Champ Kelly is in his second week as the interim GM of the Raiders, and chances are improving that his “interim” label will be removed after the season.
Given the way the players have responded to Kelly and interim head coach Antonio Pierce, it’s going to be difficult for owner Mark Davis to roll the dice on another unfamiliar coach and GM after the season.
It’s still early, but that’s definitely the direction things are trending.
We’ve learned a lot about Pierce in the last two weeks, but Kelly is still somewhat of a mystery to the fan base.
And what better place to start with Kelly than to learn where he got his name?
Speaking to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur this week, Kelly said that his real name is Anthony, but he picked up the nickname “Champ” just moments after he was born…
“When I was born, the doctor handed me to my mother. She had a difficult labor and said, “We made it, didn’t we, Champ?” I was Champ from that point on. My mom did give me the official name of Anthony in case I wanted to run for president. She didn’t think “Champ” was going to cut it.”
So for now, we call him “Champ.”
But if Champ can turn around the Raiders after 20+ years of disappointment, he would at least prove himself to be more effective than a lot of politicians parading around in the news these days.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I want to start with the fact that I like AP and Champ Kelly so far. They feel like the right guys because so far they say what they do and they do what they say. Those are the kind of people I think this organization needs and again, so far I really like what I’m seeing.
That said, it’s worth pointing out that we’ve beaten two “not great” teams so far. Now is when the schedule gets much tougher, with teams that are supposed to be “good football teams” pretty much the rest of the way. We’re probably going to lose a game or two in there, and that’s when we’ll really see the character of this team and specifically of its coach and him. I don’t want to be too negative here ‘cause I really want this to work. But given our history I can’t help but be a little cautious, and it’s easy to be good when everything’s going well.
So I guess I’ll go with “cautiously optimistic” and hope that that feeling is right, not just desperation masking as hope.
Well said. The silver lining is getting back to the Raider way. JM was undoubtedly the worst hire in the history of Raider Nation. Costly lesson but had to happen. Buckle up, get that swag back and start playing Raider football.
I want to start with the fact that I like AP and Champ Kelly so far. They feel like the right guys because so far they say what they do and they do what they say. Those are the kind of people I think this organization needs and again, so far I really like what I’m seeing.
That said, it’s worth pointing out that we’ve beaten two “not great” teams so far. Now is when the schedule gets much tougher, with teams that are supposed to be “good football teams” pretty much the rest of the way. We’re probably going to lose a game or two in there, and that’s when we’ll really see the character of this team and specifically of its coach and him. I don’t want to be too negative here ‘cause I really want this to work, and again, I like these guys. But given our history I can’t help but be a little cautious, and it’s easy to be good when everything’s going well.
So I guess I’ll go with “cautiously optimistic” and hope that that feeling is right, not just desperation masking as hope.
I want to start with the fact that I like AP and Champ Kelly so far. They feel like the right guys because so far they say what they do and they do what they say. Those are the kind of people I think this organization needs and again, so far I really like what I’m seeing.
That said, it’s worth pointing out that we’ve beaten two “not great” teams so far. Now is when the schedule gets much tougher, with teams that are supposed to be “good football teams” pretty much the rest of the way. We’re probably going to lose a game or two in there, and that’s when we’ll really see the character of this team and specifically of its coach and gm. I don’t want to be too negative here ‘cause I really want this to work, and again, I like these guys. But given our history I can’t help but be a little cautious, and it’s easy to be good when everything’s going well.
So I guess I’ll go with “cautiously optimistic” and hope that that feeling is right, not just desperation masking as hope.
Champ and the Haircut ,the nicknames alone are a good Omen 🤞
Ok, now that was funny.