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Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:37 pm
by BSmack
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:39 pm
by Dinsdale
Kiffin is who they thought he were.
Good thing Al waitied until the Nebraska job was filled before bringing this up, which had been tagged as "Kiffin's destiny.".
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:52 pm
by RumpleForeskin
Sounds like Kiffin and Gerardi lace up in the same bowling league. Rack Lane for digging in. I'm sure Al will "take care of him".
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:53 pm
by Felix
mvscal wrote:4-12 might actually be optimistic.
looks like the sig I'm sporting was was pretty prophetic mvs......
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:11 pm
by Raydah James
Where the fuck have you been, my Raider Bretheren?
This shit's been going on for the better part of 3 weeks now. Hell, Vegas already has odds out that Kiff will be the next KC coach and net 3 super bowls before 2015.
Essentially, this is shannahan all over again. Every. Fucking. Part. Of. It.
Fucking Al Davis.
He's done......and if any of my Raider bretheren are having trouble figuring the current situation out, i'll be more than happy to timeline the exact moment this shit all began. Essentially, this problem started in the middle of this past season when Alcula ran his fake cock scrapers to the media about the Moss decision.
Basically, Kiffin is out. Al stripped away his power to control his coaching staff which was a direct 180 from the verbage in Kiff's contract (he wanted Slob Ryan fired and Al intervened and said no-and then faxed him a statement that relinquished his control over everything draft related and FA related as well).....
And the writing on the wall became permanent when James Lofton was flown into Raider HQ yesterday for an interview.
Silver and Bleak, Baby.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:14 am
by Raydah James
Here we fucking go......as reported on Sirius:
1. Kiffin was asked to resign
2. Kiffin wanted Ryan gone
3. Kiffin didn't want Russell, felt he will never learn the offense
4. Kiffin wanted Bush to play, but had to play Jordan (he was over-ruled)
5. Kiffin is so miserable here, he was interested in Arkansas and other universities as well
6. Kiffin has a 3 year contract, but it's a 1-1-1 year with options after each year
and Kirk Morrison was just on Sirius with Schein and Wilcotts. The last 7-8 minutes of his interview he basically confirmed that Kiffin is out and that it's part of the NFL and he doesn't think it will effect the team.
They asked him "what if Rob Ryan got the job?" and he said that would be great. He talked about his 2007 season and wanting to get better in 2008 and getting through the uncertainty of this offseason.
They asked about installing a new offense and it's effect on JaMarcus Russell and he passed that off as being no big deal.
Yeah, no big deal that our fucking cunt owner is braindead dumbfuck who's more concerned with winning personal pissing matches over strong willed coaches than on the field.
Hopefully, shit blows over and both hotheads calm the fuck down and work it out.......but it doesnt look pretty right now.
Just Win the power struggle, Baby
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:06 am
by poptart
Without knowing what the real story is behind the current mess I will give this take.
It was my opinion from the time Kiffin was hired that he wouldn't be in Oakland for the long haul.
And regardless of how this current thing ends up, that is still my take.
Kiffin got himself into the right spot at the right time.
He landed A NFL gig -- at age 32 -- even if it is just the Raider job.
And he landed a gig where there was nowhere to take the program but .... UP.
So deal with Al's bullsheet for a couple of years, make some strides with the program, and show yourself to be competent at the NFL level.
Hit the road in a couple of years and you can land at least an o-coordinator job at the NFL level .... if not another head job.
And you're still just in your mid-30s.
Pretty damn good.
Al's gonna come out looking like horseshit on this deal if Kiffin is ousted now.
Perhaps it's true that Al is bent that Kiffin was sniffing around at open college jobs during the season.
Kiffin publicly denied that that was the case .... but who knows?
Bottom line is that if Al made Oakland a place where a coach would settle in and WANT to remain, then none of the bullshit would happen.
IF Kiffin is gonzo and he is replaced by Green, Fassel, Ryan ... or some other half-fuck, I think it's time for this Raider fan to cash it in.
I've seen enough.
