn’t allow his ego to get in the way of doing what’s best for this football team when it comes to these players.

by sirbed on Nov 16, 2009 7:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

y would u just assume

it’s so easy 2 trade the #7 pick like it was trading your snack pack chocolate pudding for a capri-sun at some elementary school cafeteria? how many times have u seen top 10 picks get traded away with the guaranteed $ that rookies are gonna get? only when it’s been 4 a QB. what we should have done is draft Sanchez and used him as trade bait. everybody and their mama knew how bad the jets and redskins wanted him! if we would’ve taken him, we would’ve had them both by the balls and could’ve gotten their pick pick and possibly a later round pick. that something a good GM would’ve done. SO WHY DIDN’T OURS???? oh ya,we don’t fukn have one!!!!
Al Davis of a few decades back would’ve had the savy to pull that off.

by iBleedSnB on Nov 16, 2009 9:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well there were 3 trades made in the top 10 of the 2008 draft

and none of them involved quarterbacks so while it may not be like trading away pudding it’s not exactly unheard of either.

In fact there are often trades involving the picks in the top 10 and they usually don’t involve quarterbacks so I think your analysis might be off a bit.

by sirbed on Nov 17, 2009 3:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

As a fan, my hope got in the way of my brain:

I nearly threw up my tequila shot when he was selected and then I drank myself to the point that I thought he could be great!!!

It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09

by saint on Nov 17, 2009 2:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I totally agree

Things are very bad in Oakland right now. We are an all too easy target for the media who just love to hate us. As a passionate fan I have given Al every benefit of the doubt based on his most illustrious lifetime of achievements. I am at a point where I can no longer do that. The situation is very bad and has been so for going on 8 years now. It takes a very special breed of fan to endure what we Raider fans have been subjected to of late. It’s unconstitutional. A drastic change is needed soon. The many changes at the head coach position have done nothing to improve our sorry situation. A change is needed at the top. This team needs to get back to its glory days when success was a regular part of business. It seems like the only way to do that is to make a change with the individual who got us into this tangled mess – Al Davis.

The Heyward-Bey selection is the straw that broke my back. This guy has been awful. There are many very young wide receivers in the league that have made immediate impacts on their teams. Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy have not made any impact on our team. They drop way too many passes.

Jamarcus is not 100% serious about being the quarterback of the Oakland Raiders. He has no desire to succeed. If he did he would at least be in shape and in the film room all the time. He’s not. He’s a guy who thinks he’s big time when he’s obviously not. He’s accomplished nothing in his NFL career other than become a subject of ridicule. He’s incapable of reading defenses, he’s limited in mobility, he’s inaccurate, he never audibles, he has zero pocket awareness, he never pump fakes, he focuses on his targets and does not look off the defenses, and he blames everybody but himself. We must part ways with Jamarcus just as quick as parting ways with Al Davis. The end should be imminent. Enough is enough. I am sick and tired watching a terrible team on Sundays.

by The Autumn Wind on Nov 16, 2009 7:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Terrific post (both you and Saint)

You’ve nailed it here.

We all sat around that Saturday hoping the rumors were untrue and that rather than being the freak-show of the NFL, we’d actually just do the simple think, the conservative thing, and take Crabtree. When we didn’t, it was embarrassing. But we held out hope. Now, it’s become more embarrassing. Who knows, DHB may become a decent pro, maybe better than that. But we aren’t seeing anything yet. Meanwhile, every other players the Mel Kiper’s of the world said that we should take is performing well.

And as Saint points out, we could have many other valued players if we’d just stop fucking away so many picks in so many obvious ways.

What you say about Russell, though, is the heart of why this team offers no hope right now.

by RLangford on Nov 16, 2009 8:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What's up Raider Nation

I just came by to say good luck on Sunday when we come into your town. You guys may actually make it competitive if you start Gratkowski. I still predict a Bengals victory, considering we just swept the defending Super Bowl Champions.

by Danimal, Destroyer of Worlds on Nov 16, 2009 8:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

and don't forget he already gave away our 2011 pick

At least he can’t blow that pick

by Bud Light on Nov 16, 2009 9:03 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Give up on Al

I’ve paid a lot of money over the years to watch the Raiders. I am definitely throwing in the towel after this season. I think Al Davis is insane, Tom Cable is an idiot, and JaMarcus Russell is a stooge. Al Davis’ son can’t be too bright, either. I would knock my father’s teeth out if he ran a football team into the ground like this. Freakin despicable!

by Jraider on Nov 16, 2009 9:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Here's some stats on DHB for ya guys.

