So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time
Q: Al Davis died today and you were a pretty good friend of his. Can you say a few words about him?
A: Good ole' Brooklyn boy. I was telling some of the guys a story, when Al got the job at Oakland, Al was one of the great recruiters of all times. In fact, when Al went to Southern Cal, he beat me on that big kid from New Jersey and he got him to go to Citadel. And the guy who was the general who kicked the devil out of the poor Italians going up the Italian Peninsula. Al was a good guy. It was amazing, Al Davis, Al Lerner, who since has died, Sonny Werblin, Art Modell, Barbara Stanwyck, they all came from the same high school, Beverly Sills. So when Al got the job, he called me up, wanted me to be his offensive coordinator, I was an assistant coach. Just got married about a year ago. He was promising to triple my salary and give me a car. I didn't have a car. I made about 6,000 bucks. I thought about it, I said, 'I'm not going to Oakland.' Sue was happy, so he blamed it on Sue. So he called Sue up and said, 'You know you're holding up your husband's career.' So I called him up and said, 'Al look, leave Sue out of it, I just don't want to take the job.' He said, 'Why don't you want to take the job?' I thought I'd have a little fun with him, so I said, 'Al, you know what, you and I would have a tough time getting along.' He said, 'Why?' I said, 'Because I'm smarter than you and you'll never admit it.' But Al was a good guy, I'm sorry to see that. He's been sick a while. Last time I was out on the west coast, when (Tom) Flores was the coach. I called Flores up and wanted to talk a little football with him. Al heard I was coming up and took me out to a big fancy dinner. He was a tough guy, a lot of people in the NFL didn't like him because he was a little progressive. I'm sorry to see him go, I really am.
I thought this quote was priceless. Never rooted for Al Davis once in my life. Rest in peace, to a tough competitor.
8 months ago
jesse.
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I rec'd this
If only because “Last Exit to Springfield” is one of my all-time favorite Simpsons episodes
Al
“Sloppiness is a disease. Nobody ever built a great organization just worrying about the big things… And the most difficult thing is to find people on every level who understand that and are completely committed to detail and to standards of excellence.
I know at least two guys in pro football who rose to where they are because they understand it. One is Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders. He came out of Brooklyn and went to Syracuse. He became an assistant coach and an all-time great recruiter at The Citadel, a brilliant competitor in every way…
…I was out in Oakland and had lunch with Al Davis. ‘You know, George Allen drove me bananas,’ I told him. ‘He kept moaning about assistant coaches who wouldn’t do this or that, and I couldn’t figure out why he was badmouthing them to me.’ ‘You know what his problem is, Joe. He’s looking for guys just like I’m looking for guys and you’re looking for guys who have his kind of intensity. It’s frustrating when you can’t find people who understand what commitment is. Even if you’re willing to settle for a little less commitment."
Al was reminding me of a maxim: A good manager’s first need is controlling who his people are."
- Joe Paterno
*
by Smee on Oct 9, 2011 10:16 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
In fact, when Al went to Southern Cal, he beat me on that big kid from New Jersey and he got him to go to Citadel. And the guy who was the general who kicked the devil out of the poor Italians going up the Italian Peninsula.
This is confusing.
Bloggin' at JoePasDoghouse.com
we were joking watching this after the game
the longer he talked about Al David and confused people, the less he would have to answer questions about the QB situation
"Rabble rabble rabble; fire Joe; snarky meme; rude nickname; rabble rabble rabble
Last time I was out on the west coast, when (Tom) Flores was the coach
Didn’t know Flores coached in ’08…
No.
He meant it like last time I was in State College when Clinton was President. He didn’t say he never went back, he was just referencing the last time he was in California when Tom Flores was the coach of the Raiders. Also, Tom Flores last coached the Raiders in 1987.
Or in the alternative he meant, “so I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time”.
I'm dead certain we're going to lose today. I’d put Penn State’s chances of victory at literally zero point zero
by jesse. on Oct 12, 2011 6:45 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
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