Mark Davis Interview 2/26/14
Q: The NFL is a quarterback league. How important is it to get one, and how much has it set you back not having one?
A: In my opinion, the quarterback is the driving force in the league. As you can see right now. Everybody that is winning has a quarterback. But there are different ways to go about getting one. The Colts drafted
Andrew Luck and built their team around him. Denver had the infrastructure and then plugged Peyton Manning in there. Kansas City, same thing. They had everything set up but just didn't have the quarterback - they were actually inept the year before and we beat them twice.
So, the way I look at it is you can't force it. If there is a guy there at No. 5 in the draft that you really believe can be your franchise quarterback - and he doesn't have to be your franchise quarterback this year, but somebody that will be in the next year or two - then you think about it. But if not, then pick another guy who is going to be a leader for your organization.
We have to find somebody in the draft or in free agency that is going to be the identity of the Raiders. I don't know if we really have an identity now.
The two guys that we've got, Terrelle (Pryor) and Matt (McGloin), are young guys that still need experience. Whether they get that here or not is to be seen.
Q: When you sit down with one of these young quarterbacks at the combine, what are you looking to see?
A: I think everybody is looking for something different, to be honest. I haven't really sat down with Reggie and Dennis to see what they're looking for in a quarterback, but I know what I am kind of looking for. We only interviewed six or seven of them, and I just wanted to see what they had to say. You're limited to the amount of people you can interview. Then, of course, there are the pro days.
Q: (Louisville quarterback Teddy) Bridgewater said you guys were laughing, having a ball in there.
A: He's a great guy. I like him a lot. ... They're all good guys.
Q: It is a very deep draft. Is taking the best player available the way to go, given all your needs?
A: I would think so. But I don't know if you can fully go with the best player available. My philosophy would be to start building the foundation of the team. Wide receiver - there are a lot of them this year - but I
don't know if you can take a receiver at No. 5 because we have so many other needs for the foundation of the franchise. 
Q: With the roster upheaval the last couple of years and all the salary cap space available, would you say this is the Raiders' most important offseason in awhile?
A: Every offseason is the most important at that time, but this is one that we've been building toward the last few years. ... So, yeah, there is no question. We have to hit it right now. The coaches, they're all signed. Dennis Allen has every coach that he wanted. Everybody was all worried about that on the outside, but on the inside we knew what we were doing.
Reggie (McKenzie) has the fifth pick in the draft, and we have almost every one of our picks. We have to hit it now. 
(Thin ice McCaczie)
Q: Is this a put-up-or-shut-up season?
A: It's not put-up-or-shut-up,
but there are no excuses.
All right? 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. 
Q: Did going 1-8 down the stretch give you any pause that you have the right guys in place?
A: When you're not winning, there are always thoughts. But you have to look at the whole picture. You can't act on emotion. You just can't do it. I see continuity being a good thing, but you have to have the right kind of continuity. I am giving these guys a chance to do it. It's tough at times.
We had these games that we were ahead at halftime and then we lose them. It's hard to have patience when you see that. 
Being patient is tough.
Q: Tough schedule next year. That won't be an excuse?
A: Hell, no. You just have to go out and win. 
Q: And you have $65 million in cap space. That has to be exciting.
A: It's absolutely exciting. The table is set for the Raiders to start building for the future. My goal is to get to multiple Super Bowls, not a one-and-done deal.
Q: I know you enjoy dealing with the fans. Does not having won for 12 years make that harder?
A: It hits me in the heart. Everybody, wherever you go, everybody loves the Raiders, the mystique. It's amazing. ... My real goal is to perpetuate the legacy of my father. I am not here to do anything for me. The Raiders are a way of life for a lot of people, and it's my responsibility to get that back, that pride, that poise, that commitment to excellence. Those things are things that people live by, and we have to get it back for them.
Wheeler might have been the worst 43 outside LB last season, especially with all those missed tackes. Would be a nice back-up for depth, but not a starter.
At the Derrick Carr love, i'd rather have David. Anyone who saw his game against USC knows he ain't shyt