The circus leaves town when Alvis is 6 ft under.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:33 am
by Qbert
D
U and RJ,Loco,Toos, et All.... have seen enough.
the senile bastard has completely screwed it up.....and it can't be fixed.
sux for Kiffen.....sux for Ryan (COACH?)
wait 4 Dennis Green....and then wait for Alcula to visit Hospice.....errrrr Starbucks.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:02 pm
by Bucmonkey
poptart wrote:
The circus leaves town when Alvis is 6 ft under.
You hope this is the case.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:49 pm
by RevLimiter
poptart wrote:Al's gonna come out looking like horseshit on this deal if Kiffin is ousted now.
This just in, you old bastard...Al's looked like horseshit since the late 80s. You know, right about the time that he lopped off RATahan. Bill Bidwell thinks that Alcula is a sorry POS excuse for a NFL owner right about now. I know it's cold to say, but until somebody stabs Alcula The Daywalker in the heart with a stake then your shit team will continue to be Teh Suck from here on out.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:16 pm
by Raydah James
poptart wrote:
IF Kiffin is gonzo and he is replaced by Green, Fassel, Ryan ... or some other half-fuck, I think it's time for this Raider fan to cash it in.
Sorry. Aint gonna happen-you're a Raider fan for life, pops-like it or not.
Like I said, lets wait and see what happens by draft time-this shit could be smoothed over by then......whether its with Green leading the helm with Kiffin gone remains to be seen. I honestly wouldnt feel
that bad if Nutty Professor is our HC-only because he's an offensive mind that would bring JaMarcus along much better than Slob Ryan would.....and Al seems to have a neverending fucking hardon for him.
I've seen enough.
The circus leaves town when Alvis is 6 ft under.
Yep. Even the Al backers cant spin this fucking horseshit.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:06 pm
by BSmack
poptart wrote:The circus leaves town when Alvis is 6 ft under.
Given the kind of support the Raiders have gotten from their fans, look for the circus to leave Oakland the nanosecond the City of Oakland stops guaranteeing sellouts with taxpayer dollars.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:13 am
by poptart
Paul wrote:This just in, you old bastard...Al's looked like horseshit since the late 80s. You know, right about the time that he lopped off RATahan.
It's not true.
The Rat firing was correct.
He had gone 8-12 in 1+ seasons, and he had lost the room.
He was young and immature at that point.
People have revisionist history.
Shell came in and got things back under contol.
Went 7-5 in the remainder of '89 and 12-4 and in an AFC Championship game the next year.
Also shooting you down is the fact that Oakland won 3 straight division titles, went to a Super Bowl, and got beat in the playoffs 3 straight years by the team that won it all -- not too many years ago.
It's hard to knock ownership for those results.
Al's problem is that he doesn't regard the head coaching position like he should.
His philosophy seems to be that if you get good players then you can sort of 'plug in' a coach and it'll all be good.
And I believe the early success he had in his ownership career only served to feed this misguided philosophy.
Madden was a unique coach.
He was super bright and he was WILLING to stay in the background, and let Al soak in the glory.
Then when Madden left, Al got really lucky by having a
similar personality guy, Tom Flores, come in and take over.
Similar not in manner, but in his WILLINGNESS to defer to Al and let Al be the glory hound that he needs to be.
So Al was 'taught' that it was really easy to plug a coach in and get great results.
But a Flores and Madden don't come around all that often.
Guys who have very little ego.
Hell, most coaches are egomaniacs.
Perhaps Kiffin was out of line for taking 'interest' in open college postions during the past season.
I dunno.
BUT, like I said, if Alvis made Oakland the kind of place where a coach could feel comfortable and WANT to settle in for the long haul then he wouldn't find himself searching year after year for hack 'yes sir, Mr Davis' type coaches to lead his team.
Somebody take the keys away from the old man.
The guy is fucking sloshed.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:10 am
by Wannabet?
Life is back to normal in Raiderland.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:48 pm
by Raydah James
Heres the latest from PFT:
SAUNDERS TO SIT WITH RAIDERS
John Clayton of ESPN reports that former Redskins assistant head coach-offense Al Saunders will interview with the Raiders.
The position for which Saunders will interview is unknown. The Raiders have an offensive coordinator in Greg Knapp. Then again, the Redskins had one, too, when Saunders was hired. And still had one thereafter.
