2022 RAIDERS Thread: Welcome Davante Adams

Where do Raiders play in 2019?

  • Oakland

    Votes: 5 55.6%

  • LV

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • SD

    Votes: 2 22.2%

  • London

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 22.2%
  • Total voters
    9
  • Poll closed .
Show All
Apparently Kolton Miller has been beastin out on Ferrell so far. Not sure what to make of that at this point :lol:
 
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Episode was okay. Definitely an intro episode.

Couple of things I noticed:
-Gruden could hype me up enough to run into a wall :lol:
-Abram is that dude your opponent hates and probably some team members too, but once the season comes I hope he’s that guy your like “man I’m glad that guy is on my team”
- Hella forgot Brentson Buckner was our Dline coach.
 
raider5 said:
Can someone bless us with this article? :nerd:
https://theathletic.com/1126258/201...s-***-kicked-in-l-a-and-oaklands-real-pricks/
Click to expand...

NAPA, Calif. — Raiders owner Mark Davis tucked himself into a corner booth at the lobby bar of the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa, shortly after his team’s joint practice with the Rams. To his left was Raiders legend George Atkinson, a Davis friend and confidant for more than 25 years.

“My father,” Davis said, nodding proudly at Atkinson as he settled in to talk about the Raiders.

These are interesting times for Davis and the Silver and Black, who are simultaneously bidding a final farewell to Oakland, their on-and-off home for almost 60 years, while also anticipating the exciting new future that awaits them in Las Vegas. There, a $1.8 billion state-of-the-art stadium is emerging just off the Las Vegas Strip. The new digs and the long-term security they represent will put the Raiders on a better financial path to compete with the rest of the NFL as well as transform Las Vegas and Nevada.

For all those reasons, Davis is eager to get settled in his new home. But he remains cognizant of the market he’s vacating and the fans he’s leaving behind. And that has created an emotional balancing act.

For Davis, saying a proper and respectful goodbye is every bit as important as the hello he’ll soon make in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited about Las Vegas. I’m excited about our future. There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “But I’ve also been aware of Oakland and not wanting to rub it in their face or anything else. So we’re not able to celebrate everything, entirely, out of respect.”

So while Davis keeps one eye on the Raiders’ preparation for their final season in Oakland, he also is focused on Southern Nevada. As one chapter of Raiders history comes to a close, a new one springs to life.

“It’s a very busy time,” Davis said. “I feel like a rubber band, living in two different worlds with Oakland and Las Vegas. But I haven’t snapped.”

Just then, a woman nervously approached Davis, holding a phone.

“I am so sorry, but I have someone who really wants to say hi to you,” she said.

“Sure, why not,” Davis said taking the phone.

“Um … who am I talking to?” he asks her, a bit awkwardly.

“Roger Craig,” she responds.

The thought of talking to the former San Francisco 49ers great prompted a big smile from Davis. The passage of time has frayed the memory, but Craig actually played for the Raiders at one point. It was only one season, but as Davis likes to say, once a Raider always a Raider

“Hey man, how are you doing, Roger?” Davis asks.

Almost immediately, the conversation turned to the shocking death of former Raiders great Cliff Branch, who Davis considers a brother and who he once represented as an agent.

Branch died in his sleep last weekend at 71. The news hit particularly hard for Davis, who essentially grew up with Branch. In fact, they once shared a house together.

“Well, I was a lot better before this weekend,” Davis told Craig, his voice cracking, “But I’m doing OK. He was 71. He went to bed and didn’t wake up. It’s terrible. Thank you. Thank you. I’ll do that man. It’s all about family, baby, and you’re a part of our family. Love you, man.”

“I’m still in shock,” Davis said after finishing up with Craig. “I’m using the word ‘compartmentalize.’ We’ve lost a lot of Raiders the last year or so. It doesn’t seem fair, but as we age it’s obviously going to happen even more. And I think for us, being involved … for us it’s family all the way through.

