$.01 -- The most important occurrence in the NFL world this weekend was not anything that happened on the field. The NFL lost an icon and a true maverick when Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis passed away at age 82. Davis was one of the most renowned owners in professional sports history, a pioneer with his own distinct vision, combative style, and contrarian ways of handling business. His divisive manner and litany of litigation against the league made him a pariah amongst most of his fellow owners, albeit one they begrudgingly respected. Davis embraced the pirate style of the Raiders logo, crafting a team of hard-hitting, swift-striking, seemingly nasty players and encouraging them to "Just Win, Baby." Even though it is technically a misquote, Davis never shied away from the "if you are not cheating you are not trying" mantra. Raiders teams were based on intimidating defenses and gunslinging offenses that loved the deep aerial attack. I remember seeing The Longest Yard (the Burt Reynolds classic, not the regrettable Adam Sandler version) as a kid and thinking it perfectly captured life inside the Raider organization. As a younger kid of maybe four or five, I distinctly remember being scared that Jack Tatum was going to run right out of the television set and clothesline me on the couch. That was the Raider way, just as Al Davis wanted it. Too many people are going to remember Al Davis for the caricature that he became over the last several years, the withered old man in the silver track suit with the bizarre drafting strategies and inability to get along with coaches. To be certain, Davis piloted his fabled organization into the rocks time and again with a laundry list of questionable decisions that would make this column twenty pages long, but I have a different and personal memory of Al Davis. When I was working on my senior history thesis on the USFL, I sent out feelers to all sorts of people on all sides of that story. Davis was the only NFL owner that gave me more than a canned reply letter. He invited me to call him personally to talk about it. When you are a 22-year old history major at Ohio University with no real job skills, getting a chance to interview Al Davis is probably the greatest professional development you can ask for. After dealing with his associate, I got piped into Davis and we spent the next 35 minutes talking about how he felt about the USFL, how it compared to his beloved AFL, his thoughts on the legal decisions involved, and how a couple of NFL owners were ready to cave in and admit some USFL teams to avoid the negative PR. If you have ever talked to Al Davis, you know he had a very distinct cadence of speech and tended to answer his own questions in such a manner that you were accepting his answer, end of discussion. It was enlightening, exhilarating, and pretty helpful too. When my faculty advisor, the esteemed baseball author Charles Alexander, read my final thesis he questioned whether Davis (and Donald Trump, somewhat less helpful) had actually taken the time to talk to me. Davis graciously acknowledged our interview and even verified a couple of quotes I used before Dr. Alexander even asked about them. Al Davis was a man of great loyalty and respect. Much will be written about the recent decline and the chuckles that go along with his famed "Commitment to Excellence" these days. Those are stories that need to be told as well, but if that is all you think of Al Davis you are sorely underselling the man. The NFL would not be as great a game or as strong a league as it is today without all of his immense contributions. I hope that winds up being his legacy. $.02 -- The Silver and Black did their late owner proud by coming to Houston and eking out a hard-fought win over the Texans. It was a crazy, ugly game featuring two teams still figuring out how to win close games, and the final play epitomized "Just Win, Baby" for the Raiders. Oakland needed three 50-plus yard field goals from Sebastian Janikowski, a partially blocked punt, a rare missed field goal by Neil Rackers, a fake punt run by Houston native Rock Cartwright and a great performance by draftnik whipping boy Darrius Heyward Bey, but the game winner came when Texans quarterback Matt Schaub chose to throw an ill-advised lob instead of running for the potential game-winning touchdown. I am not sold that Schaub would have beaten Tyvon Branch in the open field, but it sure seemed like a better option than trying an off-balance hoist to wildly inconsistent and well-covered Jacoby Jones. The emotional outpouring by the Raiders is what I take away from the game. I loved coach Hue Jackson and postgame press conference, where he heartedly spoke of his love for Al Davis. Several players were in tears, as were some of the Raider fans at Reliant