The Rams also are interested in Saunders, who reportedly can have the offensive coordinator position there, if he wants it.
Meanwhile, Kiffin said on Saturday that he hopes to still be the Raiders head coach in 2008. If reports that he has been asked to resign are true, we would advise against betting anything of value on it.
Hmmmm. Me thinks Knapp may be the one headed out, since our passing offense was dismal last season. We'll see.
Also, i'm starting to think that this BS with Kiffin signing a "resignation" letter happened about 2-3 weeks ago and the Mediots are
just catching wind of it now and reporting it as though it were a fresh story. Why the hell else would him and Rob Ryan be laughing and fucking around during this entire past week while he said he wouldnt speak of what has "transpired over the last 3 weeks"?
Whatever. I just want this bullshit solved and overwith now.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:17 am
by poptart
I think the situation will clarify itself in the next few days.
My read on things is that Kiffin is OUT, James.
But I could be wrong, and hope so.
Per norm, Raider headquarters is hyper-protective of it's privacy.
Whatever .....
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:04 am
by RadioFan
Raydah James wrote:Hell, Vegas already has odds out that Kiff will be the next KC coach and net 3 super bowls before 2015.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 8:04 am
by drummer
poptart wrote:I think the situation will clarify itself in the next few days.
My read on things is that Kiffin is OUT, James.
But I could be wrong, and hope so.
Per norm, Raider headquarters is hyper-protective of it's privacy.
Whatever .....
There is really nothing that secretive about the Raiders, Pops. There is only one guy that pulls the strings, and he has become pretty damn transparent in his choices/maneuverings. Who he covets, as far as offensive talent, is an easy observation. Russel was way too obvious. The expectations for his coach are supposed to be immediate. Davis will get the players. He just can't coach them. His coach should, but he undermines them. Davis thinks he can out coach the guy he hires. He believes the identity of the team is still all his own. On the marketing level, of course it is. On the football field, well, show me how successful he is now.
The things is Pops, that Raider image still makes Davis relevant to the fanbase, even though Davis has become irrelevant to the League.
It's your choice.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:24 pm
by poptart
The writing is on the wall, Kiffin is gonzo.
Even if this storm passes over, something will definitely flare up again soon which will send him on his way OUT.
Oakland has had 7 head coaches in the past 13 season.
No continutity is no way to win in the NFL.
This is all on Al.
It's the enviornment he has created.
I think a lot of things are eating at Al regarding Kiffin, and the one thing in particular (if true) is unforgivable in Al's eyes -- disloyalty.
If Lane was eyeballing open college yobs that is the cardinal sin in Raiderland.
One should CHERISH the opportunity to be the head coach of the Raiders -- in the fading eyes of Alvis.
Other things eating at him, IMO, are .....
- Moss
Moss blew up in NE and this is a big thorn in Al's pride.
He got taken to the cleaners by basically GIVING Moss away.
And he blames it on Kiffin and Kiffin's staff, because they 'convinced' Davis that he needed to be moved.
The reality is that Moss just wasn't gonna play in Oakland and he HAD to be dealt.
Everyone knows this -- except the genius.
He has sugarplumb fairy visions of Russell -----> Moss (vertically) dancing in his head and he can't shake 'em.
- Kiffin went 4-12
It's a shit record, and as drummer said, Al expects W's, PERIOD.
- Kiffin (too big for his 4-12 britches, in Al's eyes) said Ryan needed to go.
Ryan is still under contract, and who is this 4-12 kid coach think he is to be making demands.
Sit down, punk.
- Zone blocking scheme
Al has historically favored BIG O-Linemen, not the smallish/agile type that are suited to a zone/cut scheme.
Al bit his lip and allowed the kid to go with it, but it doesn't make Davis comfortable.
Results say Kiffin won this one though, hands down.
- Overall offensive stye
Kiffin runs a 'west coastish' type of offense and of course Al still thinks it's '75 and he's got Cliff Branch motoring vertically past .... EVERYONE.
Kiffin wins this one too, as Al needs to gear up and get with the modern program, or sftu.
- Russell
Maybe Kiffin wasn't onboard with this draft pick, I dunno.
That is speculation, and it's also possible that Al thinks Russell will be misused in the offense that Kiffin is running.
