Oakland Raiders: Al Davis Leading the Rise Back to Excellence

Damali Binta – Aug 11, 2011

One of the biggest stories in the short off season for the Oakland Raiders was the already epic news conference with Al Davis and Hue Jackson.

Whenever Davis is set to speak at a news conference the world stops and reporters salivate as they prepare their regular puns and hope to catch quotes to laugh about the next day. Davis didn’t fall short of expectations as he stole the show and gave writers plenty to write about.

Davis may have made headlines with his words, but he’ll be making more headlines with his actions as the off season progresses. Make no mistake about it, Coach Davis still knows football and he will be leading the Raiders back to the top.

Say what you want about Davis, but he is making all the right moves so far this off season. As a matter of fact he started making all those moves last season. Davis took credit for the draft last year and it was one of the best drafts that any team in the NFL had in 2010.

Critics like to bash Davis for his drafting abilities because of JaMarcus Russell who is no longer with the team and Darrius Heyward-Bey who has struggled to produce immediate numbers. Fans shouldn’t worry about Heyward-Bey. Everyone knew he was a raw talent that needed time to hone his skills.

Davis has found solid players outside of the first round. Players like Jacoby Ford, Matt Shaughnessy, Tyvon Branch, Michael Bush, Louis Murphy, Lamarr Houston, Trevor Scott and Mike Mitchell are all players who have and will continue to contribute to the Raiders.

Davis also has done a great job the last couple of years bringing veterans in that have helped the Raiders improve like Richard Seymour and Jason Campbell. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment in the last two years was bringing in new head coach Hue Jackson.

Davis brought Jackson in as the offensive coordinator in 2010 and just like most of us expected he was named the head coach for the 2011 season. Jackson is a high energy guy that knows how to develop and motivate players.

While everyone laughs and pokes fun of Davis now, he will be the last one laughing when the team he has built makes their way back to the top. The Raiders are the “Team of the Decades” because they’ve been to the Super Bowl in every decade but the 90’s.

2011 brings in a new decade, a new head coach and a new commitment to excellence for Oakland Raiders and the Raider Nation.