Stadium. This franchise has not had a lot of emotional connection to its fans lately, or much closeness between the players themselves. The passing of Al Davis really seems to have touched Raider Nation, and it could be the edge they need to seize a weak AFC West and get a shot in the playoffs. It would not surprise me if this group rallies around winning for Mr. Davis, an owner that many of them called coach. These are the sort of butterfly effect variables that make for surprising events in the NFL. $.03 -- Buffalo improved to 4-1 with an impressive win over the less-than-impressive Eagles. Everyone is going to focus on the Eagles, and the favorite schaudenfreude experience, but the Bills deserve some love and I will give them some here. The one thing that really stands out watching Buffalo is how much they believe in one another and their coach, Chan Gailey. He has forged an atmosphere of confidence, camaraderie and unified spirit. They play for each other, and for the city they represent. Much like the city of Buffalo, these Bills are proud of who they are and resent being underappreciated by the rest of the country. They embrace their unconventional quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Harvard man with only slightly above-average skills but a great feel for the game and an offense expertly tailored to what he and his mates do well. Their offensive line has taken major strides, allowing just three sacks in five games while opening some huge holes for Fred Jackson, particularly center Eric Wood and left guard Andy Levitre. The defense is very opportunistic and makes plays, with George Wilson leading the way in this one with two interceptions and eleven total tackles. Nick Barnett has been a wonderful under-the-radar addition, bringing leadership and savvy to a unit that lacked both. Very few of those positive characteristics can be used for Philadelphia. The offensive line remains a disaster, with Michael Vick getting pounded on almost every throw and worried about getting hit on those where there is no pressure. Eagles coach Andy Reid squandered a field goal opportunity at the end of the first half with some poor clock management (Vick is culpable as well), then tried a gadget kickoff that did not work on multiple levels. For the fourth time in five games, Vick was responsible for more turnovers than touchdowns despite some explosive big plays. Their defensive back seven -- and that very much includes alleged Pro Bowlers Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel -- is flat-out embarrassing and unable to make plays. That defense looks like a unit being run by an offensive line coach, which it is. Moreover, when this team faces adversity they look clueless and disparate. Buffalo rallies around one another, circling their proverbial wagons in support. That is why they are 4-1 with great momentum and growing confidence while the Eagles are 1-4 and saddled with the worst team money can buy. $.04 -- Green Bay marched into Atlanta and came away with a victory after a shaky start. The Falcons scored two quick touchdowns and then woke up, realized Matt Ryan was still their quarterback, and went into hiding offensively while the Packers caught their stride. What you saw in this game was the difference between having a great quarterback and not having one. Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers both lined up behind shaky offensive lines, and while both got hit and pressured quite a bit, Rodgers kept attacking with confidence and command while Ryan lobbed weak offerings with his eyes firmly on the rush and not down the field. If you are an Atlanta fan, that is very bad news so long as Sam Baker is the best option at left tackle and the Falcons are already on their third string center. Oh yeah, Julio Jones left with a tweaked hamstring after being largely ineffective, a trend that has followed him from Alabama. The Packers have some injury woes up front of their own. Starting left tackle Chad Clifton left the game early with a hamstring injury, and normal starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga was out as well. Untested Marshall Newhouse stepped in for Clifton and played reasonably well with some rough moments that are expected for greenhorns playing out of position on the road against talented competition. Rookie Derek Sherrod slid into right tackle and was pretty shaky, though he did make a couple of nice kick out blocks. But Green Bay looks a lot more vulnerable if Clifton is out for an extended time. Rodgers played what seemed like his worst game of the season, though it is hard to be critical when a guy throws for almost 400 yards and mounts a strong comeback victory on the road. It helps that he has a bevy of options and targets; Rodgers found 12 different Packers and survived