Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

You don’t need to tell Raider Nation that the career of Bo Jackson was cut tragically short. I was at the L.A. Coliseum for what would become Jackson’s final game of his all-too-short football career. That afternoon I assumed Jackson only suffered a minor setback. As we all know that setback would become the injury that robbed the sports or of its greatest modern athlete.

I can confidently make the claim of Jackson being the greatest athlete of his generation now with the backing of documentary filmmaker Michael Bonfiglio whose ESPN funded film ‘You Don’t Know Bo’ echoes that same sentiment.

For years Raider Nation singled out Jackson as one of the great running backs to ever play the game even though he never played a full season. Countless others made similar claims but more often than not Jackson was passed off as a blimp on the sports radar.

The importance of documentary filmmaking is reflected in the thorough and comprehensive ‘You Don’t Know Bo’ that debuted over the weekend. Those that watched were either led down memory or were taken on a journey the likes of which they’ve never experienced.

Future generations will now know of Jackson thanks to the efforts of ESPN and Bonfiglio.

From Bo’s remarkable rise from small town football prospect to Heisman trophy winner to two-sport standout and on down to his unstoppable digital doppelganger on Tecmo Bowl all is accounted for in the minimalist documentary.

When it comes to discussing Jackson everyone has a story they tell that always seems more hyperbole than truth. Thankfully many of his unreal exploits are forever frozen in the form of highlights now readily available to anyone with internet access.

One such moment that has become an iconic moment in Jackson’s career was also discussed in depth in the documentary. Bo’s infamous touchdown run on Monday night in which he almost literally ran out of the Kingdome is as lasting an image of Jackson as there ever was. Sadly it also seemed to symbolize his career.

As quickly as Jackson ran past the Seahawk defenders that evening is about as fast as he ran in and out of our sports lives, vanishing into the tunnel running while reemerging walking.

For those of us fortunate enough to witness the greatness of Bo we can only wonder what could have been. A healthy Jackson playing a full compliment of games could have rewritten the NFL record book. But that was never meant to be.

For those that never saw Jackson do yourselves a favor and watch the documentary then spend some time digging around online for highlights. You too will wonder how such a special talent could have come and gone so quickly. More importantly though, you’ll forever tell the tale of the greatest career that never was fully realized.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Whenever Marcus Allen talks about the Raiders it is an awkward situation like anytime Dwight Howard is in the same room as Jeff Van Gundy. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with Allen talking Raiders. He is, after all, among the most accomplished men to ever wear silver and black. It’s just tough to ignore all the bad blood that has been spilled over the years.

No matter your ultimate opinion of the situation between Allen and the late Al Davis if you’re a member of Raider Nation then seeing Marcus sporting those hideous Chiefs colors had to make your skin crawl. I know I’ll never forget the feeling seeing him as a Chief for the first time. Aside from that whole debacle there is also the issue of what Allen represents to the Raiders franchise.

You see Marcus Allen was an L.A. Raider. He never once suited up for the silver and black in Oakland. Now he’s not the only player to ever make that distinction. Far from it. Bo Jackson was an L.A. Raider too. That might not mean much to some but given Allen’s history he also represents a sore subject for Bay Area Raider lovers who had to watch their team leave the area they were synonymous with.

But time heals all wounds…I guess…

These days Raider fans from L.A. to the Bay get together on Sundays to celebrate their shared love of the franchise that Al built. And, yes, it is perfectly fine for Allen to share his opinion of that very franchise.

Doug Williams of ESPN (not the one that pwned John Elway in the Super Bowl) recently picked Allen’s brain on everything from the best running back to ever come out of San Diego to his golf battles with Eric Dickerson. Naturally between those two topics there was also some talk of the Raiders.

Allen played with current Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and openly admits he never thought the former linebacker had a future in the front office.

No, I didn’t see the general manager in him. When he was done playing, obviously he had an idea of what he wanted to do. I always was impressed by that guy. I thought he was a student of the game. It wasn’t just X’s and O’s for him. It was much more than that.

Allen might not have seen the general manager in McKenzie but he certainly has seen his approach as a professional and believes he’ll bring that same mentality to the Raiders. In fact, Allen is convinced McKenzie will be a great addition to Oakland.

