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I don't fault you for cheering for the Raiders nor resenting me or the 10 other Patriots fans for enjoying 3 of the past 4 seasons. I grew up a Red Sox fan and I know how much it hurts to root for a team that is the epitome of mediocrity and underachieving. Someday the Raiders might just break through and win a meaningful game. But just as the Red Sox suffered under mismanagement and a slew of head cases in the locker room, the Raiders will continue to do so until a change is made. I think we both know that change needs to be with Al Davis.
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Damn man, you’re going for the jugular, eh? On a serious note, we had superb seasons from 00-02, but due to our straight up shit for luck, we unfortunately gave up three easy SuperBowl victories to mere playoff losses. Allow me to explain:
2000- We made it to the Conference game and were headed to an easy SuperBowl, but what happened? Fatass Saragosa had to illegally bellyflop Gannon on the FIRST drive of the fucking game breaking Gannons ribs, which in turn cost us the conference title, and possibly our first Lombardi in 20 years. $10,000 fine isn’t bad for a championship, is it?
2001- As much as you guys hate to hear it, it was and still is a huge deal. Whether you’re a fan or not, you and I damn well know it was a fumble, no ands, ifs or buts about it. It WAS a fumble and we were clearly robbed of it. We won that game, you guys lost, plain and simple, but due to the NFL’s hatred for the Raiders, you got the win handed to you on a silver platter. The fact is, you wouldn’t even have a “dynasty” label if it wasn’t for us, it would have been us that went to the SuperBowl 2 years in a row, and maybe even crushed your confidence in the process preventing you from going again. If not, you would’ve had only two trophies under your belt, and would not be considered a dynasty. Unbelievable how one call can alter the entire NFL.
2002- Barret bailed on us because he chose to have a drunken night instead. This fucked up the teams’ morale and killed all confidence we may have had. Although, this is more of a minor excuse compared to the Gannon injuries.
2003- Sixth game in, Gannon destroys his shoulder, thus ending his season. Furthermore, Tui obtained a season ending injury in the opener of the very next game; we were stuck with Mirer for the remainder of the season. NO team is going to have even a .500 season with a third stringer.
2004- Gannon broke his neck in the third game in Tampon Bay by a cheap fucking spearing shot that Brooks delivered which he wasn’t even fined for. Protecting the QB a top priority? My ass. Once again our season was lost because Gannon was lost.
It is obvious that our bad luck has been due to our lack of Gannon. He was the prime reason for our success in those three years. What he brought to the team was discipline, motivation, dedication, perfectionism, leadership, “commitment to excellence”, “pride & poise”, and most importantly, a passion to the game and to winning. I place a great emphasis on him not only because he is my favorite Raider since I’ve been a fan, but because we would’ve been lost without him. Of course he is not the only reason for our crap luck, but countless injuries as well as losses of key players and constant changing of personnel aren’t exactly the key to success, and this is where Al comes into the equation.
Davis worked incredibly hard to build this team’s image, and he was successful, but unfortunately, what brought him success in the past is not going to work towards the present or future. He made a wise decision into bringing Gruden at the helm, and Gruden brought the discipline that was so lagging in previous years, Davis obviously had a problem with this and tore up his contract. Stupid decision, absolutely. Our scouting, drafting and FA pickups are obviously not the wisest decisions either. Why? Because we draft guys who are athletic, not guys who are talented football players (if only all of our picks were Gallery caliber). Free agency? We pick up guys who only have several years left in them, which is great for short term success, but disastrous for long term success. Al has made his mistakes in the past, and I fear he will continue to make crucial mistakes until we have someone new controlling the organization, but the man has earned respect for building a team such as the silver and black.
I would be careful saying we can’t win meaningful games; we have just as much trophies under our belt as you, plus two extra Superbowl appereances.
Anyway, we will meet next regular season, and possibly in the post season, until then, heres hoping to wise off-season decisions.