If nothing else, the ongoing soap opera unfolding before our eyes in Oakland has produced some rather humorous comments from former Raiders, and led to a lot of people piling on owner Al Davis, which apparently, is very easy to do. The latest person to jump on the pile? Former pro bowl quarterback Rich Gannon, who didn't exactly sugarcoat what he thought of the current climate in Oakland.
ProFootballTalk offers some of Gannon's criticisms during his appearance on Sirius NFL Radio.
"And they have problems, there's no question. It's an organization that is going through a very difficult period. It's an organization, in my opinion, that is dysfunctional. They have a lot of issues
Gannon continued by saying, "it's not a tough place to work, it's an impossible place to work," and then spent some time talking about how much success former coaches such as Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan had after they were forced out of the Raiders' Head Coaching position.
And then there's the latest in the revolving door of head coaches, Tom Cable.
"This guy, Tom Cable, the poor guy, does that he think he is more equipped and better prepared than his predecessors? In other words, if Gruden couldn't make it there and Bill Callahan couldn't make it there and then if Norv Turner couldn't make it there and then Art Shell couldn't make it there and then Lane Kiffin couldn't make it there, why does he think, all of a sudden, he's going to make it there? I don't understand."
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In other words, good luck, Tom! You're going to need it. Honestly, there's really nothing new here that we haven't heard before: bad place to work, dysfunctional, Al is crazy, etc. etc. etc.
To me, the Raiders sound like a real life version of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant from The Simpsons. Think about it. You've got Al Davis playing the role of C. Montgomery Burns, the ageless billionaire running the ship into the ground who would probably sell his own mother if the price was right.
John Herrera, Davis' right-hand man/yes-man, plays the role of the loyal assistant Waylon Smithers, while Davis' legal counsel, Jeff Birren, fits in as the blue-haired attorney who always shows up to make sure Monty doesn't get the plant shut down. Tom Cable, I suppose, is the new Homer Simpson, plugging along in sector 7-G, putting in his time, trying his best to avoid the inevitable meltdown.
