For example, Herrera’s latest response to Rich Gannon’s offer to tutor JaMarcus Russell is, “It’s Rich who needs the help,” to which we all ask Herrera, “Really, Rich needs help with what?”
Herrera fails in keeping the prime directive of the Raiders franchise intact. Never show your true hand. The secretive nature of the franchise must be retained at all costs. Nothing should be intended to feed reporters' sound bites.
Most of the time, Herrera accomplishes this and is quoted in stealth rather than by name.
“A source within the organization said the Raiders had no comment” is always Herrera.
This is very different than the way it used to be, prior to Herrera’s ascent to becoming point man as the Raiders' voice in the public domain.
Prior to Herrera, for 35 years Al LoCasale was the right hand man of Al Davis. LoCasale was the voice of reason. He was able to talk to Al Davis about anything involving the franchise and have the trust of Davis.
LoCasale was even-tempered and always spoke in measured tones to the press, never giving away too much but at the same time, giving reporters something to write about. Most importantly, LoCasale knew how to keep the internal organization running efficiently, something that is sorely lacking in today’s dysfunctional Raiders HQ.
Though LoCasale had been a friend and confidant of Al Davis since the AFL era and carried influence, the model for an effective and multifaceted role within Raiders HQ was set by Ron Wolf. Wolf represented the last actual general manager the Raiders have had.
After Wolfe had enough of Al Davis, he joined the Packers front office in 19...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