Player Targets Rec. Rec. Pct. Yards
1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oakland 26 5 19.2 74
2. Michael Clayton, Tampa Bay 37 12 32.4 192
3. Louis Murphy, Oakland 47 16 34.0 232
4. Chris Chambers, SD/KC 35 12 34.2 192
5. Mohamed Massaquoi, Cleveland 49 19 38.8 328
6. Bryant Johnson, Detroit 50 20 40.0 276
7. Roy Williams, Dallas 44 19 43.18 324
8. Antonio Bryant, Tampa Bay 37 16 43.24 229
9. Ted Ginn Jr., Miami 43 19 44.2 218
10. Justin Gage, Tennessee 49 22 44.9 302

by Mullester on Nov 16, 2009 9:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

You only need to post this once in one subject.

Now go home troll.

by Rusty23 on Nov 17, 2009 6:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What happens now?

For the 1st time in 40years of Raider Football I don’t see anything good on the horizon.I know the sky is falling right.Try to think of the talent we have that is wasting away because Al was to stubborn to hire a staff that could not only draft talent but can coach it up like a good football coach should.Minus our quarterback and wideouts our players are just as good as any other team in the league the difference is coaching.All the wrong routes,penalties,clock management are all due to the fact that the Raiders need better coaching and the need to draft football players with football intelligence.Its great that the Raiders can win any track meet they enter but I feel throwing,catching,tackling and most of all heart are more important.The Raiders must hire a G.M. and Head coach that can work together with Al on next years draft (which should be a deep one) and move this team ahead.Hopefully Al will see the light because the one thing I do know about Al is that he loves his Raiders more than anything on this earth.So at this time Al can change or just completely blow this thing up.I am hoping he changes.

by bayparkphil on Nov 16, 2009 10:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

i first realized this with the pick of darren mcfadden. the franchise wasn’t doing too great for the 4 years before that, but they were rebuilding. they didnt have gannon, rice, brown, and garner anymore, so i wasnt panicking after 3 or 4 years of awful play. however, the year we had josh mccown/daunte culpepper, etc. justin fargas broke out. he didnt even start for half the season, and he still wound up with over 1000 rushing yards. not to mention dominic rhodes started our last 2 games and had two 100 yard rushing games in those 2 games. the raiders had the number 5 rushing offense in the league.

our passing defense was number 1 in the league that year. our rushing offense (as usual) was last. so what does al davis do in the ensuing draft? draft a running back named darren mcfadden. i dont see how you rationalize picking a running back so early in the draft when you had the number 5 rushing attack the year before, AND had a crap run defense, AND had michael bush coming in the next year. fargas/bush would have been a pretty good duo if you ask me. no need to bring in mcfadden and his “every play is a home run threat” playing style. he hasnt had ONE home run. his longest touchdown is what, 18 yards?

i know what im about to say is useless because you cant predict this, but the raiders COULD have drafted:

Larry Fitzgerald over Robert Gallery. gallery is a good left guard, but you dont waste #2 overall pick on a guard
Jay Cutler over Michael Huff
Joe Thomas over Jamarcus Russell
Chris Johnson over Darren McFadden
B.J. Raji over Darrius Heyward Bey

by raiderrocker18 on Nov 16, 2009 11:51 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

You could have had Monroe, too, plus

Y’all could have had Crabtree, Maclin, or Harvin over DHB. Y’all coulda had Michael Johnson over Mitchell.

I may be a Buckeyes fan, But you could have done better by reaching for Robo(Brian Robiskie) over DHB.

I’m not sold on Cutler. He looks bad in prime time games, and he looked bad against us.

