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Al Davis passes away


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Most people on this board are young enough to only know the more recent, at times scary-looking Al Davis. He was young once too.

They hadn't even painted all the helmets silver when he took over coaching the Raiders in '63:

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And he promptly won AFL coach of the year:

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The years go by in a hurry, don't they? RIP, Mr. Davis.

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Al Davis was a great owner at his best and in the past when he was a mile ahead in thinking of other owners. However, in the last ten years his thinking never changed while the NFL did and his go it alone decision making now hurt because the rest of the league caught up and past his thinking and had staffs that all were able to find the diamonds in the rough Al Davis was famous for developing.

Exactly.

Sad for the Raiders to have lost him, but his tenure had to end eventually and the team will be better for that.

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Nike needs to focus on overhauling the failed designs introduced during Reebok's tenure (Arizona, Jacksonville, Minnesota, etc.) rather than ruining, in my opinion, one of the best uniforms in the NFL.

I completely disagree. Their current set is very plain and doesn't utilize their color scheme very well at all, especially on the road.

Good lord man. What are you smoking? The Raiders have one of the all-time great uniforms ever. In any sport.

Anyway, on topic; I knew he was old and all but it still shocked the hell out of me when I heard he died. I guess I figured he'd live to be 140 or something. Tank said it best; for a time Al Davis was way ahead of everyone. Then everyone caught him. Then everyone passed him.

This leaves me wondering if the Raiders are suddenly in play for a move back to LA.

 

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As my fave NFL team, I have to thank Al Davis for giving a damn about a team and actually standing up to the bosses (Rozelle). Playing by his rules, he just did win often, and didn't let anything stand in his way.

I kinda felt stung for him moving the Raiders back to Oakland, but then again, that's how much he gave a damn about the Raider image. He would move the team to Alaska if he had to; he cared about the Raiders 1st and foremost. He took a renovation plan in Oakland rather than a new stadium at Hollywood Park; I respect him for that and for that the Raiders' relocation was softened for me (Georgia Frontierre, on the other hand, is a straight out b!tch for flushing out the Rams, moving them from LA, and then stocking them up in St. Louis for the Warner-Faulk-Bruce era).

And I especially thank him for giving Los Angeles our only Super Bowl championship. Without it, we'd be known as the city full of Hollywood weirdos, fake fans, and for the Rams choking playoff games in the 1970s. Thanks Davis for all the work you've done. RIP Albert Davis.

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I think the quote "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" can apply to Al Davis.

For me though the good outweighs the bad. He was the most anti-system owner in all of sports. He stunk of new money I think that's what made him so villified, so out of touch, and yet so down to earth. I viewed Al Davis as Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones and George Steinbrenner all rolled into one.

There's a certain level of respect you gotta have for somebody who did things their own way regardless of whether you agreed with the methods or not. I think everyone including myself agreed with some of the things Al Davis did and didn't agree with others. But he was truly his own man. He didn't play by the rules of the system. He's one of the few people to challenge and win against the NFL in court. Its just unfortunate that the fallout of that ruling wasn't more widespread. And for those unfamiliar the whole issue boiled down to whether or not territory rights are a monopolistic practice. I'd say without quesiton it is.

There's no doubt thought that his greatest legacy will be the Raiders. I don't know if anyone outside of George Halas was more instramental in the success or failure of a single NFL franchise then Al Davis was for the Raiders. He was the Raiders. I don't think that's any bit an over exaggeration.

I think he will be missed, but I also think his time had passed and I think he also lived a full life, so I don't have the same sense of sadness that I would over his passing that I might normally have. I hope the NFL does him right and gives him the respect he deserves depsite he much he contested the league's policies right up until the end.

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I kinda felt stung for him moving the Raiders back to Oakland, but then again, that's how much he gave a damn about the Raider image.

moving the team back to Oakland had nothing to do with "the Raider image". He was following the money.

Nothing wrong with that, but let's be honest about the guy.

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He'll never be forgiven for destroying the Oakland Coliseum for his football team. :mad:

All he did was put a bigger turd on top of an already established turd that blocked the view of other turds.

The monster...

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He'll never be forgiven for destroying the Oakland Coliseum for his football team. :mad:

All he did was put a bigger turd on top of an already established turd that blocked the view of other turds.

The monster...

Not really no...

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The Oakland Coliseum is weird as far as dual-purpose stadiums go because it was not a football field the first time and now it's not a ballpark.

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This feels like the greatest peace summit of our time. Maybe more of a mutual non-aggression pact. Could the Empire now try to take advantage of a reeling Raider Nation?

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The Oakland Coliseum is weird as far as dual-purpose stadiums go because it was not a football field the first time and now it's not a ballpark.

vader-davis.jpg

This feels like the greatest peace summit of our time. Maybe more of a mutual non-aggression pact. Could the Empire now try to take advantage of a reeling Raider Nation?

Nahh Vader just thought Al Davis was Emperor Palpatine's long lost brother

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Wow. Ralph Wilson outlasts another one.

RIP Al.

/Is it just Bud Adams and Ralph Wilson left from the AFL "Old Guard?"

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You do have to think about the team's future in the Bay Area, and it was already somewhat in doubt even before his passing. Nonetheless, Al Davis left an incredible legacy and impact in the history of professional football in the United States.

I'm watching the NFL Network coverage...no offense to the young lady anchoring, but where the hell is Rich Eisen or Fran Charles? She's terrible, and NFLN is the only network with wall-to-wall coverage since the ESPNs are in college football mode.

You realize that sunset Friday night started Yom Kippur.

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