I had originally posted this as a response to the Madden story and someone suggested that I post it here. So here it is. Have at it and bababooey to you all...

I sit here puzzled like any Raiders fan would be after watching a decade or so of horseshit teams playing(1) horseshit football and I honestly don’t know if or when it will get better. Looking at the roster one must think that it’s gonna be a few seasons before they get anything close to a contending team. Coach Allen has his hands full and I wish him all the luck in the world…no, in the entire universe – because he’s gonna need it.

I realized that any ounce of progression died the day that Coach Cable was fired. I know he’s not the popular fiery guy, not the “Gruden” type coach, not the offensive whiz, and not any body’s first choice. But he did one thing that great coaches do – he got a young team motivated, to play together and believe in themselves – and he taught the fundamentals to "professionals" who had no idea what they were doing. The fact that it never came to total fruition was not his fault – he was fired, he didn’t quit. He got a young team to the brink of the playoffs and he did it with his hands tied…limping, partially blinded and carrying a load of media created nonsense because they had IT bad for Al Davis. I hated Hue Jackson’s hiring, it wasn’t right. It was a P.C. hiring… I’ll say it – it was a “politically correct” hiring (2). He was all talk and then traded the future away for Carson “I have no killer instinct” Palmer when things got a little hairy. Cable actually fixed things. HE got them to 8-8 before Hue did. Cable was the perfect manager between a young locker room, Al Davis and the media.

Please don’t use the injuries excuse, or bad calls excuse or any other cliché football excuse. Injuries and bad calls are part of football. You answer injuries with depth and you answer bad calls with discipline. And you answer all of these with a competent coaching staff that is prepared to do just that. So Cable is canned a few players leave because of it, a few players leave because the new staff is going in a different direction and here were are two plus yeas after finally getting to .500 and now their sitting at 4-12 and no light at the end of the tunnel. Actually they just entered the tunnel so I don’t think that they’ll see a light anytime soon.

I had grown tired of John Madden’s "Madden-isms" just like everyone else. But then I watched an episode of "America’s Game" – the 1976 Oakland Raiders. I was absolutely blown away by John Madden. I saw a side of him that mainstream T.V. hid from us. Then I got it – we saw "NFL John Madden" every Sunday which I had grown tired of. But what I saw that night was "Oakland Raiders John Madden. " I loved Oakland Raiders John Madden. His attitude on coaching, his player relationship and his dealings with Al were just awesome. He had such a great attitude for the job. Dennis Allen should watch it and take note – that’s how you do it. I know, I know – times have changed and the game has changed but that doesn’t mean shit to the Silver and Black. They always did it their way and their way isn’t dead – it’s just been forgotten.

If I were Mark Davis I would have hired Madden as my GM. He was a Raider when being a Raider meant something. It was a time when "playing for the name on the front of the jersey was more important than playing for the name on the back…" (Thanks SNAKE and Peter Richmond). No offense to Reggie but I think that Madden would have lit a fire under the right asses with more effect than any one could have. Anywho, the one thing that I ask of, no that I beg of, any and all present or future Oakland Raiders – don’t quit on Sunday. And for the management, please stop revisiting former coaches and coordinators for vacant positions. How can you start a “New Era in Raider Football” by hiring old coaches that failed once before? But things are looking up – I guess – considering “total asshole” John Herrera is no longer with the team.

• FOOTNOTES:
  (1) I used the word playing here to get the point across in my sentence but I have to say that I’ve seen these teams quit more games than play them.
  (2) The P.C. hiring is what the phony NFL wants under the Rooney Rule. Personally I don’t think that someone should be considered for a job based on skin color – which is essentially what the NFL wants. If you’re the right candidate for the job – man, woman, black, white, green, blue or any other color you should get it.