Definitely should have taken Thomas over J-Marc. Gallery, Thomas, and Monroe could have given you guys a solid line

by Danimal, Destroyer of Worlds on Nov 17, 2009 1:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

As a Bengals fan

I know what it’s like to watch my team waste picks on garbage players. See Klingler, Akili Smith, Dan WIlkinson, Ki-Jana Carter, Peter Warrick, just to name a few from the decade that shall not be mentioned.

by Danimal, Destroyer of Worlds on Nov 17, 2009 1:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Was just talking

to a Packer friend about how long it took you guys to turn things around. A lot of high draft picks wasted and we’re doing the same thing. How much do you blame your fopmer coaches for the lack of development for these busts?

by Rusty23 on Nov 17, 2009 6:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dave Shula

I definitely place some blame on, he was the worst coach not only in the history of the Bengals, but the worst coach in the Modern era. But when it comes down to it, it starts at the top, and ultimately it falls on Mike Brown. He’s old and senile like Al Davis. But a blind squirrel can even find an acorn somewhere. Al likes speedy guys, MB likes guys with sketchy pasts that he can redeem for cheap(See LJ). Part of the change this year could be attributed to the fact that Mikey finally realizes that the better we are, the lower the draft position, and therefore the less he has to pay out.

I honestly think another reason why we finally started winning this year is the emergence of Mike Zimmer as our DC. He’s in the final year of his contract here, and we need to do absolutely everything to make sure he doesn’t become your next HC. He has turned our defense into a force to be reckoned with. Our pass defense isn’t ranked great, but it’s better than it is on paper. But teams cannot run the ball against us this year. And we don’t give up a lot of points either.

by Danimal, Destroyer of Worlds on Nov 17, 2009 9:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Um...

EVERYONE thought that Gallery would be a star at left tackle and he might have been with the proper coaching. I will never fault them for that pick. Joe Thomas may have turned out the same way with all the doofus coaches Gallery had. You would really like Jay Cutler on this team? I’d rather have Gradkowski.

by Rusty23 on Nov 17, 2009 6:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You are assuming all those players(Harvin, Crabtree, etc) from past drafts would be successful in constant coaching changes, a lousy QB throwing crappy passes, and so on so forth. People were trigger happy when McFadden was on the boards, so I can see why the Raiders picked him. With the Russell draft, we should’ve went elsewhere b/c I don’t think there was a real prime time QB to be taken first in that draft. Seriously, I’ve heard on some boards say we should’ve picked Quinn. I don’t even think he would’ve made much of a difference here. I think we should’ve held off for later rounds and drafted defense. DHB might be a surprise, but every draft produces many duds. I just don’t get why he’s painted a dud his rookie year. I can see Russell since he’s shown his true colors after all these years, but DHB should at least be given a decent chance especially with our QB issues(I hope Bruce gets named the starter for the rest of the year and we release Russell like the Chiefs released Larry Johnson), coaching issues(I don’t think Tom is head coach material, but who will want a job where Davis runs the show), and other problems to address. I’d love to get a hard nosed defensive lineman like Brandon Spikes next year, but I bet we draft a speedy guy again. Maybe the no cap year will help instead of hurt our team.

by Walker Wallace on Nov 17, 2009 7:15 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

crabtree

didn’t want to play for the raiders, so why go thru that

by tc2lb on Nov 17, 2009 8:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

What have you done for me lately?

In Al Davis’ case it’s absolutely nothing. In fact, I can’t recall the last time he’s done anything positive.
And, that Grabtree didn’t want to play for us crap? That’s all it is, crap. B.S.! He was asked if he really wanted to be a Raider when they brought him in for a pre-draft workout. What was he supposed to say? The only team I want to play for is the Raiders… and then turn off every other team in the league? Some people have no clue. They hear stupidity and repeat it as if it’s brilliant. The guy wanted to play for a team that would draft him in the top three picks, which he probably should’ve been. Al Davis was an idiot to not take Crabtree, Maclin, or Harvin over the bust known as Darius Heyward-Bey. The guy didn’t excell at the college level, and certainly wasn’t the best WR in the draft. He wasn’t a pro ready receiver coming into the league. He was a longterm project with potential upside. You take a player at #7 who will come in and contribute immediately. DHB was never going to be that. And, Davis did the same thing with Mitchell. Somebody sent them a highlight reel with a few good plays on it of this longterm project. Did they ever see the rest of his plays? No, this was another longterm project not ready to contribute to an NFL team. Again, a 2nd round pick should be ready to contribute immediately. Mitchell was never going to be able to do that. This team lacks leadership in the front office. Al Davis runs the front office. At this rate Al Davis will be the first person to work himself OUT of the Hall of Fame.

by Older_than_Moses_Shaq on Nov 17, 2009 11:27 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Completely Agree

Amen and AMEN!!!

by pstrkelly on Nov 17, 2009 2:25 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Damn Al Davis haha