some ugly drops and big hits along the way. You can hand him the MVP trophy now, Mr. Goodell... This game proved Green Bay can win a game with their defense. Matt Ryan threw for 88 yards in those first two scoring drives, 79 for the rest of the game. The Packers secondary and linebackers blanketed the field, judiciously mixing in blitzes and coverage swaps that left Ryan unsure and his receivers frustrated. The relative struggles of the offense might actually benefit the Packers for the long run, because now they have seen that the 2011 version of the defense is still very capable of carrying them a long way even if the offense sputters. Not many teams have that luxury, certainly not when they have an outstanding quarterback to boot. $.05 -- The biggest ass whipping of the year came courtesy of San Francisco, which wiped the field with visiting Tampa Bay 48-3. I use that term sparingly, but it is certainly apropos in this case. Tampa came out flat once again, a disturbing trend that they have been able to overcome more often than not. This game falls squarely in the "not" column, courtesy a spirited and efficient effort by the Niners. San Francisco now sits 4-1 and is two games out in front in the dismal NFC West. Alex Smith continues to look like the most improved player in the league, showing a sharpness with his throws and a confidence in his step that has been noticeably absent almost his entire career. The other big area of improvement has been the defensive coordination. This defense has always had some talent, but it did not always function as a cohesive unit. This year, new coordinator Vic Fangio has emphasized working together and tailoring the scheme to match up against what each individual opponent does well. That just never happened under former coordinator Greg Manusky, and it works fantastic. This game is a great example; Tampa likes to pound the ball up the middle and run a lot of intermediate routes where receivers make their breaks down the field. The Niners played their defensive linemen shaded in more than normal and with inside linebackers Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis covering the A-gaps in tight. The secondary played a flat coverage that did not react to the routes until the receivers made their cuts, keeping them in balance and able to make their own breaks just as sharply as the intended receivers. With Justin Smith and rookie first rounder Aldon Smith (two sacks and two other quarterback pressures) providing consistent pressure on Freeman, all the instruments were working in harmonious concert. $.06 -- Just when you thought it was safe to write off the Steelers, Pittsburgh goes out and thumps the hot Titans 38-17. Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns with a foot that required him to be in a walking boot all week and playing behind a line that charitably can be called porous. Starting running back Rashard Mendenhall was out, but the Steelers committed to running the ball with Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman to rack up 156 yards and keep the Titans defense off balance. James Harrison was out with a broken eye socket, starting nose tackle Casey Hampton and defensive end Aaron Smith were both out as well, but the Pittsburgh defense still bottled up Chris Johnson and harassed Matt Hasselbeck all day. This is why the Steelers are a perennial playoff team: they overcome adversity with a mental toughness that is unmatched. Coach Mike Tomlin is a no-nonsense leader with a firm grasp of exactly what needs to be said when it needs to be said to whom it needs to be said. He preached a return to Steeler football, punishing defense, strong running, vertical passing, relentless intensity. It was more than enough to roll the Titans and keep themselves in the thick of a crowded AFC middle class. Every game against AFC opponents is huge, as it appears about 12 teams will be fighting for six playoff spots. Had the Steelers lost this one, they would have been two games behind Baltimore (one and a half plus a head-to-head loss) and looking up at Cincinnati within their own division, plus several other teams in the Wild Card race. This was a very big win for the Steelers and a crushing loss for Tennessee. $.07 -- Kansas City came from way back to keep Indianapolis winless. It was an impressive rally -- the biggest in Chiefs history -- led by Matt Cassel, who finally offered an extended view of why general manager Scott Pioli parked a truck full of money in his driveway. Cassel had just one unintentional incompletion after halftime and was 7-for-9 on third downs for the game. Dwayne Bowe made an outstanding circus catch for one touchdown and turned a two-step slant into another red zone touchdown. The Chiefs have now won two in a row and narrowly lost the game before