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This was always going to be a difficult phase for the Oakland Raiders. The franchise is undergoing the most drastic change perhaps any organization has ever gone through. That said this is till the Raiders and this is supposed to be professional football. It’s hard to act as if the way the Raiders have been playing lately resembles anything what you’d expect of a professional franchise. Let alone one that asks ever member to commit to excellence.

This isn’t Kansas City after all. We’ve seen bad ball before. Nothing new there in the last 10 years. That’s why it’s so difficult for Raider Nation to wrap its collective mind around how horrible the product has been lately.

Mark Davis knows all too well the transition his franchise is going through. Davis is in the eye of the storm and even he’s having a hard time selling the best fans in football a product he knows isn’t on the level.

Davis opened up about the state of the Raiders after today’s 38-17 no-show against the Saints.  Vic Tafur of the Chronicle quotes Davis who has some sincere words for Raider Nation.

“I apologize to the fans. I’m embarrassed for ‘em. Because they live and die as Raiders fans, and I feel for ‘em, I really do. And we’re gonna get it right. If it’s for anybody, it’s for them. I feel the same way. I’m a fan. And I take responsibility for it, gonna get it right.”

Just when this team is going to get it right seems like a lost cause. Not all is lost this season as there is still time to be respectable…whatever that might mean. Seeing a major improvement is looking a good year or two away though.

This brings us to the inevitable part of any discussions on the future of Raiders football. Davis did say he was quote “disappointed” in how the team has “regressed”. However you’ve got to wonder if he’s at all questioning the Reggie McKenzie and Dennis Allen hires. Davis said he’s willing to be patient so he’s not going to pull the plug less than one year in. But he’s not handing out passes either.

“I wouldn’t call it a pass. They’ve got contracts, they’re gonna be here.”

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Davis was born into the Oakland Raiders…literally. So he’s no different than Raider Nation in his feelings of disappointment with the team’s lackluster 1-3 start to the 2012 season.

But don’t think for a second that means Davis is second guessing the hiring of Reggie McKenzie. According to McKenzie the new Davis in town is not happy with the way the new era has begun but he’s willing to be patient.

Vick Tafur quotes McKenzie on the topic of how Davis has reacted to the slow start.

“He’s like all of us. He’ll be the first to tell you that he wants us to play better. He also understands that we’re trying to retool and improve every day and every game. He totally understands that we’re in this thing not just for weeks 1 through 4. We want to continue and finish strong in week 5 on out. We’re going in the right direction. That’s the key with him.”

Whether or not the Raiders are headed in the right direction is debatable.

Check that.

There is nothing to debate. Getting your ass handed to you by a longtime rival to the tune of 37-6 is improvement only if you lost 84-0 the previous week. Even then it’s a shortest midget contest. Maybe McKenzie has seen something in practice to lead him down the path of denial blazed by Greg Knapp (yep, any way to work in a shot at Knapp is what we do here at JBB).

All that said we knew Mark Davis was never going to be the impatient owner that his father was. That Davis even hired a GM said it all. It was a clear indication that he’s letting football minds make football decisions.

Problem is some of those football decisions have already blown up in McKenzie’s face like blowing a bubble with two pieces of Bazooka Joe. Is it at all shocking that two veteran cornerbacks with a recent history of injury issues were out before the first month of the season ended?

I know…I know…patience is the key.

Problem for Raider Nation is there is a general disconnect between the fans and McKenzie. For McKenzie this is all new and just a part of the process. For us this is more pain on top of an already dismal decade of football. We’re willing to be like Mark Davis for now. We’ll ride this out and will still be around if and when things improve. Of course nothing guarantees McKenzie will be here at that time.  Not even Davis could be patient enough to watch as his franchise folds like a table cloth in Bed, Bad and Beyond.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

For better or worse this is a brand new era of Raiders football. Whether or not the Mark Davis-Reggie McKenzie-Dennis Allen era is for the better remains to be seen. One way to help that process would be addition by subtraction. Namely by removing one incompetent offensive coordinator from the equation.

But I’m not going to let this turn into another rant about what the hell has happened to a once explosive offense.

This is about Mark Davis doing something that his father should have done a long time ago.

Walking in his father’s footsteps is no doubt daunting. However Mark Davis is proving himself unafraid to do things his father would have never considered. From hiring a GM to opening practice to the fans Mark Davis is making bold moves to reinvent the Raiders.

Now comes perhaps his boldest move of all.

CSN Bay Area reports that this Sunday Marcus Allen will light the Al Davis flame prior to the Raiders taking on the Steelers.

Yeah. You read that.

Marcus Allen, the same Marcus Allen that Al Davis would sooner watch burn than help put out the flames even if he had a gut full of Budweiser, will honor the memory of Davis this Sunday.

I’m getting goose bumps thinking of the moment. For me the Allen-Davis feud was personal. I grew up as an L.A. Raider fan so Allen was a big part of why I fell in love with the Silver and Black. Watching his career as a Raider fall apart was painful and perplexing.

No matter what Allen did off the field (there is no shortage of theories) that so angered Davis it was a shame that it boiled over to the field.

But we’re not going to talk about the past. This is about moving forward which is exactly what Mark Davis is doing by inviting Allen to honor Al. Forgiveness if among the most important humanistic traits. We all have someone or something in our live that is unresolved, hovering over our heads like JaMarcus Russell’s contract, weighing us down like…well…JaMarcus Russell.

Sometimes forgiving and forgetting is the best remedy there is for what ails us.

Much props to Mark Davis for having the Wilsons to even dare to offer Allen the opportunity. Same for Allen and his willingness to pay tribute to a man that no doubt caused so much angst in his life.

This is a great lesson for everyone, not just Raider Nation. Even in death we have the power to forgive those that have wronged us or that we carry a grudge against.

Now if only the Raiders can pay proper respect to the moment by digging deep and beating the Steelers. Better yet, if only I could find it in my heart to forgive JaMarcus Russell. Something tells me that’s one man Mark Davis won’t be inviting to the Coliseum anytime soon. Another thing about forgiveness is that time heals all wounds. The Russell wound is still pretty fresh. Let’s give that one another decade or two.