The Raiders will make their first playoff appearance since '02 on Saturday against the Texans, a long-awaited return that "hinged on many elements, none more important" than GM Reggie McKenzie’s "slow, painstaking construction of a formidable roster," according to Ron Kroichick of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The rebuild "took time, patience, more time, more patience." In his fifth season as GM, McKenzie "suddenly counts as one of the favorites for NFL Executive of the Year honors," alongside Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. McKenzie "built this Raiders team with a blend of shrewd draft choices and timely free-agent signings." However, the Raiders were a "challenging reclamation project." McKenzie said, "I had to kind of gut it the first couple of years, so we had to have a little mix of free agents and draft choices." McKenzie "made the acquisitions without awarding big signing bonuses that could come back to haunt the Raiders as 'dead money' down the road" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/6).
PHONE HOME: In S.F., Scott Ostler notes the Raiders are "desperate for a new stadium at a time when that type of project is much more expensive and risky than ever." However, there is no "denying that whatever loyalty" team Owner Mark Davis and his family feel toward Oakland is far "exceeded by the family’s desire to get a new stadium, free or cheap, anydamnwhere" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/6). In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes if the NFL "really insists on bringing in a second team to share the Rams’ new stadium in Inglewood -- and they might -- they should know that the Raiders would be welcome." This "is not" the Al Davis Raiders team that left L.A. "in disgrace" in the early '90s. This is a Mark Davis team that has "seemingly cleaned up its act, from the Black Hole in the stands to the black hole of a front office." Former Raiders Chief Exec Amy Trask warns that L.A. fans’ "love for the Raiders should not be confused with what still might be a reluctance" from the L.A. business community, and thus the NFL, to "embrace the team with the renegade reputation." Plaschke notes while the Rams this season "played in front of booing fans at the Coliseum, the renewed Raiders played in front of packed living rooms from the South Bay to San Bernardino" (L.A. TIMES, 1/6).
IRISH GOODBYE? ESPN.com's Eric Williams reported the Chargers have "one foot out the door" headed to L.A. However, Chargers Chair Dean Spanos is "still listening to stadium pitches from San Diego city leaders in a last-ditch effort to keep the team" in San Diego. The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to exercise their option to move to L.A. With the deadline "landing on a Sunday, the Chargers will likely announce the team’s intentions early next week." Some NFL observers "speculate the league will intervene in San Diego because of concerns about the saturation of the L.A. market with a second team, particularly with the mixed results the Rams have received in their first season." Rams Owner Stan Kroenke could also "essentially pay the Chargers and Raiders to stay in their home markets" so the Rams have L.A. to themselves (ESPN.com, 1/5).
