I'd like to start off by saying how much I love Silver & Black Pride. The community, the discussions, and the articles have a certain touch I think really separates it from other sports blogs. Realistically a goal of mine is to lay out what I think about the state of our nation in a series of blog posts that I shall produce every week or so. At the same time I intend to use this opportunity to hone my skills as a writer and hopefully with your generous feedback grow into a prominent sports analyst.

Let me begin by throwing down how I became a fan. First of all I was born a Raider. No I am not one of the many bandwagon fans of the Oakland Raiders. But I was born a Raider. You see my father is a Raider fan and he has witnessed the Raiders in times good and in times bad. He has joked at times that he should have pretended to be a patriots fan and thereby spare me this decade of despair.

That would have been completely inappropriate. For it is my love of the Raiders that has led me to discover so much about the history of the game of football. I have gained much enjoyment from learning about the history of our team and our nation. So thank you Dad for bringing another Raider into this world.

Now where do I stand on the many issues facing our nation today? First of all, who was Al Davis? Al Davis was a man who read the art of war. He built this team and shaped the NFL into something so great that everyone of us has enjoyed. It pains me when I hear people bash the legacy of their team.

The Tim Brown super bowl allegations? I believe that Bill Callahan is THE reason that we lost the Superbowl.

And most importantly, and incidentally the most divisive of all issues, how do I feel about the New Era of Raider football? The fact of the matter is that it is hard to tell after one year how much progress has been made if any, I do however know that Greg Knapp hid any of the potential progress with his play calling and his scheme. After next year I will have an answer, however if there is not improvement then I believe that DA will have to go.