Al Davis Had An Eye For Talent 2 Decades AgoAl Davis the Oakland Raiders owner passed recently. The 82 year old Davis was called a dictator behind his back. Davis was the “brains behind the AFL-NFL merger the curator of the downfield passing game”. The facilities he put his teams in were the worst in the NFL. Back in the day, Davis had an eye for talent. Rescuing Jim Plunkett once the San Francisco 49ers waived him in 1977 and signing 13 Hall of Famers. Al Davis was “infallibly loyal to his players and officials: to be a Raider was to be a Raider for life” Once he turned on you it was WAR.
Al Davis Benched Marcus Allen Over JealousyHe hired Tom Cable, as head coach, a former Raiders assistant, then fired him in 2010, in 9 seasons he fired 6 coaches. He fired Mike Shanahan then refused to pay the remaining $250,000 on his contract. He fired Kiffin after less than two seasons and tried to get out on what remained of Kiffin’s $6 million deal. He benched Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen for 2 years for absolutely no reason but jealousy, inspiring fans to wear “Free Marcus” T-shirts. Allen sued, then became the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in Kansas City.
Al Davis Was Angry Even When They Were WinningAl Davis was the sweetest old geezer in the world, if you were on his good side or had something he needed. Even when the Raiders won he looked miserable, Davis spitting, cussing, and ready to fight. Yes, Al Davis’ catchy “Just win, baby” became a mantra that transcended sports. Just win, baby, no matter who you have to cripple to get there. The problem is, people take only so much trampling. In 1983, Davis would’ve had Stanford QB John Elway. Davis needed to do a three-way deal with Chicago and Baltimore, but the Bears hated him. So Broncos owner Edgar Kaiser, a guy that knew absolutely nothing about football, walked in at the last minute and got the player who would lead the team to five Super Bowls.