that after opening the season with two pathetic efforts that called Todd Haley and his future as coach into question. Give Haley credit for getting his house in order even with losing stud running back Jamaal Charles, though I will point out the wins are over teams with a combined one win. The Colts still have a goose egg in the win column, and in looking at their schedule it looks like that egg might sit in the nest for quite some time. Indy takes to road for a three-game trek to Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Tennessee, then home for Atlanta. They will be decided underdogs in each game as they suffer through the growing pains of Curtis Painter as a starting quarterback and a pass defense that allows a league-worst 68% completion rate. That defense also ranks dead last in third down conversions, giving up almost 50% in a league where 38% is the norm. The best chance to crack into the win column comes in Week 10 when they host Jacksonville, but the Jaguars always play the Colts well. After their ridiculously late bye week, they host Carolina in what looks like their only other legit chance to get a win. This team certainly is not going to go to New England or Baltimore and pull off the upset, and division rivals Tennessee and Houston -- presumably battling one another for the same playoff spot -- come next before a finale at Jacksonville in a game the Colts might very well want to lose to secure Andrew Luck. No way this Colts team finishes better than 2-14, a stunning fall from grace that goes far beyond not having Peyton Manning at the helm. $.08 -- Five College/Draft Quickies: 1. Oklahoma dominating Texas 55-17 is pretty impressive, but I am more impressed with what LSU did to Florida. Granted Florida was starting a true freshman taking his first snap, but laying a 41-11 whipping on a strong program and rival in the SEC is a great stake to the No. 1 claim. Love the Tebow-esque jump pass and the snarky reaction of Les Miles to it. I bet Tim Tebow did too even in a lopsided Gator defeat. 2. Nebraska mounted a major comeback and stunned Ohio State in the Buckeyes first trip to Lincoln. Huskers quarterback Taylor Martinez made several nice plays to overcome a 27-6 third quarter deficit that was impressive on an observational level, but more indication professionally that Martinez is not much of an NFL prospect. His mechanics make Tebow look like Dan Marino. 3. TCU is apparently heading to the Big 12, not even a year after leaving the Mountain West to join the Big East, a move that was scheduled for next year. Confused? Just wait until the Mountain West merges into the Big 12 in a desperate effort to patch together enough relevant football programs to keep up with the big boys of the SEC, Pac 12, and Big 10, which of course has 12 teams to the ten of the Big 12. 4. I caught some tape and game action of Georgia guard Cordy Glenn and came away impressed. He is massive at 6-foot-6 and a well-distributed 335 pounds, with long powerful arms and a very good leg drive. I love how he attacks defenders; even in pass protection Glenn consistently dictates the action. In the Tennessee game he demonstrated the awareness to pick up stunts and fire out to the second level. I am not enamored with his agility, and his punch can be high, but Glenn is the best guard prospect I have seen this year at this early juncture. Looks like a second rounder. 5. I talked to a scout recently about Alabama running back Trent Richardson. This scout pulls no punches in comparing him to Adrian Peterson for his blend of power, vision, and burst. I sm not that bullish on Richardson, but I do think he is a better NFL prospect than any running back in the last two drafts. I like his improved pass protection and play without the ball as his role has expanded with Mark Ingram gone. Alabama is loaded, however, and that makes upcoming games against LSU and Georgia (potentially in the SEC title game) and their strong run defenses very important in properly evaluating Richardson. $.09 -- Five NFL Quickies: 1. I will not make the argument that Tim Tebow is a good quarterback at this point, but anyone who denies the charge that he brings to his teammates is simply denying reality. Denver was dead in the water until Tebow entered the game, and his infectious energy and attitude nearly carried them to a stunning victory. Kyle Orton is light years better as a thrower, but there is more to being a successful NFL quarterback than throwing the ball and Tim Tebow does those things at an incredibly high level already. 