Raiders tribute, sellout await Browns

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif.

There figure to be a few tears, a bunch of former players on hand and plenty of memories shared by everyone when the Oakland Raiders play their first home game since the death of longtime owner Al Davis.

The tributes will be nice although the Raiders know there’s really only one thing their demanding owner would have wanted to make the day complete.

“I expect the atmosphere to be electric,” quarterback Jason Campbell said. “That’s the way Mr. Davis would want it. The only thing he would always tell us to do, ’I don’t care about anything else. I want you to win.’

“That’s what he’d always say. Win. I think a great tribute to him is continue winning, and that’s the only way you can honor him.”

The Raiders (3-2) were able to do that last Sunday, holding on to beat Houston 25-20 a day after Davis died at age 82.

Now they prepare to take on the Cleveland Browns (2-2) today in front of a sellout crowd and as part of a day of celebration of Davis’ life.

It figures to be an emotional day at the Coliseum as perhaps no owner has been as linked to his team as Davis. But don’t expect any pregame “Win one for Al” speeches from coach Hue Jackson.

“Coach wouldn’t want it any other way,” Jackson said of Davis. “He wants this football team to play football. That’s my message to these guys. We’ve done our grieving. We’ve paid the respects the right way and we’ll continue to do so. But the most important thing we got to do is, play a Cleveland Browns team that is coming here to beat us.”

The Browns can expect an emotional environment as they look to get back on the winning track after being blown out at home two weeks ago by Tennessee and an early open week.

Coach Pat Shurmur said he made a point this week to tell his players what to expect and to try to tune it out as much as possible.

“Everybody’s well aware of what the Raider Nation is going through with the passing of Al Davis,” Shurmur said. “We all know how emotional it is when you lose someone that’s had such a great influence on the organization. The players are aware of that, and I think what we’ve got to try to do is what you do in any situation when you go play on the road, you’ve got to try and block all that out and get to the business of playing ball.”

The Raiders are planning a pregame moment of silence, a halftime celebration of Davis’ life and various other tributes throughout the game to a man who joined the organization as coach in 1963 and later became general manager, owner and face of the Raiders for nearly a half-century.

Davis won three Super Bowls during his time with the Raiders and hand-picked most of the players on the current roster. While many of the rookies never got a chance to meet Davis during their brief time in Oakland, the veterans knew and mostly adored Davis.

“He knew everything about you,” defensive tackle Tommy Kelly said. “He knew about your family, your brothers, your sisters.”