
Originally Posted by
dogdaddy
I get the fact that we are committed to tearing things down and building back up. I have a real problem with the constant knock on Al. Granted he was in the game longer than he should have, however he was famous for bringing in veterans from other teams that had a year or two left in them and compete year in and year out. In the 70's and 80's the Raiders were one of the oldest teams in the league. I just don't see how some of the older fans on here who remember the good ol days can bash a man who did things that is why we became a Raider fan to start with. One thing about Al that the current staff should hang on to is that he believed the Raiders could win every year. What we have to do now is not spend years of rebuilding and forget how to win. Competing and being in games is important right now and currently we act like this is part of the process. That is a lame excuse. Competing for the rest of the season is important and a must. Do something now to build on.
It's not so much a knock on Al, but how can you not lay the futility of the past eight years at his door step?
Anyone that has been a fan of the Raiders prior to '01 has a great reverence for the man. His body of work has far more hits than misses, and some of the hits were groundbreaking to say the least.
It s a shame that someone who had such command of the game from a knoweledge stand point had to go out the way he did, certainly not an exclamation point on an otherwise stellar career.
And yes, maintaining some form of competitiveness is of the utmost importance right now, it would be a strong indicator of Allen's ability to lead and McKenzie's ability to choose leaders....
The Second protects the First, always has and always will...