Al Davis the NFL's Worst Owner? Not With William Clay Ford Around

Al Davis	vs.	William Clay Ford
368-264-8	Record	281-374-13
.569	Winning%	.411
21	Playoffs	9
4	Champions	0

Sports Illustrated is running a feature right now on the best and worst owners in sports, and for the most part, the lists are well-reasoned and interesting. But there's one huge problem: SI claims that Oakland's Al Davis is the worst owner in the NFL, worse even than Detroit's William Clay Ford. And that's just wrong.

To suggest that Davis is a worse owner than Ford is to willfully ignore everything that both men have accomplished. The table above is repurposed from the SI owner rankings, and it speaks for itself: How could anyone look at those records side by side and suggest that Davis is a worse owner than Ford?

And the disparity between the two is even greater when you look beyond those numbers: Davis is a football man through and through, a man who was the Raiders' head coach for three seasons and was unanimously selected as the AFL's Coach of the Year in 1963. When he moved from the sidelines to the front office, he remained the Raiders' chief personnel man, and they won three Super Bowls with players Davis chose.

Ford, meanwhile, became the Lions' owner because he was a rich guy in Detroit who wanted something to do with all his money after leaving the family-owned car company. He has never known how to run a football team effectively, and he has never hired anyone who knows how to run a football team effectively.

So why is Davis atop SI's list of the worst owners in football? Because it has become fashionable in recent years to make jokes about Davis, who (like Ford) is getting old and seems to have lost some of his mental faculties but (unlike Ford) will still face the media and answer questions about his team's failures.

If you want to kick Davis whle he's down, fine. But don't try to claim he's a worse owner than Ford, who has never been up.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-12-2009 @ 2:35PM

Brody said...

I didn't read the article, but I imagine the timeline being considered is "recently."
Regardless of what Davis did in the 70's and 80's (and briefly around 2000), he's an awful owner now.

Ask any fan this: If your favorite team needed an owner, and Ford and Davis were your only options, who would you pick?

I think I'd have to go with Ford. Yeah, Davis USED to be a great owner. But right now, he's borderline deranged and refuses to relinquish one inch of control. Ford, on the other hand, is basically oblivious, but he's not beyond giving some control to those who actually want to see the team succeed - and may be able to do so.

Basically, it comes down to this: If you had to look at things RIGHT NOW and decide who's worse, Ford and Davis are both terrible owners, but at least Ford is willing to let other people take a shot at it. Davis has a deathgrip on the Raiders, and the only way he'll let anyone else run that franchise is over his dead body...literally.

The Raiders can NOT succeed with Davis running the shot as he currently is. The Lions, though, have a shot.

5-18-2009 @ 5:42PM

Albert S. said...

What the heck are you talking about "borderline derange " . He is with out a doubt 110 % loco with a bad case of alhseimers . The only reason he remembers to go deep is because his beta has it recorded ! We will start winning when the Devel rips up Als contract and taks him to Hell where he belongs!

5-12-2009 @ 3:05PM

Steel Wheel said...

On Monday morning Charles Woodson was on a local Detroit morning show promoting certain things and just shootin the shit with the DJ's. However, some interesting things came out of Woodson's comments like "Nothing happens without Al's say" and "There is a general perception that any former Raider is damaged goods". Woodson sited that he couldn't buy a job with any team after his time with the Raiders.

A Heisman trophy winning defensive back couldn't buy a job in the NFL? Are you kidding me?! This guy still is as good as 85% of the CB's in the NFL right now.

But getting back to the point. I think Woodson hit the nail on the head, Oakland has become a wasteland for talent where any kind of free thought gets squashed under Davis' thumb. At least in Detroit the leash is starting to loosen...while Oakland seems to be choking even more vehemently.

They are both terrible owners who are choking the life out of their fans.

5-13-2009 @ 9:40AM

greg said...

Just give Jerry Jones enough time and he will outdo both of them as a failure.

5-13-2009 @ 10:29AM

taoofryan said...

It also might have something to do with Davis' penchant for moving the team between LA and Oakland. From the perspective of a fan, moving the team away from where you can actually see the games tends to piss you off and qualify you for "worst owner".

At least the Detroit fans know they can always go see their team lose. :)

5-13-2009 @ 1:31PM

gicco1 said...

Don't forget Dan Snyder for this honor!

5-29-2009 @ 8:09PM

myth said...

This is not the first time MDS has taken a pot shot at Ford or Detroit, nor I'm sure will it be the last. For all the enmity MDS displays toward Ford, you would think there was some star-crossed love affair involved. Honestly though, Ford may not having a winning record as an owner, but there are few owners more highly thought of in the NFL community. He's loyal to a fault and willing to go out on a limb and give guys with no experience their first chance. He, obviously, has not always chosen well. (understatement) He spends money on the team facilities, which are first rate. He spends money on players, never shorting the cap. He lets the coaches coach, and pays the bills on time. If you think the Daniel Snyder's and Jerry Jones' care more, you're wrong. They just are more willing to make fools of themselves. WCF is a class act, who hasn't always made wise decisions in who he trusts to lead his team. MDS just cannot understand why others aren't following his lead, so becomes irate with those who hesitate to keep kicking Detroit and the Fords while they're down. Find a new tune MDS, you're message is old and passe'.

5-13-2009 @ 2:05PM

I'd agree with you on Ford's commitment to the Lions...the problem is he is easily swayed by dare I say "used car salesmen". His failure to judge "good football minds" is uncanny and perhaps his biggest downfall.

One thing that occurred to me with the Foote signing...Is there an undercurrent of loyalty from NFL players and coaches from the state of Michigan or past Lions players? I mean, would Dick LeBeau ever leave the monster he created in Pittsburgh for Detroit? What were the odds that Bart Scott might have come to the D? Does Plaxico have a secret desire to don the Honolulu Blue?

5-14-2009 @ 1:41PM

bobdatemp said...

WTF! Its Ralph Wilson with no one close! Other than a brief peroid in the early 90s when he had what is clearly the best GM in the NFL, Bill Polian, this franchise has sucked for 3 decades. and even in the early 90s, he fought Polian's decisions right and left. Then shitcans the guy after 3 straight Super Bowls because he wouldn't cave to the geezer's whims.
So off Polian goes and creates an Indy team that averages 11 wins a season, while the Bills can't approach .500.
And then he puts a marketing guy in charge of the team and sells off home field advantage to f**king Toronto!