During the 1970s, the quarterback was Ken Stabler, who probably couldn't throw more than 30 yards but led a franchise that was 112-39-7 during the Madden years. The Raiders succeeded again in the early part of this decade with Rich Gannon, another quarterback with less than a power arm who took the team to an AFC title game after the 2000 season and a Super Bowl two years later.

That was in Gruden's version of the shorter-passing West Coast offense. But Davis was never really happy with that and his interference finally alienated Gruden, who left after the 2001 season for Tampa, taking with him Bruce Allen, the only GM the team has had.

So the Raiders are 20-64 since the start of the 2003 season, a laughingstock in a class with the Detroit Lions, who fired team president Matt Millen a week ago.

Madden thinks the problems reflect the way the game has changed.

"When I was there we just had five or six coaches and Ron Wolf was in the personnel department and Al Davis,'' he told Sirius Satellite radio this week. "So there were really less than 10 of us and there were no barriers. I mean, everyone was right there together and we kind of did everything so we didn't have any of these problems.

"And then as the game grew and the organization grew and you have more and more people and more and more assistants, I think instead of being closer and being part of each other, it looks to me like they just grew apart.''

One name stands out: Wolf, one of the best personnel men of the last 40 years.

He not only helped put together Raiders teams that won Super Bowls after the 1976, 1980 and 1983 seasons, but also obtained Brett Favre for Green Bay and built a Packers team that won the title in 1996 and the NFC championship the following season.

There is no Ron Wolf on the current Raiders nor anyone close to him. The personnel decisions seem to be made either by Davis or by lackeys whose goal is simply approval from the boss.

That's why it sounded so ludicrous when Davis whined about dealing Randy Moss to New England for a fourth-round pick. "A fourth round pick!'' he repeated, suggesting it was Kiffin's decision to make the deal on a team where everything — important and otherwise — goes through the top.

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Davis acknowledged in a briefing with local reporters after the news conference that no one but New England really wanted Moss, who played in Oakland by the motto that got him traded by the Vikings: "I play when I feel like it.'' Only the Patriots, with Bill Belichick coaching and Tom Brady as the QB, could have gotten him to play to his form of last year, when he caught a record 23 TD passes.

Talk to ex-Raiders of recent vintage and you hear a common theme: "I'm just glad to be out of here.''

"I've seen the circus of the NFL,'' said the Colts' Dominic Rhodes, who spent one year in Oakland after helping Indy win the Super Bowl two years ago and returned this year to the Colts after being released by the Raiders.

"I watched it and I actually sent Lane a text message and told him 'Thank you for letting me get out of there like you said you would.' I'm just happy they let me get out because I would not want to be a part of that right now.''

In a lot of ways, that's sad. Because Al Davis is one of the most important figures in NFL history. This isn't the legacy he wants to leave.

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