Is Al Davis Dying or is Hell Freezing Over?

Those are the only reasonable explanations for what happened in the NFL Draft last night. No, I’m not talking about Josh McDaniels scoring an F minus at the Bill Belichick School of Outsmarting Everybody in the Room. I’m talking about the Oakland Raiders breaking from its commitment to exasperating foolishness by picking Rolando McClain, a 6’3, 254 lb. beast out of Alabama.

With the best DTs (a desperate need) off the board, it was an incredibly logical and intelligent move. McClain’s not a project or the guy with the fastest 40 at the combine. He’s a real football player – a difference maker who rocks an off the charts football IQ that allowed him to keep the Alabama defense running like a well oiled machine. I have no doubt that he has the talent not only to step in and have an immediate impact on a tissue-soft run defense but also to become the centerpiece of a great one.

It’s enough to make a penitent, weary fan at her wit’s end zip over to the NFL Shop and pick up her first jersey since Tim Brown retired. Truth be told, I very nearly did, and then I remembered something: as a member of the Oakland Raiders, there’s an 80/20 chance that Rolando McClain’s career is over before it even has a chance to begin.

The pollyannas amongst us might believe that this decisive, abnormally prudent selection is a sign of great things to come but I’m not buying it. Tom Cable is still the coach, Stay-Puft Russell is still the quarterback and Al Davis still lives. Until those things change, this organization will continue to be a backwards place where talent goes to die. And for a guy as seemingly awesome as Rolando McClain, that’s just not fair.