I can definitely see Al believing that.
I think Al Davis could get past ALL of the irritations if it wasn't for Kiffin apparently taking an interest in other jobs.
Like I said, Kiffin is dead man walking, IMO.
He may go into '08 as head coach, but this will be his final season, I do believe .... if he makes it past this week, that is. lol
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:40 pm
by RevLimiter
RadioFan wrote:Raydah James wrote:Hell, Vegas already has odds out that Kiff will be the next KC coach and net 3 super bowls before 2015.
He would DEFINITELY be an upgrade from our current head coach.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:26 pm
by Raydah James
And here's the latest:
By JOSINA ANDERSON, FOX 31 Sports
Now I’ve heard of the phrase, “you ain’t got to go home, but you got to get the heck up out of here,” but who knew Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis, would be putting his own twist on the saying by reportedly writing his own head coach’s resignation letter for him.
Who goes that far?
That “goodness gracious” you just heard in the background came from Donald Trump himself.
We knew that tensions were building in the black hole ever since Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin wanted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, and in turn Davis rebuffed Kiffin and the control he had with Ryan remaining.
But why the move all of a sudden to push Kiffin out the door where the sun don’t shine?
Well a former Raiders coach who was at the Saturday's Senior Bowl provided some insight.
According to the source it’s basically the result of what happens when you dare someone to play Truth or Dare -- they might take the dare, and the truth might come out.
In response to Davis flexing his power the former Raiders coach said, “instead of Lane saying I just got to deal with it, I think Lane is drawing his dirt in the sand too… They get down to Mobile at the Senior Bowl, he tells Keith Millard [Raiders defensive line coach] that he needs to look for a job while he’s down there at the Senior Bowl cause he wants to let him go….Current coaches on Raiders staff told me that.
Millard was working with the North Squad for the 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Apparently Kiffin’s bold declarations were the talk at the water cooler in Alabama earlier this week.
“Everybody knew about it down there,” emphasizes the former Raiders coach.
But despite the fact that Kiffin is the head coach, and despite the fact that Davis promised him that he would be able to hold a tighter reign over personnel decisions upon Kiffin’s hire, it’s not a certainty that Millard is fired. Ask Rob Ryan. “Not until he [Millard] hears it from Mr. Davis,” said the source.
Thus the apparent cresting of the swell for Davis to oust Kiffin.
Davis apparently doesn’t like his authority to be challenged. “I think that’s what started it all back up again,” opined the former Raiders coach.
Well is this two grown men playing a child’s game?
“I just think they are playing chicken with each other to see which one will blink.”
Well despite the fact that Kiffin was 4-12 in his first season (which included beating the Broncos once), and that he has two years remaining on his contract, there are reports that Davis is considering Dennis Green as Kiffin’s replacement.
The former Raiders coach told Fox 31 Sports he likes the idea. “I always thought that that would be a good marriage. I always thought that that would be a great combination right there.”
Intimate knowledge certainly helps.
“I worked for Denny, and I worked with the Raider organization. If anybody can deal with Al Davis it’s Denny. It takes a special person to be able to handle Mr. Davis. [John] Madden could handle Al, Art [Shell] when he was young could handle Al, and Denny could do that too.”
“With Mr. Davis being such a big name and entity, whoever is going to be the head coach has to be someone with some clout,” said the former Raiders coach in his opinion. “You can’t just have anyone work for Daniel Snyder or Jerry Jones either.”
And I don’t need to be dared to say, “ain’t that the truth?”
Just like it’s the truth that I thought it was impossible for any team to have any more drama than the Broncos had at the end of their season.
This is worst than The Apprentice.
Dennis Green will be our new coach. Bank on it. Like I said, Al's had a fucking hardon for this guy for
years.
The fucking old man is stubborn as all fuck. If I was Kiff, I would want out too.
As old as AL is, Dude needs to grow the fuck up.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:47 pm
by Goober McTuber
What a fucking embarrassment of a franchise.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:26 pm
by RevLimiter
I wonder if Roger Goodell could invoke the "Marge Schott" rule on Alcula and just yank his ownership away from him? Granny is CLEARLY no longer competent enough to run that shit excuse for a franchise.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:56 pm
by Goober McTuber
You sure you want that Paul? If they get somebody competent running the Raiders, the Chefs could quickly become the shittiest franchise in the league.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:05 pm
by poptart
Paul .......
