NAPA, Calif. -- Reggie McKenzie walked through the lobby of the hotel adjacent to the Raiders training camp facilities and was immediately approached by a middle-aged man seeking an autograph. The freckle-faced general manager stopped a few moments later to talk with another group of fans eager to speak with him.What a difference a few years -- and a few more wins -- make.Four years after become the Raiders first general manager since Al Davis and inheriting a franchise laden with salary cap and personnel problems, McKenzie is more popular than ever.Hes got a team that many believe can be a legitimate playoff contender after more than a decade of futility; two franchise players in quarterback Derek Carr and defensive end Khalil Mack; and a roster filled with rising stars such as wide receiver Amari Cooper.McKenzie also has a contract extension after agreeing on a deal that will keep him with the Raiders through 2020.Thats a great feeling when you get a hand-pat on the back, McKenzie said Saturday before heading out to watch practice. Anytime people recognize the job youre doing, its a sense of accomplishment.The Raiders are coming off a 7-9 campaign, their best mark since consecutive 8-8 seasons in 2010 and 2011.That might not like seem like much of an achievement, but Oakland hasnt made the playoffs in 14 years, so its monumental when compared to what shape the team was in when McKenzie was hired by Mark Davis.The Raiders were in salary cap purgatory at the time and McKenzie had to painstakingly work his way through the mess while making sweeping changes. High-priced, underachieving players were let go. Replacements were bargain-buy veterans McKenzie had to sign just to keep the team running as he and his staff got the books back in order.Along the way the Raiders kept piling up the losses -- 37 in McKenzies first three years on the job. That led to critics and fans calling for Mark Davis to fire his general manager.Davis adamantly stuck by McKenzie. Now the owner is beginning to see the fruits of his faith.He was committed to my plan so a lot of credit goes to him, McKenzie said of Davis. Im sure he had a lot of phone calls, a lot of people talking to him saying, `Is Reggie the guy?The guys in the building, all the guys Im working with, they saw the plan. It wasnt going to be a quick fix and Im not into quick fixes. It was a process and it worked the way we kind of planned. I still havent had a winning season, lets get things straight. But we feel good about the direction its going and we feel good about this upcoming season.For McKenzie, the contract extension gives him more time to complete the plan he laid in place in 2012.I want to be a consistent, good football team, and thats what were trying to build, he said. We want to try to get on the other side of the .500 mark and just keep going. Our ultimate goal from Day 1 is I want to hold up the (Lombardi) trophy, and its a process to that. Theres not a quick fix to it.Game notes McKenzie said the Raiders remain supportive of suspended linebacker Aldon Smith. Smith signed an $11.5 million, two-year contract in the offseason, but recently checked himself into a rehab facility.Our deal is to support Aldon from a standpoint of the person, McKenzie said. Whether he comes back to us or not ... we told him from Day 1, `We care more about you than the player. Whatever he does to ensure his health, were going to stand by him. We know his situation. Its not like we had blinders.We knew going into last year a suspension was probable and its going to be an uphill battle for him. Hes going to have to fight the good fight. Were not going to bail on him. But he has to do his part.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Nike Air Max 90 From China . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Nike Air Max 90 Outlet . 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First-year eligibles LaDainian Tomlinson, Hines Ward, Jason Taylor and Brian Dawkins are among 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fames class of 2017.Joining them as a first-time semifinalist is tackle-guard Chris Hinton, who retired in 1989 but has made this cut for the first time.The other 21 candidates -- there was a tie for 25th in voting by Hall of Fame selectors as the list was trimmed from an original 94 -- have made it this far in the past.Two coaches, Don Coryell and Jimmy Johnson, have made the semifinals. So has placekicker Morten Andersen, the NFLs career scoring leader.Safety Kenny Easley was previously nominated by the veterans committee, and by the contributors committee has nominated Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.The 2017 class will be selected on Feb. 4, the day before the Super Bowl. Froom four to eight new members will be chosen.ddddddddddddInductions will be in August at the Canton, Ohio, shrine.Also semifinalists are quarterback Kurt Warner; running backs Roger Craig, Terrell Davis and Edgerrin James; wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Terrell Owens; offensive tackles Tony Boselli, Joe Jacoby and Mike Kenn; guard Alan Faneca; center Kevin Mawae; cornerback Ty Law; safeties Steve Atwater, John Lynch and Darren Woodson; and linebackers Karl Mecklenburg and Clay Matthews Jr., the father of current Packers LB Clay Matthews III.Warner, Bruce and Holt teamed up to win a Super Bowl with the Rams. Craig, Davis, Faneca, Law, Jacoby, Atwater, Johnson, Jones, Lynch, Woodson and Ward all own Super Bowl rings. ' ' '