I have great faith in Reggie McKenzie. I think he’ll do a great job.

Like the entire world knows the Raiders have lacked consistency over the years. Part of what plagued Davis in his final years on the job was impatience. Davis never saw his franchise as rebuilding which is precisely why coaches changed as often as soap opera plotlines and quarterbacks rotated more often than tires in the Indy 500. Allen also believes that is all going to change under McKenzie’s watch.

I just think they need some consistency. They need some discipline and consistency. Changing coaches every other year is not a good thing. They need stability. They need to be stable and consistent at the head coach position and quarterback and they need discipline, and I think they’ll be fine.

Naturally only results will justify anything McKenzie has done thus far. If you believe in any of Marcus Allen’s assessments and buy into the book on Dennis Allen then things should be much different for the Raiders. Then again, depending on where your politics lie with regards to Marcus Allen, you might not have even gotten this far into these writings. That’s more than understandable. Not everything changes over the years.

Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Earlier in the week I listed all the reasons why the Raiders were prepared to let Michael Bush walk away as a free agent. Yesterday the team pretty much spelled that out with the use of the franchise tag on Tyvon Branch.

At this point it’s just a numbers game.

It’s just that simple.

The franchise number for Branch comes in around $6-million, for Bush it would be about a $1-million more. Mere pennies to Al Davis but to Reggie McKenzie it might as well be a Dr. Evil’s worth of a million bucks.

More than just the savings, we’re also talking about the difference between a full-time player in Branch and a part-time contributor in Bush. I don’t want that to sound disrespectful to Bush in anyway as his 2011 was anything but part-time labor. Part-timers aren’t getting 25+ touches a game, pushing Bo Jackson out of the franchise record book or playing injured cause they know the team needs them.

Bush did all of that and then some last year. But as we all know Oakland, California, is Darren McFadden country. Even when he’s injured and Bush is playing well all the talk is about how soon Run DMC will be back on the field.

McFadden is beast of a different breed. He’s that classic car that only runs well a few times a year but on those occasions there is nothing like hearing the motor hum and the tires squeal on a Sunday afternoon.

For 2012 McFadden would have made less than Bush had the Raiders tagged their talented backup. Even if you’re putting your chips on that sure bet of McFadden missing more time next season it’s just not good business sense to keep that much money tied to one position on the team. Not when young running backs emerge from obscurity every season in the NFL like so many supermodels that are Sports Illustrated pinups today and Zumba instructors tomorrow.

Not when McKenzie is swimming in a sea of over-committed contracts.

Stop for a moment and really think about the state of this franchise. Even if Mr. Davis were still running the show he too would have to make tough decisions. Obviously Davis didn’t add the salaries of Carson Palmer and Aaron Curry to the books. No matter what though, his accountants would still have been mired in a salary cap quagmire no thanks to those phat cat dealings done without discretion.

Therefore the Michael Bush dilemma never was one. McKenzie’s hands are tied. Keep throwing money at an offense that is a top ten unit and slash more salary from a bottom-dwelling defense. That’s not a formula for success.

Having Bush in silver and black was an absolute luxury for the Raiders. They got his services at a steep discount. Chances are they’ll get a similar deal again. What is true in the business world holds equally true in the NFL. Why pay a veteran top dollar when there’s a hungry college grad out there willing to do the same job on the cheap?

Finding another Bush isn’t as easy as shopping for bacon at Safeway…right Romo? Fact of the matter is the Raiders could have easily dropped four of their last five games with Taiwan Jones missing blitzes as they did with Bush racking up 100-yard games.

It’s just that simple.

What else is simple is the logic on running backs. Check the facts and you’ll see the average NFL runner is lucky to get 2 and ½ years of pro ball. Justin Fargas was once a 1,000-yard rusher. Harvey Williams too.

Bush gets nothing but love from Raider Nation for his services. He’s worked hard to get into a position to get his due. He shouldn’t get caught up in silly sentiment. This is a business and it is now or never for Bush to get his. The Raiders can’t pay what he’s worth but somebody else can and will.

It’s just that simple.