“It hurts to lose my best friend, and Cliff still is my best friend,” he continued. “We spent 47 years together. He was one of the greatest people you’ll ever know. He did everything for everyone else. And he’d share anything with you. He was a unique individual, and I’d say, for the last 25 years, he put his life in order and there’s nothing bad you can say about it. Like I said … I’m in shock.”

With that, Davis settled in for an exclusive interview with The Athletic. The conversation has been lightly edited.

It’s been a year now, working with Jon Gruden. How would you describe how it’s going thus far?

I recruited him for six years. I spent a lot of time on American Airlines going through Dallas to get to Tampa. I saw somebody that works as hard and studies as hard as my father. So I knew the work ethic would always be there. So as long as that’s there — and I know he loves this organization as much as anybody, and he really does. He loves the history And he embraces it. And he teaches it. I can only believe he’ll be successful. And there’s no pressure. There’s no pressure with him at all.

I think (former general manager) Reggie (McKenzie) did a good job of keeping this organization afloat and putting us in position that a guy like Jon felt comfortable enough to come in and take a chance with it. But I think he and Reggie (were working) on different speeds. And I think bringing Mike Mayock in is really going to help him because they think on the same speed.

From your vantage point, how is the working relationship between Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock?

It seems to be working pretty damn well. They both have similar philosophies. They both work their ****ing asses off. I used to tease Mike when I’d see him over the years, and I would talk to him about coming to work for the organization because his work ethic and his even-keel approach to player evaluation was something that always impressed me. And you see those qualities here.

You and Gruden made some big moves last year — controversial moves by trading Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. I think now, seeing the draft capital and salary-cap space you got in return and how those resources are being utilized, there was a plan in place that maybe some people weren’t seeing at the time. Is that accurate?

It is, and I think (for) Jon, watching it from afar, from the TV booth, it was so totally different than getting in the locker room with these guys and the practice field with these guys and actually seeing what he’s got. When you’re watching from upstairs you’re not seeing the mental side of the game. You’re not seeing how guys practice. You’re not seeing a lot of the things that go on with players as a coach versus watching from afar. So I think he got here and, by seeing the players for real, I think he realized that his first impression (of what he had to work with) was maybe a little different compared to what he actually did have. So I think he realized he was going to have to do a lot of work at a lot of different positions because there just weren’t the players there for the style of team he wanted to build.

There was a nucleus, but at the same time, was that nucleus something that he was going to build a team with, based on the overweight of the contracts and things of that nature?



Is it safe to say the thought was you’d be in a better position moving forward by collecting assets and creating salary-cap space to devote to multiple needs, rather than tying so much of it up in one player?

And (Jon) never got to talk to the one guy. His agent wouldn’t let him talk to him. He talked to him for 30 seconds after getting hired, and then the agent took over. And here’s the thing: I love Khalil Mack, I really do. But he was in his fourth year and then he was going to have his fifth-year option and he was going to (possibly hold out and) pull a Le’Veon Bell.

Now I didn’t know whether he was or wasn’t, but I started hearing (it) from his teammates that know him and know me. And I wasn’t going to do that, and Jon couldn’t do that. Are we going to let him sit out and go through Jon’s first year with that situation hanging over his head? It just wasn’t fair to Jon and it wasn’t fair to anyone else. But did Jon say, “You gotta get rid of this guy?” Hell no. But (had he signed) what would we have along with it? We’d have Derek (Carr) and Khalil and …”

You’ve been in camp two weeks or so, and you have a game coming up against the Rams on Saturday. Any early impressions of the team this year?

Right now, we’re undefeated. We’ll see. I think we had a pretty good draft. I think all three of those first-round picks are going to be able to play football. We picked up some free agents I believe are going to help this team. And bringing in (Richie) Incognito — you know, I like him as a person. I know, whatever, sometimes things happen. You know, we had Barret Robbins, who was bipolar. And with medication, it could be controlled. And I think Richie, I don’t know what his situation is exactly, but just meeting him, he’s the coolest dude you’ll ever meet. And what a beast on the field.