This guy has lost his mind even before Jon Gruden was around, why do u think everyother coach doesnt like/ get along with him??? Hes not open to compromise and obviously its costed the raiders hope, money, and pride. Of course us raider fans are the MOST LOYAL fans out there but haha lets be honest i dont wanna go to a bar and watch the raiders get there asses kicked, i wanna see us kick some ass u kno. Now the question is: What does Al Davis need to do to make the Raiders a winning team? Thats easy. He needs to get the F*ck outta here and lets get some new people in the management. That alone we will prob get more wins than al davis has years left. I personally think we need someone that has their own style of coaching (like Phil Jackson for the Lakers) and mold these players into winners. We do have the talent and skill to win, but we almost always find a way to ruin it. And thats where good management comes in. This past wkend watching ESPN and Sportscenter and other sports channels. Almost every announcer/ commentator was acting like they were wasting theyre time going over the Raider game, now im not saying they the best out ther either, im just saying they dont give them credit at all. RAIDERS PLAYERS CANT BECOME A WINNING TEAM UNLESS THEY HAVE A GOOD MANAGEMENT, AND WE CANT HAVE A GOOD MANAGEMENT WITHOUT GREAT OWNERSHIP!!! GET OUT OF HERE AL!!!

by Amapolakid on Nov 17, 2009 4:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I Hate Al Davis

I unfortunetly never got the “good days” of al davis, I got all the shitty days, that old fuck, im sick of the raiders so bad, they make me sick every week, and tom cable, always just saying…" we have to work harder" …YA NO SHIT, im embarressed to be a raiders fan, god damn, im done, i am glad they are always blacked out its disgusting how they play, every year, its the same, i gave up my season tickets, and they call me like they were suprised, FUCK THEM. i cant wait till LA gets a new team

by Tyler F on Nov 17, 2009 4:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Frankly, I hope Al Davis lives another 30 years.

He keeps Mike Brown from being the worst owner in the NFL. LOL

Seriously, this guy has seen it all and while he seems to have gone over the rainbow with Dorothy and Toto he can lean back and put his feet up on s few Lombardi trophies. I know it was a long time ago but he still has my respect. Like any professional athlete who hangs on too long it is easy to forget all of the good he has done. Don’t forget that!

" My enemy said "Love your enemy". I obeyed and loved myself." Gibran

by JUNGLEJOHN on Nov 18, 2009 6:29 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Al NEEDS 2 Go!

Look Al will go down in either two ways. As one of the founding members of the AFL and a maverick that stood up a make the Raiders one of the great franchises of the NFL. Or he will do what every ego driven leader does when they can no longer lead. Destroy the one legacy that would have made them a legend. Al has chosen to be the next Howard Hughes. Too eccentric, too delusional and lost in the past. The NFL has always grown and developed new, younger schemes. He has maintained the same scheme from 1982. Sorry AL you want my money to buy Raider gear? Leave! This year! Put a GM in place. And get out of the way!

by RaiderAZ on Nov 18, 2009 7:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I agree—- I have tons of Raider gear that I don’t even wear half the time just because I’m tired of all the questions; “You’re a Raiders fan, really?” Especially living in Denver- I used to be able to wear this stuff with pride, but now it’s not even funny. Why would I even THINK about buying something with a Raider’s logo on it now?

by Joesickness on Nov 18, 2009 12:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It took you this long

to figure out Alzheimer Al was a senile moron?? It has been OBVIOUS for a while now! The guy is human garbage… I cannot wait until he is 6ft under!

by G_M on Nov 18, 2009 3:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Al Davis

I can’t stick up for the guy anymore. Either the game has passed him by or he just isn’t aging well, because his decisions the past 20 years have been questionable at best. Hell, it took his Mother to convince him to pay Tim Brown to stay in Oakland. His faith in Russel at QB was wrong right from the start. He ain’t no Daryl Lamonica! Raiders had a chance to draft Calvin Johnson, now that would have been a good move. How much more can a person take?

by jconley54 on Nov 18, 2009 4:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Big Al

Al lost it a long time ago when he called the greatest Raider ever, Marcus Allen a “cancer” to his team. Anyone who disagrees with Al is either a cancer or my favorite,“a Professional Liar”. Al lost me when he traded “Chucky” for 2 forgetable 1st round draft picks. Let’s see Big Al down on the sidelines coaching the team the way only he can.

by The Count of Montefusco on Nov 19, 2009 10:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs