Just rest in peace baby ⋆ The Flow Check

Just rest in peace baby

Al Davis hasn’t been dead for 24 hours and people are already saying some foul shit. Really people? Really?!?

Davis was a legend. The people bashing him, probably have no idea what he did for the Raiders and the NFL.

When hiring minorities was taboo, Davis couldn’t care less. He hired Black coaches if he believed they could help the Raiders win. He hired Tom Flores (the first Hispanic head coach), who won two Super Bowls for the Silver and Black. Davis made the Raiders an Icon. The term “Raider Nation” was the first of it’s kind. When you hear other teams putting “Nation” after their name, they are jacking Davis’s style.

Al was a rebel. His fued with Commissioner Pete Rozelle is legendary. Nothing was more sweet than Al Davis not only winning a $35 million dollar lawsuit against the NFL, but also winning Super Bowl XV the following year which meant his sworn enemy (Rozelle) had to present him with the coveted Lombardi Trophy.

Al Davis was the main reason the NFLPA has collective bargining rights. He was responible for the AFL/NFL merger, which gave us the Super Bowl. He brought the vertical passing game to the forefront of the league. Daivs gave John Madden a shot at coaching the Raiders – which resulted in winning Super Bowl XI. Would Madden gone on to be a symbol of Monday Night Football if Al hadn’t hired him? It makes you wonder what EA Sports would be calling their popular NFL video game.

I do realize Al Davis held the Raiders back. The last decade has been rough but you take the good with the bad. Al did more good for the Raiders and the NFL than most people want to give him credit for. Most people who talk trash about Al Davis, are fans of teams who will never have an owner accomplish what he accomplished. To quote a good friend of mine, “Al Davis was the Steve Jobs of the NFL, he changed things.”

Davis’ only flaw was loving something so much to the point he just couldn’t let it go…football. In the end he was only human. If you can’t comprehend that and if you choose to disrepect the man, then maybe you should choose to put your mouth around the barrel of a Desert Eagle and pull the trigger.

Al Davis, just rest in peace baby. Godspeed.