Most people didn't enjoy the Super Bowl blowout, but Raiders owner Mark Davis said he was riveted.
"People who said it was boring, they're crazy," Davis said.
"It was a scientific dismantling of Peyton Manning. They're showing how to do it. I was intensely interested.
"The Seahawks looked like the old Raiders on defense. Tough. Confident. Four-man rush. Not a lot of blitzing.
Just beat them up."
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Q: Is this a put-up-or-shut-up season?
A: It's not put-up-or-shut-up, but there are no excuses. Alright? When I said there was a deconstruction and a reconstruction period, that was to give an idea of what's actually been happening, but it's no excuse. In my mind.
It was a description.
But at the same time, even though we've been deconstructing, that didn't mean we couldn't have been adding players over these last two years that could be part of the foundation of this franchise. And I am not so sure that we've done that yet.
Q: Is it safe to say you were disappointed in last season?
A: Absolutely. Yeah. I have been disappointed the last two years. I want to win.
Q: But given the roster cuts, you must have been braced for a little bit of a rocky road?
A: Absolutely.
The deconstruction part has been done very well. I am just not sure that we put pieces in place. Like I said, I am still looking for the identity of this franchise.
Q: You've said that Reggie is your guy, from day one. What are your thoughts on the job that Dennis has done? Has he grown in your eyes a little bit?
A:
He's Reggie's guy. Reggie is my guy. Reggie made a statement that I don't particularly agree with. I went to school in Chico, and 4-12 last year and 4-12 this year are the same thing to me. I don't find one better than the other. (Laughing)
We do math differently at Chico State than they do in Tennessee.
Losing those last games last year was not good. And the way we lost them was terrible. But ... looking at the whole thing, this is where we are, and these guys have an opportunity to show what they can do.
There are no built-in excuses anymore.