He was certainly a visionary, and like most visionaries, some of what he did was good for his team and the league, and some was bad for his team and the league. I also wouldn't criticize current Raiders fans so much for thinking that the team will be better off without him, as he's done tremendous damage to it in the past 10 years.
Obviously I'm aware that he's been a useless player. Had Al Davis died in the offseason, I might have agreed that he'd be a fresh cut. It's the quarter point of the season, though, and you said that his release papers would arrive shortly. At this point, he's not getting cut in the middle of the season, and with his relatively minor contract values over the next 2 and a half seasons, as long as he's actually catching the ball, he'll likely stay with the team. They're not going to see cap relief by cutting him now. So, useless as he may have been, a few games of production could certainly be enough to keep him on the roster. Hell, for a team that's so dead set on running the ball, even if he only musters 3 or 4 catches a game, he's enough of a deep threat to help keep the run game open. He'll be remembered a horrible pick, no doubt, but that doesn't mean he's going to be cut at this point.
You're over-thinking what I said. Perhaps I exaggerated when I said that he'd be released? In any case, he should be benched in favor of Denarius Moore. He'll no longer be started simply because Al Davis "says so".
he got a bit crazy at the end.. but RIP. he was a big part of making hte NFL what it is today and deserves the recognition for that. too soon to joke about how awesome the raiders are going to be in a few years with their new blitz happy head coach?
Heyward-Bey is playing much better and showing improvement. I know its unusual for a top 10 pick, but he was always more of an upside kinda guy.
My sincere condolences to his family. Al was a complete pain in the ass and I guess he would love to be known as this. The raiders were Al Davis and he was a very important part of the fabric of the NFL. The Raiders will win in Houston tomorrow.
Al Davis was an innovator and a true driving force behind the old AFL and later the AFC, Just win baby has become a piece of Americana. But genious though he was, for the last decade he was stuck in the past as he failed to adapt to changes in the game. But that should not diminish his legacy, football wouldn't be what it is today without men like Davis.
to be fair al davis has been hurting his team for quite some time. he used to regularly call down to the sideline and tell the head coach he wanted x y or z done. iirc i always felt bad for art shell, simply because he had to put up with al davis.
R.I.P. to one of the greatest owners of all time. He damaged his own legacy in his last decade, but not to the degree that he can't still be considered one of the GOAT owners and football pioneers. I'd like to know what happens to the Raider organization now. Does anyone know? I can't assume there were plans in place because of what a Howard Hughes Al turned into in his final years, but who owns the team now? Who manages the team now?