How many decades now has the league been doing things ..... to fuck Al over?
So now when he's in the midst of a 19-61 run they're going to step in and halt his misery?
I'm guessing that'll happen right around .... never.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:17 pm
by ChargerMike
Goober McTuber wrote:You sure you want that Paul? If they get somebody competent running the Raiders, the Chefs could quickly become the shittiest franchise in the league.
this just in..
Raiduhs ..20
Chefs......17
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:28 am
by RevLimiter
Savor the flavor, my little AFC West BITCHES....this 4-12 deal was nothing but a blip on the proverbial radar.
The Chiefs WILL be better next year....even better than the 'Duhs.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:21 am
by Mal
Jesus fucking Christ.....
We can all sit here and say rumors rumors but come the fuck on.
This team and organization is a complete and total disaster.
As a long suffering Clipper fan I have to say I never believed that the Raiders would be looking up to them in terms of stability.
Can you blame Kiffin for wanting out?
Can you blame him for not walking away from guaranteed $$$.
He has done enough to get his name out there, he will have no problem finding new employment when the time comes.
I find myself wondering if the Raiders PR guy has trouble spouting off all the numerous denials with a straight face.
This is a joke.
I'd day Alcula must go but who the fuck is gonna replace him?
I feel lower now than I did watching our 2-14 buttfuck of a season, at least this season I had the return of some hope for the future.
Now even that is gone.
Let's see here......limited proven talent and lots of youth, a bad stadium situation, and a pissed off coach on borrowed time caught in a tug of war over $$$ with his senile fucktard of an owner, oh yeah and a bunch of other coaches who are Davis guys knowing Kiffin is on borrowed time and likely backstabbing him every step of the way.
What free agent wouldn't be running to join that scenerio?
Why Al why?
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:28 am
by poptart
Hi Mal,
Lofton was in for an 'interview' in Oakland.
Whether or not Lane Kiffin was in on the interview depends on who you listen to.
I might be wrong, of course, but my thinking is that Lofton is Oakland's new head coach.
Kiffin and Davis are working out some kind of settlement, and then Kiffin leaves, having quit/been fired.
Lofton is then named the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
I hope I'm wrong.
I want, for many reasons, Kiffin to continue on as Raider head coach.
You're right about the free agency angle.
Good fucking luck, Al.
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:31 am
by Mal
Gawddamnit I'm not done with this shit yet!!!!
Can you imagine if this scenerio continues into next season.
3rd and 9...
Kiffin "Hey Rob let's blitz 'em!"
Ryan "Al said you're not the boss of me"
3 man rush......first down.
Kiffin "Hey Rhodes we're gonna run a sweep..."
Rhodes "Al told me I might pull a hammy that way"
Kiffin " Hey guys you were caught out past curfew."
Unison "Al told us we could stay out as late as we want. We all know you have no power to dicipline us."
I can't believe I'm saying this since I've had his back all year but at this point Kiffin has to go.
He has to go so we can bring in yet another cocksucking yes man who will do what Alcula wants. You see at least this way we can pretend to be a functional organization.
After all image is everything.......Remember 5 Super Bowls in five decades.
Haven't learned from the Gruden disgrace have you Al? Havent yet figured out that in this world you either move forward or you fall behind have you Al? Haven't figured out that we arent out buying Beta tapes while playing pong and solving fucking Rubicks Cubes in our spare time have you Al?
Just when the team is clawing it's way out of the abyss the entire hill collapses on top of us.
Good God this is pathetic.
Bring on Art Shell III. fucking rolls eyes
He may be the only one left that will whore himself out enough to work here.
The good 'ol days seem a long way away right about now.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK...
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:41 am
by Mal
poptart wrote:Hi Mal,
Lofton was in for an 'interview' in Oakland.
Whether or not Lane Kiffin was in on the interview depends on who you listen to.
I might be wrong, of course, but my thinking is that Lofton is Oakland's new head coach.
