Darren McFadden’s Time Has Come

September 29, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Swedish-American actress Ann-Margret Olsson lights the Al Davis Eternal Flame before the game between the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins at O.co Coliseum. The Redskins defeated the Raiders 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Spirit of Davis

A lot of people in Raider Nation liked to talk about Pryor becoming this great player because he was Davis’ last draft pick. I do believe he had the spirit of Davis in his heart but what he doesn’t have is the ability to be a legitimate quarterback in the NFL. As Davis was a player’s owner, McFadden definitely has the spirit of Davis in his heart but also has superstar ability at his position.

He was Davis’ last first-round pick and the only one since the turn of the century to show signs of turning his franchise around. Remember, the Raiders weren’t as talented as they are now and McFadden got them to 8-8 twice in a row after seven straight double-digit loss seasons. In 2011, the Raiders started 4-2, went 4-6 when he was lost for the season and would have won AFC West title if they had one more win.

That’s the game-changer Davis was looking for in 2008 when he picked him No. 8 overall, which McFadden is still grateful to Davis for. My evidence that this is indeed the case is the fact that McFadden turned down more money elsewhere to return to the Raiders. At the time, he expressed his desire to give Raider Nation what they’ve been looking for.

Davis was and still is Raider Nation.