On the game's final play last Sunday, with Houston needing five yards for the go-ahead touchdown, the quarterback Matt Schaub rolled out. Staring at a vast expanse of green grass, he elected to pass instead of run it in.
The safety Michael Huff intercepted to preserve a 25-20 Oakland Raiders win, and moments later it became apparent why Schaub saw open spaces: Oakland had only 10 men on the field.
Observers attributed the improbable finish to the "Hand of Al".
Hue Jackson is a believer, sort of. The Oakland coach might not go so far to say Al Davis - the Raiders' gruff owner who died the day before at age 82 - mystically used the players as hand puppets.
He does contend that Davis's spirit lifted them, even if one neglected to report for duty on the last play.
For all of Davis's enemies - and there was no shortage - he inspired deep loyalty in some.
One was Jackson, whose instant reaction to the victory was dropping to his knees and weeping.
"Losing that man hurt me more than you know," Jackson told the team amid a muted celebration in the locker room.
"I know he loves you guys, just like he loves this coaching staff and this organisation."
As the Raiders bowed their heads, Jackson added: "Al, we love you. We know you're watching over this team."
What some coaches would consider meddling, Jackson regarded Davis's constant input as instructive. The boss would not just duck into his office unannounced but would phone him at any hour.
Some outsiders had long viewed Davis as a self-appointed super-head coach. It was no coincidence that Jackson and others addressed him as "coach". It is inarguable that the once-innovative man in black, who advanced the passing game, had let the game - at least the off-the-field aspects - pass him by.
His fondness for signing and drafting ne'er-do-wells who were asked to abide by one commandment - "Just win, baby" - had become an antiquated approach as other franchises thrived with high-character players.
Now it falls on Jackson, an unsung offensive coordinator until his promotion, to decide how much of his mentor's methods to carry over, and how often to evoke his memory.
Bruce Davis, a Raiders linebacker, will need no reminder. He met Al as a toddler when his father, also named Bruce Davis, was a Raider.
"He gave two generations of Davis men the opportunity to live out our dreams and play football," the young Davis said in tribute. "There's nothing like that silver-and-black jersey."
sports@thenational.ae
@ For more on the NFL 2011-12 season visit thenational.ae/topics
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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