T1B

Del Rio's star faded fast, considering the Duhs were AFC title contenders in 2016 before David Carr got hurt.

Poptard correctly predicted earlier this year that the Duhs had coaching issues. But I didn't think he'd get fired.

Thoughts, poptard?

Mark Davis fired Del Ruh-Roh before he could even get to the postgame presser yesterday.




I've been actively cheering against Oakland since Al died in 2011.

Mark Davis immediately sought to change the Raider brand after his old man died.
He wanted to bring them in line with the other teams in the NFL -- make them just another douche franchise.

I have had great disgust for him, Blockhead McKenzie -- and Dennis Allen and Jack Del Ruh-Roh as well.

Not IN.


Now if Mark brings Gruden back, I am all IN.

I have concerns about a Gruden hire, but Jon Gruden thrived on being a Raider.
He gets it and he embodied it.

With Gruden, it will be a re-establishment of the Raider brand.
I'm all for it.

Can he "come home" and deliver the goods as a coach, nearly 20 years after he was first hired by Al Davis?

Remains to be seen.

So what happens now? 70's aside, they were shit under Davis and they've been shit since he died (God bless Tom Flores). They marketed themselves to the funkies and sold an image. But they were still shit.

Is the big plan to load up long-haired linemen with coke and take out kneecaps? This isn't going anywhere.

You sold Al Davis way short there, Phibes.

There were two halves to the A.D. career.

1963-1987: Historically great

1988-2011: Medicore

Included in the mediocre run from 1988 to 2011 was the historically awful period from 2003 to 2009.


What's the paln now?
It can't be 1976 again.
It can't even be 2001 again.

But look at who they have had as HC since Jon Gruden was traded at the end of 2001.
It's been trash.

Gruden part II would bring some hope.

At this point, I'll take some hope -- and also take it because he is a Raider.

I get re-building a team, Gruden is a great place to start. Raider mystique though? A bit tough with a straight face.

Once upon a time there was a Raider mystique.
A spirit, if you will.

NO Raider coach ever exuded the rebel vibe as strongly as Jon Gruden did -- except probably Al Davis.
Flores, Madden...
Great coaches, but not the same vibe as Jon Gruden.

I am a bit of a romantic.
There is something very satisfying about the idea of Gruden coming "home" to finish business.

After he left, and even after he got over and humiliated Al in the Super Bowl, Gruden never spoke poorly of Al or of the Raiders.
In fact, the opposite was true.
He often spoke glowingly of Al and of the Raiders.
He always wanted to be a Raider -- to be a shit-kicking rebel who is there to shove it straight up everyone's ass.


There are worries with a Gruden hire.
He tends to wear on people and he made plenty of people unhappy or openly angry with him during his Oakland years.
He did quite poorly over the last few years in Tampa Bay -- and now he's been out of coaching for a decade.
He's not the young man anymore, either.

I dunno.

I hope it happens.

I can be a fan again.

Hopefully.


:)

Gruden and Gannon back together again! I pray....