Mark Davis can still work the room with the old Raiders stories. He’s got the training camp memory down pat - the summers at El Rancho Tropicana, the post routes against Willie Brown, the little laugh when he makes sure everyone knows Brown didn’t really get beat, he just “let him have it.” It’s a polished routine, and Davis has been telling some version of it for most of the 15 years he’s run the franchise his father built.
But the nostalgia only goes so far.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Paul Gutierrez of the team’s official site, Davis moved from those memories to Maxx Crosby, to a healthy-looking Kirk Cousins, to the kicking competition, and to what he called the “phenomenal” pairing of general manager John Spytek and rookie coach Klint Kubiak. It all sounded like August optimism, the kind every owner is expected to serve up this time of year. Then Davis landed on the line that actually carries weight.
“Football is cyclical and linear,” Davis said. “Every year is a new year, but the past 40-plus years, we haven’t achieved the goals we’re after.”
It’s a candid statement, and probably the most straightforward thing Davis has said in a while. It also neatly sums up the bigger problem: four decades without a Super Bowl, only two playoff appearances since the 2002 season, and a franchise that has bounced through coaches, systems and cities without finding stable ground.
“Cyclical” makes it sound like this all happens on its own. It doesn’t say much about who’s responsible for why it keeps happening.
Davis also leaned into the idea that this is a collective effort, calling it a “we” thing rather than a “me” thing. Sure, football is a team game.
But when you’ve been in charge for 15 years, that “we” covers a lot of the decisions that shaped the last 15 years - the hires, the extensions, the second chances. The Raiders’ record under Davis didn’t just appear out of nowhere.
That said, there is something real to the new setup he’s pointing toward. Spytek and Kubiak do look like a meaningful reset, and there’s a version of this roster that makes sense if Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and a healthy Crosby are all part of the picture. Davis isn’t wrong to talk about patience and the time roster-building takes.
Still, patience gets harder to hand out when the owner asking for it has already had 15 years and the results haven’t changed. Davis says this year feels good, and he’s said some version of that before.
The ballboy stories and the coaching hires can only carry the message for so long. Eventually, the only thing that changes the conversation is what happens in January.
In Other News...
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For Raiders fans hoping for immediate answers at quarterback, patience is part of the assignment. The coaching staff sees Mendoza as a player with franchise-level potential, but the emphasis right now is on development, repetition and steady progress rather than a fast-track rise. In other words, this is shaping up as a season where the Raiders are asking supporters to watch the process closely and trust what the staff believes they already see. [Read more 🡒]
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The early signs have been encouraging, with coaches noting his progress and the sense that his development is moving in the right direction. Even so, the Raiders are still sorting out the offensive line picture, and Powers-Johnson remains one of the more important pieces to watch as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]