Ex-tackle sees Davis’ dream come true

with everyone else.

What’s your reaction to all the attempts to acknowledge the contributions of Al Davis at the team’s new facilities?

All of this is a tribute to Al Davis. If you think about it, you look at some of the other stadiums around the league and the other cities, everyone has sort of their focal point that they can take pride in. And this was one for the Raiders.

As a former offensive tackle, what do you think of the Raiders’ current starters at that position?

Kolton Miller has come a long way since coming out of UCLA. The first year he struggled because he was injured, You can imagine, trying to get acclimated to the National Football

HF: LK: HF: LK:

League as a rookie in this division, it’s difficult, especially at left tackle. So last year he had a much better year when he was healthy. He allowed his growth, physical and mental, to help him became a much more efficient left tackle .

As far as Trent Brown, Because of his size he’s going to be what we call a mauler. He’s going to be one of those guys that you want to run behind because he’s going to open up holes. And he’s lived up to those expectations.

HF: What’s your assessment of the offensive line as a whole?

LK: This will probably be the first year that we’re going to see them together most games. Last year with suspensions and injuries to Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito, they had a little bit of inconsistency. Toward the end of the season, they started playing together. You started to see the possibilities. I just hope that Derek Carr can find a way to trust all of them to stay protected and for him to be able to focus and get the ball downfield.

How much pressure do you think is on Derek Carr to have an outstanding season?

I will say this as a player. The only pressure that you put on your shoulders is your own. That’s your doing. You see, everybody wants to be successful. Nobody plays in the National Football League and is, ‘Oh, I’m just happy to be here. I’m just going to go through the motions.’ No. Everybody wants to be the best that they can be. So when it comes to the pressure on their shoulders, you know, Derek Carr made a comment, ‘Well, I’m tired of being disrespected.’ My response to that from hearing it in the media, even if I was in a locker room, would be to tell him ‘play better.’ You’re tired of being disrespected? Play better.

HF: LK:

During the 1980s, music videos featuring NFL players rapping and rocking were as common as skinny neckties and Huey Lewis records. It seemed everybody had one.

The Chicago Bears started it all with the “Super Bowl Shuffle.” The Raiders’ contribution to the genre was called the “Silver and Black Attack.” It peaked at No. 97 in former Review-Journal sports writer Paul Gutierrez’s 2014 book called “100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.”

Here are five things to know — er, forget — about the “Silver and Black Attack.”

1. The video was made in the spring of 1986, and 25 players and coach Tom Flores were involved. Nine Raiders — Howie Long, Marcus Allen, Todd Christensen, Henry Lawrence, Matt Millen, Lester Hayes, Rod Martin, Mike Haynes and Curt Marsh, along with Flores — rapped/recited verse. The rest just sort of shuffled about on risers.

2. I think I saw Frank Hawkins, the Las Vegas native who starred at Western High School and UNR, twice in the video that has yet to be removed from YouTube for some reason. He is wearing No. 27 and dark sunglasses. Actor James Garner actually gets more camera time than Hawkins.

3. Of the two guys from Brigham Young featured in the video, I give the edge in rhythm to tight end Christensen over backup quarterback Marc Wilson. But it is almost too close to call.

4. Three things that date the video: One of the producers has a haircut almost identical to Ren McCormack’s, Kevin Bacon’s character in the movie “Footloose”; defensive tackle Bill Pickel is shown talking on a pay phone; and with the exception of Christensen’s mustache and a neatly trimmed beard or two, most of the Raiders are not sporting facial hair. They look like extras from an Andy Williams Christmas special.

5. The refrain goes as follows:

But Long gets the last word: “If anybody says anything (derogatory) about this after we leave this studio, I’m taking names and kicking (expletive).”

Heidi Fang Las Vegas Review-Journal @HeidiFang Lincoln Kennedy, left, and a fan in London, Keith Smith, before the Raiders’ 2019 game against the Bears.