(Jawbreaker fan Tom Cable displays Oakland’s AFL Legacy throwback jersey)
A week after trading Oakland’s 2010 first round draft pick to New England for the aging DE Richard Seymour, Raider owner Al Davis addressed the Bay Area media yesterday touching on a number of topics including the Seymour deal, an AFL (coffee table) book, and at least one pointed remark aimed at a former employee. Here’s a few highlights, as culled from the Contra-Costa Times’ Jerry McDonald :
Q: Had you thought about doing throwback jerseys before?
Davis: Yeah, I though about doing it in past, but the league didn™t want us to do it. I was the one who designed the uniform. We used it in 1963 and it was great. The reason they didn™t want to use it in the past is the film cannot identify certain players in the throwback uniform, the silver numbers are tough to identity. So teams start complaining. So I stopped it, and we just did the black “ we™ve never changed “ and the white. I always loved those things. In ™63 everyone said, wow, that™s the best-looking uniform ever. But we just got away from it because of the filmwork. They™re always complaining about something.
Q: Can you remember bringing in a guy who played after being with the team 48 hours?
Davis: (John) Matuszak played the second year, the second game, in ™76. We won the opener. We beat Pittsburgh in a big game here. Franco dropped the ball, and Matuzak came in in the second game and played for us the rest of the year and we won the Super Bowl, and he was a fixture with us. Hendricks didn™t play right away. And you know, that™s a concern of where he is. He wants to play, and the concern is, are we rushing him? All these things have to be taken into consideration.
Q: Expect anything to come of the assault investigation involving your coaches in Napa?
Davis: I don™t get involved in those things. I don™t know much about it. I don™t expect anything to happen. I hope nothing happens, let™s put it that way. That™s what we don™t need right now.
Q: Watch Tennessee game today?
Davis: I watched a little of it, yes.
Q: Happy with the result?
Davis: I didn™t care one way or the other. I know Neuheisel. I know the other fella who coaching the other team. I did see the similairites, though, when you get near the goal line.