Tuesday Hangover - The Oakland Raiders

Originally, this post was to be about the 49ers but since the 49ers beat Oakland. Oakland fell within the cross hairs.

As we all wake up groggy and hung over from this weekends NFL football performances. I would like to take a look at the Oakland Raiders. If anyone needs a little hair of the dog this morning it is the Raiders. All the teams in the NFL look as if they are improving. The Raiders performance last weekend ensured that they are not improving but digressing as a football team. Since, 2003 Oakland has progressively gotten worse. Where does the problem begin? Where does it end?

Most people would claim that Al Davis is the sole reason as to why the Raiders have sunk to new lows. Al is Al. He has always been a wild card. The man has made just as many teams as he has broken teams. He tends to randomly pick players and coaches who other teams would tend to stay away from. Al Davis could be considered a genius during winning years and while they are losing he is called a buffoon. Al is the furthest thing from a buffoon. He knows football in and out. Al is neither. Al Davis is a wild card and that is it. He is right 50 percent of the time and wrong 50 percent of the time.

Coach Tom Cable is another logical choice as to who is to blame. Who is Coach Tom Cable? He was a low man on the totem pole when Lane Kiffen got fired. What happened to Rob Ryan? Why didn't he get the nod? Cable is an Offensive Line coach who got lucky. By the way, Oakland's offensive line sucks. Cable has no right to be considered a head coach nor does he have the ability to lead a team in the NFL. So why has he continued to be the head coach of a team that is not performing. Especially, underneath Al Davis who is known for firing coaches. Hmmm...

The team as a whole is also considered to be another major issue with why Oakland is so awful. I will dismiss this claim because the team is only as strong as the leader.

Maybe, Cable is to blame and Al Davis feels as if he is under scrutiny for the way that the Lane Kiffen deal went down. So he is attempting to prove himself to the public as a model owner.

No. Al Davis is like a dysfunctional chess player. He is always thinking three or four steps ahead of even the media. The reason as to why Oakland sucks so bad is because Al Davis wants to move back to Los Angeles.

What?

Al Davis is contractually bound to stay in Oakland through 2010. Many deals have been made to produce a stadium for both San Fransisco and Oakland utilizing both teams housing one team. This is not something Al would want nor the San Fransisco 49ers. However, the NFL has put pressure upon teams to do so, i.e. the Jets/Giants stadium. If the price is right, Los Angeles could offer up a stadium and training facilities to Al Davis to move the team back to Los Angeles. Al has publicly said that he never wanted to move from L.A. So why would his team have to suck this bad, in order for him to get the deal? L.A. wouldn't want a losing franchise. They would want a franchise that is prosperous. Oakland is losing because he doesn't want to stay in Oakland. Oakland promised Al Davis "sold out stadiums," and a certain amount of season ticket holders. When the Raiders returned to Oakland, the Raiders were growing into a fine organization. By 2001, the Raider games were sold out. This continued through 2003. After losing the Superbowl. Al Davis took Oakland Community to court. Stating that Oakland lured him back to Oakland with false promises. His words fell on deaf ears because of the Raiders high attendance. However, if the Raiders attendance was dramatically altered, Mr. Davis could potentially make a great case against Oakland.

If all of this is true, then why would an owner of a team want to see his franchise drop from being almost a billion dollar franchise to being a few hundred thousand dollar franchise? I believe that Mr. Davis is doing so because of the investors that is involved in the organization. If an investor was to offer 100 million dollars to Al for 10% stake in the franchise then that investor would later receive only 30 million to get bought back out. Call Mr. Davis a buffoon all you want. I call this a brilliant scam. Davis potentially could have his team in a new facility in Los Angeles and while buying out majority of his investors at bargain prices and still walk away with one of the greatest NFL franchises in the league.

Maybe this is all speculation. Maybe, I am just blowing smoke. Maybe, Al really is a buffoon. I would never under estimate Al Davis.