Jack Del Rio got the Raiders to embrace the Black Hole in their hearts

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Jack Del Rio is sitting on a bench near the edge of the Oakland Raiders practice field when he points just over a hill, toward the mountains. Del Rio, 53, the Raiders head coach, is sturdy and direct, full of crustiness expected from a former gruff USC and 12-year NFL linebacker.

That’s the way he played.

That’s the way he coaches.

He was talking about the Raiders, his 10-2 Raiders who play at the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. He was asked about Tony Sparano and Dennis Allen and Hue Jackson and Tom Cable and Lane Kiffin and Art Shell and Norv Turner and Bill Callahan, the lot of Raiders head coaches since 2002, not one able to compile an overall winning record before being fired. He was asked about 13 consecutive Raiders seasons without a winning record.

He was asked about these Raiders, his Raiders, the AFC West first-place Raiders and this eyeball-to-eyeball face-off with the 9-3 Chiefs. About his 17-11 record as Raiders coach.

The gruffness, the crustiness evaporated.

“I grew up 12 miles from here,” he said softly, pointing toward the mountains, toward his Castro Valley hometown. “Right there. I was a Raiders fan. It’s important to me to bring this franchise back to relevance. The legacy of Al Davis remains. We’re talking about a lot of sacrifice, a lot of history and respect for this franchise. It’s a legacy that must live on.”

Davis, the Raiders revered owner, died Oct. 8, 2011. His son, Mark Davis, took charge. The following season he named Reggie McKenzie general manager. McKenzie tried Allen and Sparano before moving to Del Rio last year. McKenzie’s seasons have gone 4-12, 4-12, 3-13 before 7-9 with Del Rio last year and this current 10-2 breakthrough. McKenzie has been meticulously building through the draft. The 2014 picks of quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack and nabbing Del Rio the year after are among the fresh cornerstones.

This is the prime thread.

“We have changed the way you look at yourself as a player and the way you look at each other on this team,” Del Rio explained. “We’ve found good players. But most importantly with that is we’ve found good people that love the game.”

The Raiders on Thursday night seek their seventh straight victory. They lost 26-10 to Kansas City on Oct. 16 and have not lost since. They have lost four straight to the Chiefs. They have dropped six of the last seven in the series.

Del Rio used to play for the Chiefs (1987-1988).

He knows the intricate history of this coated AFC West rivalry. He knows AFC West history and that two of the Raiders’ final three games after this one are against AFC West teams (San Diego and Denver).

“Playing the Chiefs when both teams are good makes it even more of a natural rivalry,” Del Rio said. “We embrace the conflict. We embrace the tough challenges that lie ahead. We enjoy all of that.

“We’ve got a lot of guys creating their own story in the context of our story,” he added. “I believe in a team that wins in the trenches, where the offensive and defensive lines must win. I believe it’s a players’ league and a matchups league. I think our leaders have that mentality and that’s bigger than you know. I can provide the vision, but it’s the players that must carry that through the locker room and into the games. When you have people like (receiver) Michael Crabtree and (linebacker) Bruce Irvin doing that, it’s a big part of where the foundation starts.”

Irvin joined the Raiders this season fresh from the winning Seattle Seahawks culture.

“I came here for a lot of reasons,” Irvin said. “I knew some people here. I saw what this team was building. I believed in it.”

Mack leads the team in sacks (10) and is making game-winning plays routinely. He is a huge reason why the Raiders are plus-12 in turnover differential. Mack said of Irvin: “We feed off each other’s energy. He pulls me up.”

Carr has thrown 24 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. He has been sacked a league-low 12 times. His quarterback play has kindled the Raiders and their fans.

“It’s an exciting time,” Carr said. “I can’t lie about it now. It’s an exciting time in Oakland for our fans. We’ve come a long way as everyone knows who has been here with us. We’re enjoying it. We’re thankful.”

They’re hungry.

If they beat the Chiefs, their 11-2 record and seven-game winning streak would be the Raiders’ first since 1976. No current Raiders player was even born then.

“The Raiders history is passion for the game from a bunch of guys with free spirits,” Del Rio said. “We have that. I embrace that.”

Keep an eye on Raiders running back Latavius Murray against the Chiefs. In Oakland’s victory over Buffalo on last Sunday, Murray showed an extraordinary combination of power and agility as both a runner and receiver. He is one of the NFL’s most overlooked talents. He is special. So, too, is smooth receiver Amari Cooper, who makes thorny catches look simple and runs with amazing grace.

The Raiders have several unnoticed contributors, among them former Philadelphia Eagles safety Nate Allen, a special teams ace, too, who is a consummate pro.

There is a winning spirit waffling through this team.

This is the way Raiders running back Taiwan Jones describes it: “It’s a family atmosphere. There are not a lot cliques on this team like you will find in some NFL teams. We have a lot of individuals who are not concerned about the stat sheets. We have a lot of backups who could start on other teams who are ready when their number is called and do the job they are called to do. And our quarterback (Carr) understands his value in all of this. He means what he says and says what he means. He cares about and communicates with everyone, even the practice squad players. That is a big thing for our team.”

Including the postseason, the Raiders and Chiefs have played 115 times.

This 116th clash will help decide the AFC West. It gives the Raiders a chance to show the nation how far they have risen.

“It’s a great opportunity for our players,” Del Rio said. “It’s tough with the quick turnaround for a road game against a team like the Chiefs. It’s a challenge. We don’t mind.”