The Oakland Raiders are a football organization currently in the middle of changing times. After the saddening death of longtime owner Al Davis, the franchise has made a decision to pursue their future in a much different way from that of Davis. With Reggie McKenzie in town as the new GM and owner Mark Davis calling most of the shots, seemingly no one has a safe job at this point. Tim Kawakami recently took a look at the situation in Oakland.
In his first true public moment as owner, Davis was the star of the show, with his own style - relaxed, wry, spontaneous, patient through some tedious questioning, direct and cagey, too.
The first message: While honoring the legacy of his father, Davis and the Raiders have moved forward and things will be different (and hopefully more successful than in recent years).
The second message: If they can't get a new stadium built in Oakland or cut a deal to share one in Santa Clara with the 49ers, the Raiders could be moving on literally.
And as for where the team may move:
"Yeah, Los Angeles is a possibility,' Mark Davis said after the formal press conference when I asked specifically about L.A. as a future home for the franchise.
"Wherever's a possibility. We need a stadium."
Are there tangible L.A. offers right now?
"There's offers on the table," Davis said, "but I wouldn't talk about them. If there was an offer that we liked, we would've taken it. Let me put it that way. And there's not."
Do you have a timetable on when you need a new stadium?
"The timetable is yesterday," Davis said.
Mark Davis certainly acts in a brash and sudden way, which may be a much needed change of pace for the Raiders.
Did he initiate the Jackson firing? Davis says he left that call to McKenzie, who wanted his own guy, but it's clear that the owner didn't need much persuading.
Does Davis regret trading two high draft picks for Carson Palmer? Davis said he absolutely signed off on the trade - though he wishes the Raiders had more time to consider and negotiate the transaction with Cincinnati.
Is he following any instructions left by his father?
"I haven't found any plans yet," Davis said, smiling. "But I used to talk to my dad every night."
And what kind of coach would this Raiders owner like McKenzie to pick?
"I'm not going to comment," Davis said, laughing. "I don't want to piss him off (on) his first day."
The next few months are going to be very, very interesting in Oakland. Davis seems like a man on a mission and he is not afraid to act quickly if he feels it is for the best. After all, what good are the Raiders if they aren't afraid to think outside of the box?
For more on the team, head on over to Silver and Black Pride.