CHICAGO _ The silver-and-black flag hangs above the entrance, motionless in the steady afternoon rain. Chicago Raider Nation has marked its territory in Lakeview at Schoolyard Tavern & Grill on Southport Avenue in Chicago. It's a September Sunday, and Soundgarden's "Fell on Black Days" is blaring out onto the sidewalk. The party must be inside.
Joe Donahue is here to cheer his Raiders and commiserate with fans who share his faith that soon days won't be so black for the storied, colorful, nomadic franchise. Today is not that day, though. They're losing to the Vikings by two touchdowns at halftime.
Donahue, the group's leader, is wearing a Raiders T-shirt with No. 21 on the back and "BRANCH" above it. Cliff Branch was a three-time All-Pro receiver in the 1970s, one of many icons from the Raiders' glory days.
In fact, look around the bar, in the crowded front and back rooms, and it's full of Raiders jerseys celebrating greats of yesteryear.
Fred Biletnikoff, No. 25. Howie Long, No. 75. Bo Jackson, No. 34. Lyle Alzado, No. 77. Charles Woodson, No. 24. Nnamdi Asomugha, No. 21.
None of the three dozen fans here, however, is wearing No. 52.
Khalil Mack was a beast for the Raiders for four seasons beginning in 2014 as the No. 5 pick in the draft. He led them to their only winning season since 2002. By any objective standard, he's on track for the Hall of Fame.
But last year he held out, orchestrated a trade to the Bears and microwaved Chicago's rebuilding plan without looking back.
In Chicago's annex of the Black Hole, a Mack jersey simply doesn't belong.
"I've got one," Donahue says. "We've all got them. But you know what guys did? They took the M-A and put an F-U."
Hey, no one has ever mistaken Raiders fans for Boy Scouts.
But Donahue insists he and his crew have moved on, and he clarifies any anger isn't directed only at Mack. From all angles on the Raiders' side, it was just a lousy situation, one that is open to re-examination this week from Chicago to the Bay Area as the Raiders and Bears play Sunday in London.
For the Bears, Mack has been worth every draft pick and every cent through 13 months. They traded a package of picks, including two first-rounders, then signed him to the richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history: six years, $141 million with $90 million guaranteed.
In return, the 28-year-old has been an All-Pro catalyst for one of the league's best defenses and a reliable force in the Bears' sudden jump to championship contention.
For the Raiders and coach Jon Gruden, meanwhile, their haul of picks hasn't come close to matching that payoff. Gruden tossed aside the sour topic during a teleconference with Chicago media Wednesday with the same force as Mack against a left tackle.
"We wanted to sign Mack, OK?" he said. "We didn't want to trade him. I wish him the best. I'm not rehashing all the drama. We wanted to have him. We couldn't make it happen. We were able to get a couple draft picks ... and we were able to sign some players in free agency, and we're going to continue to build our team."
It's no wonder Gruden is chafed. Since the trade, Mack has 17 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. The Raiders have 18 and eight _ as a team.
"Mack did everything a player can do short of going to Gruden's home and burning down his garage," Ray Ratto, a longtime Bay Area sports columnist, told the Tribune.
And that's just it. While the Bears and their fans continue to celebrate Mack, pinching themselves every game day, Gruden is central to the Raiders' side of the postmortem.
The star coach returned to the franchise last year with full control of the roster after nine years on ESPN's "Monday Night Football." He was touted as a savior for the Raiders, both for their lame-duck seasons in Oakland and their future in Las Vegas.
Degrees of faith in Gruden vary in Raider Nation. And for Donahue and other fans in Chicago, there's an additional fight against the erosive proximity to Mack's dominance.
"When we found out he got traded, we were like, 'Are you friggin' kidding me?' This is unbelievable!" Donahue, 56, says. "But in Gruden I trust. You've got to believe in the process."