Kiffin and Davis are working out some kind of settlement, and then Kiffin leaves, having quit/been fired.
Lofton is then named the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
I hope I'm wrong.
I want, for many reasons, Kiffin to continue on as Raider head coach.
You're right about the free agency angle.
Good fucking luck, Al.
'Sup Pops?
Don't post much here anymore but still read from time to time.
A few times this year I have written fucking filibusters here only to have them die in cyberspace after clicking submit.
As far as Lofton goes I fear you are right.
Cause those Bolt WR's outside of Gates just kicked major ass this year huh?
But hey he was a Raiduh I suppose.
The more things change......
Re: Good fuck lord
Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:19 pm
by poptart
Over/under on days 'til Lane Kiffin is officially OUT as Raider Head Coach?
Let's put that at, say, ..... nine.
Catching up with Kiffin
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 at 6:12 pm in Oakland Raiders
Found a new office for a couple of hours Saturday _ a lounge chair in front of four elevator doors at the Indianapolis Hyatt Regency.
Lane Kiffin was nowhere to be found on what one general manager calls “The Gauntlet,” a long stretch between the media center and the RCA Dome at the Indiana Convention Center. After arriving Friday night, Kiffin took alternate routes from his hotel to the stadium and tried his best to stay underground.
But unless Kiffin wanted to find a stairwell, he was going to have to use an elevator at some point, and eventually I saw him rounding the corner and heading toward the elevator.
Predictably, Kiffin cordially and politely declined comment. No answers regarding the retention of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan or the hiring of James Lofton. Nothing on reports of of being asked to resign and being stripped of responsibility. No light shed on his relationship with Al Davis and the possibility that he won’t last the season, if he makes it that far at all.
For those interested in his wardrobe, his silver shirt had an NFL shield, rather than a Raiders logo. Every other Raiders coach I’ve seen since arriving Wednesday evening has worn Raiders gear.
The Raiders company line has been that Kiffin simply doesn’t want to feed the fire and that he has no time or inclination to address every report.
When it comes to the published word, no one wants to comment on Raiders business although everyone is talking about it.
After talking with a number of people both in and out of the organization over the past few days, the feeling here is Kiffin is no lock to be the Raiders coach when the season begins.
Those who side with Kiffin believe he has been stripped of his authority and that Davis is attempting to get him to resign. Either Davis’ words about Kiffin’s acumen with regard to personnel a year ago was just a lot of press conference bull or Davis changed his mind.
Kiffin is viewed as being stuck in an organization where Davis is essentially the owner, the general manager, the personnel director, the scouting department and the defacto defensive coordinator _ all at age 78.
As things stand now Kiffin isn’t expected to have much input into choosing the 53 men he is supposed to coach. Is it a temporary punishment or something more permanent? Only Davis knows for sure.
The opinion was offered that Davis, strangely enough, did not respond well to the generally positive media reviews Kiffin received. In his mind, Kiffin was 4-12 and should have been more accountable for that record.
As for the Arkansas rumors which Raiders senior executive John Herrera conceded bothered Davis, some thought it was a siginficant issue and others weren’t so sure.
There has been no documentation regarding Kiffin and Arkansas, but consider that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is an Arkansas alum and a close friend of Davis who wouldn’t hesitate to pick up the phone if he heard anything.
There are some who believe Kiffin will either be fired, reach a settlement or resign some time in March.
Davis isn’t without his supporters.
In some quarters, Kiffin is seen as an ingrate. Davis gives him the opportunity of a lifetime as a then-31-year-old head coach, and then Kiffin essentially trashes the entire organization, telling Davis it needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Kiffin can at times be refreshingly blunt, but he has a reptuation for not always having good people skills. He is not one to finesse an issue or paint a rosy picture if he doesn’t believe one exists. Marching into the owner’s office and telling Davis how to fix his tattered team might not have been the best way to get things accomplished.
As volatile as Jon Gruden was, he always seemed grateful for the opportunity to be an NFL head coach and simply persevered when he didn’t get his way.
Most important, Gruden never lost more games than he won.
Can things be repaired? At the moment, Kiffin is on thin ice. Whether it was symbolic or not, the sun came out Saturday in Indianapolis and the ice and snow on the ground were melting.
