On Saturday morning Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis died at the age of 82.
https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2011/10/death-on-yom-kippur-farewell-al-davis/
On Sunday, with the entire Raider Nation grieving, coach Hue Jackson had to get his team ready to play a road game against a very good Houston team.
The Raiders fell behind, went ahead, failed to ice the game, and saw it come down to one final play. From the Oakland 5, Houston Quarterback Matt Schaub went back to pass, saw a running lane, pulled up, and fired to the end zone. The ball was intercepted by Raiders safety Michael Huff.
Huff cradled the ball and crumpled to the ground. Coach Hue Jackson buried his head in his hands and cried. Raider players gathered around him and consoled him. The Raiders had won the game, yet silver and black tears flowed.
Anybody who thinks this was just about football doesn’t understand life.
Anybody who thinks that football is about money doesn’t understand human emotion.
The rest of the world can wait until tomorrow.
On this day I want to congratulate the Raiders for showing heart, guts, character, and courage. This was not the biggest win in the history of the Raiders, but it was definitely one of the most meaningful.
The score will forever read that the Raiders won a football game 25-20.
What it will not show is the emotion that went far beyond anything involving a “game.”
Football is not life and death. Yet Al Davis was larger than life on Friday, and on Saturday, he was gone. One minute he was powerful, and the next minute he was no longer with us.
Maybe one day people will remember that kicker Sebastian Janikowski tied the NFL record of three field goals of 50 or more yards in one game.
Maybe one day people will remember Michael Huff making the heroic interception.
Maybe one day people will remember Hue Jackson brilliantly calling a fake punt in his own territory.
Yet what people remember now is Coach Jackson giving one of the most heartfelt locker room speeches of all time after the game. He gave credit to Huff for the game saving interception, but let the team know that he knew that Al Davis had his hands on that football. The whole team agreed.
Life is not about talent or potential. It is about human beings, and those very emotions that make us human.
When macho athletes are on television crying their eyes out, we see who people really are, stripped bare of any images or pretenses.
A Jewish man from Brooklyn died on Yom Kippur. Yet the story is not just about the man who died. The story is about the millions of people he left behind who mourn his passing.
Al Davis was famous. Yet whether we admit it or not, most people affect more people than they ever realize.
I never met Al Davis, yet he made a difference in my life. I never got a chance to meet him and tell him this.
Anyway, today will be dedicated to Mr. Davis. He is no longer with us, but the Silver and Black legacy will last forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=nbSX8xnb7eU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbnMjKW3jRE
http://www.raiders.com/
http://www.raiders.com/media-vault/videos/Wk-5-Cant-Miss-Play-Emotional-finish/5c43d9d7-fa37-4107-904c-22da4e46908a
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=311009034
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/don_banks/10/09/week.5/index.html?sct=nfl_t11_a2
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/gameflash/2011/10/09/4473_recap.html?sct=nfl_t11_a3
http://www.mercurynews.com/sports-headlines/ci_19076832
http://www.mercurynews.com/raiders/ci_19078349?source=autofeed#
Goodbye Mr. Davis. You are gone, but the Raider Nation soldiers on.
Just Win Baby.
eric