Al do the right thing-revisited

[Attyla]

Well, it has been 8 months since a grass roots movement tried to force the powers that be in Raiderland to hire a GM and "do the right thing". A group comprised of disgruntled Raider fans across the country wanted Al to drop the reigns of control and let someone else call the shots.

Since then, the movement has all but died out as the Raiders merely ignored the request. The Raiders never "did the right thing" and Al Davis continued to call the shots.

The fans? They have gone back to internet land and almost no hint of mention has been made of the movement by any credible media source. The reason is obvious. The fans lost out to the owner of the team. He didn't do anything but make moves designed to improve a team that needed improving. Many of the "fans" who demanded a change are actually singing a different tune these days, as the moves thus far in the off season have been widely applauded by people who actually make a living exploring teams and rating their progress. The off season thus far? Solidly, the Raiders have been praised by and large for both a solid, if not very good draft, rare, but critical off season aquisitions, and improving the coaching staff with some very good moves below the head coach. The fans have been silenced by something quite unexected. Al Davis did not do the right thing, but ultimately has shown that the old guy still has his marbles (to quote a long time and faithful fan of the team).

The Raiders improved on and around draft day with the signing of a solid quarterback, some suprisingly good draft selections and in a major suprise to many of the intenet fan base, cut long time underperformer JaMarcus Russell. The fans were even critical of the Raider immediately going after over 9 million of the 36 million dollars Russell was awarded (one could never say earned) during his tumultuous stay in Oakland...until some illegal activity during his time with the Raiders were discovered during an undercover sting targetting Purple Drank, a drink that has become popular in the south that includes prescription cough syrup. Russell joins a long list of former athletes with copies of his mug shot all over the internet.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the presumtuous fans, assuming they actually knew what the right thing was, merely were blinded by their own hubris in what they asked. Perhaps, instead of assuming a GM would solve the problem, they should have assumed that the mistakes of the past were just that, errors in judgment from a man widely considered one of the most intelligent football minds in the NFL. Interview after interview with people who have spoken with Davis almost to a person always speak of his knowledge of the game and the sharpness of his mind.

Who knows what the moves this off season will produce. It is still 31 other teams that have a say in how the Raiders will do (and 13 any given regular season) and the talent that the Raiders have amassed are certainly not household names, but given the average report cards, it is obvious the "experts" seem to think the Raiders may have turned a corner. They are a young team with many parts that still must prove themselves on the field, but early returns indicate that if the Raiders do not do well, it will not be because of what they did in the off season. It will be the X's and O's that will finally determine their fate.

And what of the fans? Oh ya, they seem pretty quiet these days. I am sure that every move the Raiders made that they approve of, they either pat themselves on the back for forcing Davis to really try to improve the team, or credit it to someone who finally got the ear of Davis and forced him to go with the player and not some "athlete". Funny world we live in. We can point to one guy as the reason the Raiders have underperformed for years, and in the same breath claim he finally cowtowed to public pressure to finally draft a good player or make a good move or two.

Al, please do the right thing...and ignore the internet fan who thinks they know more than you do. It is obvious from everything we have ever heard from anyone who has spoken to you that they really really do not.

Fans, please do the right thing, and please assume you are a fan and not an NFL expert and please either cheer for the team or be critical of their record, but leave football to football people.

[FLORIDARAYDAH]

So the theory is Al changed every drafting philosophy and did a complete about face with no outside help this year reversing a 40 year trend?I dont think i know more than the team or any NFL personnel but i know we had help this off season.I wasnt part of the movement but those who were might think it worked to perfection and Al finally got help this year.I have heard the other side crowing victory and time well spent.I just hope both sides dont jump off a bridge when the realize despite a great off season we still have no O line and will struggle again.We are headed in the right direction but I hope the fans/Al realize we have a a ways too go.Not arguing your points Adam just offering another side.Glad to see you back bro

[Swoosh23]

The draft went well, but these players can be hit or miss much like any other, we have guys with a boat load of potential, but if they dont improve and reach that potential they will be busts like some of our previous picks. So the sucess of the team really depends on the development of the young guys and the new draft picks. Everything looks good right now, but once the season hits the mid way point we will see just how good of an offseason we had.

