The Oakland Raiders, once a proud and successful team, an AFC titan throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, and a team that was coached by the great John Madden, are now team turmoil. This once mighty team has fallen on hard times. And there doesnt seem to be a light at the end of their long, dark tunnel.

The problem may be with their owner, Al Davis. He has been the boss for many, many years and has always been a kind of maverick, bucking the NFL establishment. Brilliant and calculating when he was younger, Davis is, today, about 80 years old and not nearly as sharp and astute as he was years ago.

In fact, many look at the aging Davis and wonder if hes remained in charge a little too long. He has done some very strange things , like picking a public fight with his Head Coach in 2007-2008. The coach was newly-hired and Al Davis, within a few weeks of the hiring, attacked his credibility, intelligence and honesty. And then he fired him.

In the distant past, Davis picked his fights with tougher opponents, the NFL hierarchy over his right to relocate the Raiders and, of course, for many other reasons, some big and some small.

On the recently-completed college draft, Davis selection of a wide receiver in the first round who was projected to be picked in a later round raised eyebrows and had legions of NFL experts and pundits questioning his judgment.

The Oakland Raiders have been one of the great NFL franchises, achieving great success even since Al Davis has owned the team. But those days of winning seem like a distant memory , a fading memory for the fans in northern California. The question is this: can the Raiders rebound and recapture their long-lost glory while Al Davis remains owner and in control? The answer: nobody knows. However, many are willing to venture a guess.

Tune in to a TV football talk show and when the subject of the Raiders comes up, the TV talking heads seem to be unanimous. Oakland and Al Davis are no longer a winning combination. Read the sports pages of newspapers or sports magazines , and you get the same conclusion for the writers. Davis is done as an effective owner , finished.

For Oaklands long-suffering football fans there seems to be no end in sight. The team, even in good years doesnt project to be very good , no better than an 8-8, maybe 9-7 team. In bad years , well, it can get very ugly for the boys in black and grey.

So, how do you bet on a team like the Oakland Raiders? If youre smart, you probably dont bet on them. But, if youre a fan and you cant help yourself, figure that the Raiders will always be a bad favorite and, at best, a so-so underdog. Then, bet accordingly.