OAKLAND – The humor wasn’t lost on Mark Davis an hour or so before before the Oakland Raiders took the field against the Rams on Saturday night.

Or hubris.

Related Articles Bonsignore: Rookie Josh Reynolds another intriguing addition to Rams’ revamped receiving corps Like so many others around the NFL, the Raiders owner is keeping an eye on things down in Los Angeles. With the Rams trying to rebound from the shaky 4-12 step they took in L.A. upon returning home last year and the Chargers throwing down the gauntlet with their Fight for L.A. pledge as they prepare for year one in Tinseltown, Davis has to chuckle a little bit.

“You know, it’s kind of funny,” Davis said. “They’re talking about the fight for Los Angeles. And Raiders fans have been telling me we already won that fight. And that the Rams and Chargers are fighting for the No. 2 and 3 spots.”

Davis has a point, of course.

In spite of the Silver and Black finishing a distant third to the Rams and Chargers in the NFL’s race back to Los Angeles two years ago – an outcome that eventually pointed the Raiders to Las Vegas, where they, the state of Nevada and ultimately the NFL formulated and approved a $1.9 billion stadium deal – the Raiders remain hugely popular in Los Angeles.

And based on the robust response from the Southland on season-ticket deposits for the Raiders soon-to-be new home in Las Vegas, that doesn’t appear to be waning anytime soon.

“A good portion have come from Los Angeles and Southern California,” Davis said, “Without stepping on any toes, we’re going to market ourselves in Los Angeles area. And San Diego. We’re reaching out to Raider Nation in Southern California. It’s strong there.”

Gauntlet thrown indeed.

“I think we already won that battle,” Davis said, laughing.

But plenty more remain ahead.

On the field, the Raiders are a chic pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. At the very least, the AFC Championship games appears a viable objective.

Whatever run they ultimately make, it’ll be in front of a rapid Oakland fan base still heartbroken over the Raiders and Bay Area’s inability to get a new stadium deal done and the Raiders pending move to Las Vegas.

It’ll be three years before the Raiders finally settle into their new home, and while it all seems so far off in the distance, it’s clear the Raiders and their beloved Oakland faithful are operating on borrowed time together.

It’s awkward, for sure. But the first game back at the Coliseum Saturday since the NFL approved the Raiders move to Las Vegas was as hyped up as ever. And for three hours or so, it’s almost as if the move to Las Vegas wasn’t real.

Davis is thankful, but not surprised.

“I expect it to be electric here. As it always is,” he said. “The fans here are the greatest in the world and I’ve never said any different.”

If that remains the norm rather the next two years – Davis hopes to play Oakland in 2019 but that is still up in the air – what appears to be an uncomfortable situation might actually be doable.

“It’s absolutely important that we go (stadium certainty) done,” Davis said. “But it’s still three years away until we play in the new stadium. Right now we’re the Oakland Raiders. And we’re going to represent the city of Oakland and try to bring a championship here.

Davis isn’t trying to minimize the affects of his Raiders leaving Oakland. He talks to fans all the time, understands their hurt and appreciates their disappointment.

“Obviously there’s some very, very passionate fans that still believe we should stay here and I don’t begrudge them from feeling that,” Davis said. “They’re passionate fans, and they believe the Raiders should stay in Oakland. I understand that.

“But we had to do what was best for the franchise.”

In his heart, he believes he did everything he could to try to make it work in Oakland. But the complexities of getting public/private stadium deals done in California and local leaders making difficult decisions they believe were in the best interest of their communities made finding the necessary common ground impossible.

“I have no problems with the politicians here,” Davis said. “Individually they’re great people. They really are. They’re all trying to do the best they can for their areas. But when you get them all together, it’s a tough situation. They made decisions they felt was the best for their communities. And again, we understand that.”

Meanwhile, Nevada jumped on a chance to reshape the perception and future of their state by approving $750 million – to be raised by a hotel room tax increase – to lure the Raiders and professional football to Las Vegas.

“The state of Nevada gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse and in turn gave the league an offer they couldn’t refuse,” Davis said.

Now comes a three-year wait to actually move.

“It hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” Davis said. “Once we put shovels in the ground, so to speak, and we really start the process of building the stadium, it’ll start to sink in a little bit.

“But It’s exciting because we’re going to be building one of the greatest stadiums in the entertainment capitol of the world. It’s going to be exciting. And it’s something this team

Has deserved for many, many years. I look back, and it was 1962 we last had our own stadium. That was Frank Youell Field , and that was for three years. And then the Coliseum was built, and this place gave us a great, great advantage for many years. And now we’re going to a brand new state of the art Raiders stadium.”

And with it, finally secure the future of his franchise with a stadium that can create the modern revenue streams so many of his NFL colleagues currently tap into.

“It’s imperative. Absolutely imperative,” Davis said. “Salaries aren’t going down, so the cost of doing business is always going up. And you just have to be able to focus on the future.”

Even when that future seems so far up ahead.