Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Oakland Raiders need a new stadium to play in and the NFL knows it. So concerned with Oakland’s current stadium issues is the league office that a secret meeting was held last week to determine options for the Raiders going forward.

According to a report Mark Davis, Amy Trask, league officials, the mayor of Oakland a various other city officials held a private meeting to  discuss what can be done to get the Raiders into a new venue.  Among the options on the table are a complete rebuild of the Coliseum complex, the ill-fated idea of having the Raiders and 9ers share a stadium…oh and there is always the dueling stadium bids in Los Angeles to fall back on as well.

What is unknown is whether or not the NFL is willing to pony up a nice chunk of change to aid in getting the silver and black into a more suitable stadium arrangement. The league cut a $200-million check to the 49ers in their efforts to move to Santa Clara. Another $300-million was given to the Jets and Giants during their shared stadium venture. So it would only make sense for the league to do the same for the Raiders…that’s if they want them to remain in Oakland.

There is no doubt the league would love to get back into the L.A. market and no other team would have an immediate impact quite like the Raiders. Aside from the previous venture into L.A. there remains a very large fan base in Southern California that would welcome the Raiders with open arms.

Of course that would require Mark Davis to be willing to relocate. And depending on the terms of the competing bids in Los Angeles it could also mean Davis giving up a portion of the team which seems highly unlikely.

So what should me make of this none-too-secret meeting? For the moment this really means nothing. It just shows that the Bay Area stadium situation is on the league’s radar. However in the coming months you can expect there to be plenty of momentum as the stadium bids in L.A. advance and as the 9ers draw closer to their moving date.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The importance of sports in society reaches far beyond TV ratings and beer sales. Never forget that many of life’s lessons are taught through sports. More importantly sports have been instrumental in affecting change in society. Perhaps no one has done more to affect radical change in the sports world than Al Davis.

Say what you will of the maverick but his philosophies, hiring practices and equal opportunity ideals helped to turn the tide not only in the sports world but in society as well.

Proving that his legacy will be long reaching well beyond his years on this planet, Al Davis is set to receive the Paul “Tank” Younger Award this Friday in Indianapolis. Accepting the award on Al’s behalf will be his son and current owner of the Oakland Raiders Mark Davis.

The Younger Award recognizes Mr. Davis’ commitment to racial and gender diversity. Tank Younger was the NFL’s first African-American executive so it is only fitting for Davis, who has done so much for the advancement of underrepresented groups, is still seen as an icon for diversity.

In the weeks following the sudden passing of Davis there was no shortage of stories shared regarding interactions with the iconic owner. Most telling of all was how often you heard tales of his deeds done off the field. Never mind that Davis found success at all levels of football, the majority of the Davis tales were centered on his willingness to give opportunities to those that would have otherwise never had the chance. Even more telling was that more often than not those individuals he gave chances to were more than qualified and delivered on the opportunity Davis presented.

Beyond race, sex and ethnicity, Davis also had no issues with age. Age was nothing but a number to Al. From John Madden to Jon Gruden, Davis saw talent first and foremost. Same for Tom Flores and Art Shell. Even in this modern era Davis was still at the forefront of advancement. Davis elevated Amy Trask to the highest ranking position held by a woman in all of football as one of his last acts of advancement.

For Mark Davis the last 10 months have been a whirlwind. In addition to all that comes with the death of parent, Mark is also trying to reshape the Raiders. While we’re sure to hear plenty of speculation regarding the relationship between Mark and his father in the coming years this award represents a lasting legacy that transcends the sports world. Mark Davis might be out to do things much differently than his father but I’m willing to bet this award symbolizes a tradition that will forever remain the foundation of the Oakland Raiders.

The Herrera era's conclusion also ends the days of the Davis doctrine. (Photo: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

With yesterday’s late-breaking news of longtime executive John Herrera ending his tenure with the Oakland Raiders comes the vivid realization that the Al Davis era has concluded. To be sure the genius of Mr. Davis will always be felt every Sunday that professional football is played. The long living legacy of Davis will extend well beyond the men he’s coached, hired and even fired. However with Herrera’s exit the last of Davis’ faithful-to-a-fault employees is gone.

Those that have been kind enough to share portions of their day reading JBB know all too well where I’ve always stood on Herrera. This post from a couple of years ago best illustrates my general disdain for the manner in which Herrera handled business.

For better or worse Herrera was loyal to Mr. Davis and did whatever was asked of him working in a multitude of capacities during his decades of service for the Raider organization. It was that loyal quality which most endeared Herrera to Davis. As it was with any person in service with Davis, loyalty trumped all.

As if scripted to be directed by Martin Scorsese, Herrera’s made man status began when he was hired to run errands for Davis in 1963. Upon his mutual parting of ways with the Reggie McKenzie led Raiders Herrera had worked his way up to being a senior executive.

Whatever task Davis handed out to Herrera he executed with precise detail as dictated by his iconic boss. Like it or not, whatever you saw or heard from Herrera was at the exact direction by Davis.

The most infamous moment ever publicly seen during the Herrera era will remain the accosting of beat writer Tim Kawakami. That, to me, best symbolized what the organization lacked during the modern era of football. Gone are the days of owners slugging it out with reports then washing away the incident with an off-the-record scotch and beer at the end of the day. Herrera symbolized the stubborn desires of Davis to cling to the ways of old. Almost like the legendary tale of General Patton, through the Davis-Herrera paring we learned that genius has no expiration date but the evolution of societal norms can leave even the most intelligent men standing in the blocks.

Jerry McDonald paints a much different portrait of Herrera with a very poignant post on his blog. McDonald references the countless sacrifices Herrera made in order to fulfill his daily commitments to the organization and Mr. Davis.

For his loyalty Herrera deserves the respect of Raider Nation. However for his inability to remain professional despite being in a position that required so he deserves criticism. If the Raiders were viewed as an unprofessional organization run with anachronistic ideals then Herrera was the face of that.

In recent years Herrera went out of his way to insult the media be it local writers or former MVP quarterbacks turned broadcasters such as Rich Gannon. Like it or not, in this era, a level of diplomacy must be maintained.

A valuable lesson can be learned by the mistakes Herrera made. Dave Chappelle’s sketch of When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong would have been a good place for Herrera to start. Sometimes speaking your mind, even if the words you share are from your boss, isn’t required. Sometimes you just have to put on the false face, flash a phony smile and heed the advice of Michael Corleone – never let them know what you’re thinking.

I fully respect Herrera for his dedication. Knowing where he started and where he ended up is a truly inspiring story and again reflects just how Davis went about giving opportunities to those that otherwise might not have had them. However for this day and age a new approach was necessary. With Herrera’s departure the last of Davis’ handymen is gone.

Now not all of what Davis brought to the franchise is gone in the arrival of McKenzie. Also, not all of Davis’ recent hires were yes men…or women. Amy Trask certainly is evidence of this and she, by no means, is lacking in the social tact that eluded Herrera. Through her the Davis legacy lives on. With the departure of Herrera we’ve just seen the last of the Davis cronies from a bygone era.

For better or worse, if you’re like me, then you love the Raiders and everything that comes with the franchise. I never fully endorsed everything Davis did and I certainly did not sign off on most of what came out of Herrera’s mouth. But I certainly respected Davis’ desire to do things his way. That stubborn nature was tough to digest but hard to argue with when success came. The last decade reflected the need to reinvent the Davis approach. Not taking a dig at Davis, just stating what we all knew and what is finally happening.