2. My quick armchair coaching diagnosis of what is wrong with Eli Manning: he still makes his last pre-snap look right at his primary target on every single pass play. DeAngelo Hall told me that five years ago and it is still true. At 30 years old, it is safe to say he will never fix it. Watch the final interception and see the entire Seahawks defense cheating to Victor Cruz because of it. 3. I loved Rodney Harrison breaking down the poor safety play by the Jets and how Brodney Pool and Jim Leonhard both missed easy tells that indicated pass on a play where they sucked up for the run. I know Rex Ryan teaches that stuff and they watch the film to find the little details like that. It is either lousy execution or the Jets out-thinking themselves that the Patriots will know that the Jets know that they know. Reason #212 why Bill Belichick is a great coach: he wins battles of wits that he is not even in. 4. It is a truly crazy world when Rex Grossman is the most reliable quarterback in the NFC East. Vick and Manning are turnover machines that cannot handle pressure, and Romo has given away two games by himself. Rex might not be the best, but he is also the least likely to inflict harm upon his own team. That sound you heard was Bears fans being knocked over with a feather at that thought. 5. The Bengals are 3-2 with a very good defense and a very impressive rookie quarterback/wide receiver package in Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. They are the only team to beat Buffalo, and one of their losses was a 13-8 defeat to the 49ers in a game where San Francisco did not cross midfield until late in the third quarter. I forecast the Bengals to go 8-8, but got very unsure of that with a dismal preseason and a largely flat start. But as Dalton gains confidence and the defense continues to thrive, this team could go on a nice little run here. The upcoming schedule: IND, bye, at SEA, at TEN, PIT. That Wild Card spot most had bequeathed to the Jets last summer might just wind up in Cincinnati, ironically winning by playing the Jets alleged style. $.10 -- Some non-football quickies: -- I only marginally follow baseball, but it warms my heart that Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles are all watching other teams play in that the league championships series. Along with the Cardinals (who knocked off the Phillies) and Rays (losers to Texas), those are the only teams I have seen on national television in at least the last three years and probably the last decade. Of course, I only watch an inning or two at a time in a handful of games. Still, baseball is the only sport I prefer to attend live than watch on television. -- I love the Taco Bell ad featuring Brian Wilson. He has to be the least-likely pitchman this side of Gheorghe Muresan (smells like cabbage!), but Wilson absolutely owns the ad with his bizarre intensity and strangeness. Quiero mas por favor. -- Happy retirement to my all-time favorite NBA player, Zydrunas Ilgauskas. I am a sucker for big men with great hands and a nice shooting touch, but what forever endeared Z to me was his conviction to coming back after years of foot problems. It would have been very easy to cash his checks and go back home to Lithuania, but he busted his tail to get back on the court and became one of the most durable big men in the league. A two-time All Star, Ilgauskas had a run in the middle of the last decade where he reliably put up 16 and 8 every night and shed the "fragile" and "soft" labels pretty convincingly. His dedication to Cleveland and the fans will likely get his #11 retired at some point. I will wear my wine and gold #11 with pride. Thanks Z! -- I spent the week at Disney World in Florida, and the best ride of the week is one most people have never heard of. Tucked inside one of the Innoventions buildings in EPCOT is a great ride called Sum of All Thrills. Basically you design a roller coaster and then ride it as you designed it -- complete with inversions, speed bursts, hairpin turns at high speed -- thanks to a robotic arm and wrap-around harness. -- Disney is quite an experience for all ages, but the highlight for me was watching my kids have unbridled fun. My 6-year old son is the perfect age for enjoying the Disney magic aimed at the innocent youths and the excitement of experiencing more thrilling rides. I grew up riding coasters at Cedar Point and Kings Island, and the Disney coasters and rides are decidedly inferior. But Disney stages the rides so much better and I love the unconventional rides like Toy Story and Kilimanjaro Safari, plus the experiences like Muppet 3D, PhilharMagic and Star Tours. The wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the Wine and Food festival at EPCOT, sampling cuisine and alcohol from around the world. Still, to quote Peggy Hill, "It is for the freaking children." And I will forever cherish watching my son do his happy dance about 15 times a day and my daughter passing out from exhaustion with a smile on her face as I held her on the bus ride back to the hotel. -- [email protected]