Any update on Antonio Brown’s foot situation?

You’d have to ask someone else about that. I’m a “MD,” but I’m not a foot doctor. But I’ll say this, just watching him (when he did) practice, nobody works harder than this guy. And I’ve seen some of the best, Cliff and everyone else. Antonio doesn’t have the straight-line speed that Cliff had, but he might have more football speed. And the way he can control it and everything.

Obviously, Los Angeles is a big part of your history. Any thoughts on how it’s working with the Rams and Chargers there?

I don’t know how it’s going to work. I honestly don’t know how it’s going to work (between the Rams and Chargers). But I absolutely think Hollywood Park is the absolute best spot in Los Angeles for it to be. That’s where I would have preferred to build a stadium if I was going to build a stadium. It’s where my dad preferred to build a stadium. I think the wherewithal of (Rams owner Stan) Kroenke is really a key attribute to making it work. To actually take 300 acres of, really, a big great flat piece of land and turn it into something special, well, it’s not a bad deal.

Do you ever look back on the Los Angeles situation a few years ago, and if so what do you take away from how all that played out?

For me, that whole thing, and as I said afterward, the good thing is it was a three-team race. The bad news is, we came in third. But I realized by the way that whole thing ended, with the Chargers having the first opportunity to take the Los Angeles market if they wanted it, and if they didn’t that the Raiders had the next chance to do it, that (the NFL) had actually voted for us to leave Oakland. By telling us we could potentially take the Los Angeles opportunity at some point, they were also saying the Oakland market had failed as a market for the NFL.

Now, when that was over (the NFL) gave each of us another $100 million (in stadium money) and I came back to Oakland and I said, now listen, we have $300 million from the Raiders, $300 million from the league, that’s $600 million dollars. Now I need help, I can’t do it on my own. I need help. And we couldn’t get the help. And we came back to Oakland and in good faith negotiated an extension (at the Coliseum) and we had a press conference, and in the press conference it was a “kumbaya” moment. And I had my tail between my legs. But I said, listen, we can still work on a long-term extension here. We were still trying to work something out for a stadium. This is where I want to be. But I need help.

So we had a press conference explaining that and everything else, and about a week later, one of the county board of supervisors told me, “Mark, you’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you. And you’re not going to be happy about it, but they’re not going to honor what they negotiated with (Raiders president Marc) Badain and they’re going to raise the rent higher.” And at that point, I said, “**** this.” I mean, OK, I talked to Badain and we decided to sign the extension, but at that point we were now going to take the opportunity at other options.

Does it frustrate you that people don’t really understand how it all went down, how serious you worked to make it happen in Oakland and what you were willing to do as a partner?

They may never truly understand, but that’s OK because I know in my heart that’s what happened.

Are you following the A’s stadium situation?

No, not at all. Unfortunately, there’s a problem there. As far as the players and everybody, we love the A’s. We seriously do. But the front office has been real pricks. They’ve been really ****ing around with us up there, taking advantage of the situation. Which, it is their right to do it, but it makes it hard. Again though, we love the players, we love the A’s.

And now it looks like there might be an issue on the Oakland city end about selling the Coliseum land to the A’s while the county is on board with that deal?

They’re ****ing totally dysfunctional. It’s that ****ing bad over there.

On the other hand, while it’s never as easy at it might appear from the outside, it just seems like the partnership between the Raiders and Nevada has been working unbelievably well.

Magnificent. I’ve never seen a public/private partnership work so smoothly. People keeping their word, the political process. And I have to say it would have never got done without the help of Sheldon Adelson. It just wouldn’t. He shepherded the deal. He brought all the right people to the table. He made it happen. Me not knowing the politics and going into another state … he really helped get it done. But also Marc Badain rose to heights that are unimaginable. It’s unbelievable what he did, what he pulled off, as a young kid who grew up in this organization. And to take it to the level he has, it’s unbelievable.

Was there ever a concern on your part when Adelson moved out of the deal?

