I want to praise Raiders new general manager Reggie McKenzie. He’s doing a great job. And, believe me, it’s a hard job.

So far, he’s cut six players, four of them starters. He’s doing the hard dirty work that is required because Al Davis gave out some strange contracts and overpaid in certain cases. In other words, McKenzie has the difficult job of revising the work of a legend. And I believe McKenzie is doing it prudently.

I don’t know McKenzie at all but I’d like to share this one visual memory of him. It was the day the Raiders announced the hiring of Dennis Allen. I went to Alameda for the news conference — I had missed the news conference introducing McKenzie. When the Allen thing was over, the Raiders invited us to lunch in their player eating room. I walked back there, not far away, and I saw McKenzie standing by the buffet gobbling a sandwich. I didn’t expect that. I mean, at least sit down, Reggie. There were tables with linen tablecloths. As I remember, when Reggie was done with that sandwich he quickly made another and ate that one standing up.

So, I reach these tentative conclusions: 1) Maybe he was hungry because he skipped breakfast. 2) He’s a former athlete, somewhat overweight, and maybe he has a big appetite. 3) He is nervous because of all his new responsibilities — he’s never been a GM before. When someone is nervous he may tend to over-eat, to panic eat — I do.

I’m going with Door Number Three. McKenzie has a lot on his plate, as they say.