When Al Davis first introduced Jackson as the newest head coach of the Raiders he boldly claimed his guy would “light a fire under Raider Nation.”

What can you say? When Mr. Davis is right he’s on the money.

Al’s moved was met with mixed reviews but the balance sheet for the Raiders in 2011 will ultimately show it wasn’t a gamble at all. In fact, the decision by Davis was one of the safest bets he made in recent years.

Now the good times aren’t back but you feel like they are on the way. With the way the AFC West is shaping up there is no reason why the Raiders can’t return to dominating the division. But that is getting too far ahead.

For now let’s just concentrate on getting another win over the Chargers and hopefully getting another home game. You’d better believe it will be a packed house if Hue’s team hosts a playoff game.

Without question Al Davis did the absolute right thing in canning Cable to promote Hue Jackson. The Raiders could finish the same way in Jackson’s first year as they did in Cable’s last – not losers or .500. However the overwhelming pride that Raider Nation has taken in backing Coach Jackson is undeniable.

Just check the fact that every home game the Raiders have played this year has been done so in front of a capacity crowd.

But isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

Raider Haters act as if the team’s near decade long turmoil somehow diluted Raider Nation. That is far from true. I think any true Raider fan will tell you that all the losing had a uniting effect. We found ourselves gathering amongst the most faithful members of Raider Nation to support them be it at the game or in the bar of our choice to cheer even when all hope was lost in the wallet of JaMarcus.

Please don’t confuse empty seats with empty faith. We always believed in our team. It’s just hard to justify coughing up coin when one season your offense coordinator was running a bed and breakfast and the next he was making Randy Moss irrelevant.

All that I’m getting at is our desire to support the team never changed. It’s just that now the team’s recommitment to excellence has driven more and more to the games in a consistent fashion.

Even with the way the Raiders have played the last two weeks the pivotal matchup with Detroit is again a sellout. I say this not to boast but instead to remind all of us that this is what is expected. The time has come to stop taking pride in avoiding blackouts. That is a very Tom Cable approach. The time has come to start expecting Lombardis. That is the Al Davis way.

Something fans without tickets in the East Bay can be thankful for on this holiday is that they won’t be blacked out. Today the team announced Sunday’s clash with the Chicago Bears will be played in front of a capacity crowd.

Without getting too caught up in all the good vibes around Raider Nation this speaks well of Al Davis’ then controversial decision to promote Hue Jackson. Though there is still much work to be done, Jackson’s approach has benefited the franchise in many ways.

With two more home dates left there is a good chance the Raiders could run the table starting a sellout streak that will hopefully last for a long time. Of course the best way to put a bow on this gift of a season would be to get another home game sometime in January after the regular season is over.

For now let’s just focus on the Bears.