I don’t know about concerned, but you know, everything to me is relatable to a football game or sports to where, hey, a play goes bad or there’s a turnover, you have to come right back and continue to play the game. And that’s exactly what we did. We knew how the legislature was written, we knew how everything was written and we knew there was a spot for us. And if in fact we had the financing, we’d be in a position to do it. And I made a commitment to the governor. And once I made that commitment, that is where my allegiance lay. I wanted it to work with Sheldon in it, and like I said, he really got it done. It wouldn’t have happened without him. But at a certain stage, our purposes didn’t fully mix.

Obviously, the Raiders will always have a strong presence in Los Angeles, but given how things worked out in Las Vegas is there a sense that the way the L.A. situation played out, maybe it was for the best for the Raiders?

Yes, I do. And let me say this: On that L.A. deal, I got my *** kicked. I got my ****ing *** kicked, all right? And as I was on the ground I said, “OK, I have to get up and wipe myself off and move forward.”

What did you learn from that experience?

Nothing that I didn’t already know, to be honest. It just reinforced the situation.

You just announced a naming-rights deal with the Las Vegas stadium, which will be called Allegiant Stadium. That’s a pretty big deal to take care of.

The naming rights and topping out (on Monday) was a huge milestone. And we’ve hit milestone moments along the way. But I’ve been using this line: The least important thing is the score at halftime. And we still have a job to finish and I keep reminding the workers of that. Yes, this is a milestone but let’s get this thing finished, safely. And until we’re done, we’re not celebrating. When the ribbon cutting happens, I’ll celebrate. But as far as our offices up in Henderson, we know that our players, or most of them, will be living in that area. The stadium, the topping-out happened the other day, the steel issues and all of that stuff is all done. Now we’ll move on to closing it all out, the interior, got to get the roof pulled up.

But it’s exciting as hell. We’re working with the community, really, a lot. And for me I’ve looked at the Aces, the women’s basketball team that we go to a lot of games to watch, and the (Golden) Knights of the NHL as our brothers and sisters in bringing pro sports to Las Vegas. And we’re all working together. We’re not competing with each other. So it’s fun to open up a new market like that. It’s truly exciting from that aspect. The potential of Las Vegas, as a game-day experience, will be like the Super Bowl every Sunday. There’s just a buy-in from everybody. So that’s exciting.



How are ticket sales going?

Fantastic. Insane. You know, you didn’t really know because people were talking about it being a small market. It’s the 40th-biggest television market, it’s this and it’s that. But goddamn it, there’s 43 million people that fly into that city every year. And it’s a drive from Los Angeles that people in Southern California are used to making. So that Sunday-night drive out of Las Vegas will be pretty interesting.

As you look ahead to your future, how high can the Raiders take it in Las Vegas?

The sky is the limit. And it’s (about) how well we’ll be able to take advantage of all the opportunities in front of us. And whether we have the infrastructure within our own organization and whether we have the vision to follow through on that vision. I believe the vision is there, but I can’t do all the follow through. I have to have the right people, and Marc Badain has been doing a tremendous job getting all the right people in the right spots. It’s incredibly exciting.

You have one more year in Oakland. How has the transition gone in closing the chapter up there?

I think it’s played out phenomenally. We haven’t won — that’s the part that hasn’t played out well. I would have loved to have won a championship for Oakland, and we still may. We still have this season. We have the greatest fans in the world there, and all throughout the nation but Oakland in particular.

We’re just going to do the best we can to win. That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s why I brought in Jon. Everything I do is geared toward winning. And making those people proud of being Raiders. They’ve stuck with us through thick and thin. And we want to do right by them.
 
90% of the words that come out of Mark Davis mouth just come off as **** boy platitudes to me. Dude just has zero substance.

I'm excited as hell for the season. I completely checked out last year a quarter of the way through the season. Not just the Raiders but the whole league.

I'm finally more or less at peace with the relocation. Been to Vegas a few times this year and seeing the stadium going up has kinda forced me to come to terms. :lol:
 
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