[silver & black]

I signed the petition and I'm not singing a different tune. This team needs a GM. Yeah, we had a good draft and off season... so what? was it Al's "superior football knowledge" or were there other factors in the background on draft day? I'll say "other factors" played a big part in it.

I'm not condemning Al, on the contrary, I'm applauding him for listening to some advice on draft day... it is apparent to me that he took some advice this time.

There seems to be a lot of "I told you so's" about the Message To Al movement. Did the nay sayers really think that any of us that were involved in it, thought Al would actually hire a GM? None of us thought, nor expected, any such thing. It served it's purpose; the word got out that the fans were tired of the sh*t year after year.

Is it just coincidence that after the MTA movement that the Raiders had a good draft and off season? Maybe, but I wouldn't discount that MTA resonated with Al, if only a little... and this could possibly be why this has been a different year than the past seven. I'm just happy that a change seems to be blowing in the Autumn Wind.

[Sonic Raider]

I was definitely one of the members of the Message To Al movement to persuade Al to hire a GM. When Draft Day came along, when I heard Roger Goodell say that we drafted the field general known as Rolando McClain, there wouldn't be any reaction like I had when we drafted DHB last year, this time I was jumping up and down with joy. Then I read Tom Cable's comment that we were gonna draft based on need and not by athletic measures and that struck a chord with me. Then we traded a 4th rounder in 2012 for Jason Campbell and then I was pinching myself to see if it was real or if it was just a dream. It was real. When we cut JaMarcus Russell I knew that we were turning the corner and IMHO so was Al. Do I feel that Al Davis redeemed himself, I will know depending on whether he allows John Marshall to run his scheme or force him to run the man coverage, rushing only def. linemen, and running deep coverage on just about every play. Do I still feel Al Davis fucked this team up in the past starting with Gruden? Damn right I do and will do until the end. But at the very least I know that Al is at least making all the right moves this offseason, cause if I blame Al for our problems, then I can sure as hell give him credit for making good ones because blaming one person for every bad thing while not giving him any credit for anything good is simply unfair to the person, even if it's Al Davis.

[Attyla]

Interesting comments. I see that those who were involved in the movement seem to think their banner changed things. I have heard the comments in the past about Al getting help this off season, but fail to see any evidence of any more help than normal. If you read the various books and interviews of people in the inside, you learn very quickly that while Davis will listen to others advise, the ultimate choice is his and his alone (a Gruden interview comes to mind). I am curious to see what the people who didnt sign the petition, but those who really ponied up money have to say on the subject. Do they really believe they had influence on the issue? And wasnt the goal to get him to "hire" a GM? Ultimately, I think not. I think the goal was what we saw, but to credit a grass roots bunch of fans (incidently, the tally I got was less than 45000 signed and 415 donated) may be reaching. After all, we live in a world where anyone can make a claim, but to support it is another thing.

[silver & black]

All I'm saying is, you really can't discount that MTA didn't have some effect on Al.... and you can't really say it did either. It sure didn't hurt. You can't discount the fact that this has been the most fruitful off season/draft in a long time... after the MTA movement.

[Attyla]

Originally Posted by silver & black

All I'm saying is, you really can't discount that MTA didn't have some effect on Al.... and you can't really say it did either. It sure didn't hurt. You can't discount the fact that this has been the most fruitful off season/draft in a long time... after the MTA movement.

Fruitful? see me in December. The year we drafted Gallery was widely considered a success up until the team hit the field.

[silver & black]

Originally Posted by Attyla

Fruitful? see me in December. The year we drafted Gallery was widely considered a success up until the team hit the field.

Sure... December will definitely tell the story, but, would you rather have this year's draft/off season or the last seven?

[Attyla]

Originally Posted by silver & black

Sure... December will definitely tell the story, but, would you rather have this year's draft/off season or the last seven?

again, the Gallery draft was widely praised.