Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen downplayed his first victory as an NFL head coach, 34-31 over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum, and maybe that's exactly what this franchise should be about.
That's the opinion of San Jose Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami, who has an interesting past with previous Raiders regimes. Kawakami writes:
This is the new way things are going to go for the Raiders - through ups and downs-and everybody is getting used to it.
Which is easier to do for those involved when there's a victory involved, of course.
Allen seems to be all about team first. It's an attitude his players have noticed. Quarterback Carson Palmer said Allen doesn't have en ego. And although Allen acknowledged that a first victory for himself is meaningful, it seems that he celebrated by going right back to work Monday and breaking down the Raiders' next opponent.
The Raiders are 1-2 and Allen had to be happy about what he saw from his team in the second half, when Oakland rallied from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter.
For all your Raiders news, visit Silver and Black Pride and SB Nation Bay Area.