ALAMEDA, CA - With new leadership in place now that GM Reggie McKenzie has been hired -- and he's already shaking things up -- Raiders owner Mark Davis can now focus his attention on the business side of the operation, one where he seems more comfortable.
Mark Davis assumed control of the Raiders following his father's death.CAPTIONBy Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP
The biggest question the team faces is its stadium situation given its displeasure with outmoded O.co Coliseum (which, in our estimation, is also the worst sponsorship name in the league).
The team would like a new yard on the current site. Other possibilities that have been raised include sharing a venue with the cross-Bay rival 49ers in Santa Clara or a return to the vacant Los Angeles market, which has two stadium sites in the works.
"Los Angeles is a possibility," Davis said Tuesday. "Wherever's a possibility. We need a stadium."
And his impatience seems evident.
"The timetable is yesterday. So that's where it is. We've got to get a stadium. We've got to get that done," Davis said. "It's such a competitive business. It really is competitive. We can't compete for a lot of the players that other teams can, at times."
The Raiders left Oakland for L.A. in 1982 and spent 13 seasons there before returning home under former franchise patriarch Al Davis. O.co/Oakland Coliseum was expanded at the time, but the 45-year-old facility does not have the amenities or generate the revenue of the league's state-of-the-art stadiums.
Los Angeles is desperate for a team, though the Chargers announced Monday that they'll remain in San Diego at least one more year as they try to deal with their own stadium quandary in San Diego.
By:Nate Davis, USA Today
USA Today