Shades of Silver

A wildfire of healthy debate blazed across the comments section last week, and much of it revolved around not how a Raiders fan should act when we’re winning (that’s easy enough), but how we should comport ourselves when we're losing and, for some, unconvinced that solutions are forthcoming. It was a great discussion, because it showcased the delicate balance of unity and diversity for which the Raider Nation is known.

At what point does legitimate criticism give way to shrill pessimism? Conversely, at what point does cautious optimism yield to blind cheerleading?

There is no easy answer. I’ve been accused of having my lips glued to Mr. Davis’s backside while hallucinating sunshine during thunderstorms. Yet if you scroll through my posts during the 2005 season, you will find ample criticism of the team and its play. Others have been accused of being entirely negative, to the point of wishing ill on the Raiders because they enjoy wagging their fingers so much. I hope that these folks simply sound harsher than they really are.

There are always extremes, but I would say that 99 percent of Raiders fans are neither blind optimists nor profound pessimists. Within that 99 percent, however, there many shades of silver, as it should be. Personally, I will always err on the side of optimism. However, I don’t think that makes me any more noble than someone who takes a more critical stance. It’s just different viewpoints. As long as we can back up our takes, there’s room for all of us.

I will say that being a fan should be fun. If you’re not having fun, it’s time for a reality check. That doesn’t mean you can’t get pissed off at Kerry Collins as he throws another ball into the first row, that you can’t gnash your teeth when Norv Turner plays to lose. But in the balance, at the end of the day, it should be fun. The term fan implies fanatic. At some level, it’s a fundamentally irrational concept. You love your team from the heart, not your head.

I think that’s why I err on the side of optimism, especially when there is no evidence to the contrary. For example, I don’t know all the circumstances that led to the hirings of Art Shell and Tom Walsh. Perhaps the coaching search was totally bungled. But I don’t have any evidence of that (despite what the media and their unnamed sources say). Therefore, as a fan(atic), I’m going to stand behind Mr. Davis and the Raiders and trust that they did it their way. Nor do I have any evidence that Mr. Davis, Coach Shell and Tom Walsh are going to fail in 2006 (and what they did, good or bad, 12 years ago is irrelevant to today's game plan). Therefore, on that front, I see a clean slate with a glass half full.

Then again, if I wake up on Thursday morning to learn that Kerry Collins will return for another season, then my optimism will be challenged, as I have ample evidence that Collins can’t win games.

The bottom line is that between black and white there are many shades of silver.