Future Shock: Kiffin A Bold Step Forward
Yes, I feel minty fresh this morning, now that Lane Kiffin has been hired to lead the Oakland Raiders. Ahh, minty fresh!
I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about Coach Kiffin, although I got a good snapshot of his career over at Calico Jack’s Silver & Black Forever. However, I do know that he’s not Jim Fassel or Denny Green or some other questionable retread. I do know that it’s not late February. I do know that Kiffin represents an attempt to step boldly into the future and not blindly into the past. For those reasons, I rejoice.
When Steve Sarkisian skulked out of Alameda, I said that I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over the fact that a college quarterbacks coach decided he wasn’t up for the task. I will now sleep soundly knowing we got a guy with an NFL pedigree who knows he’s up for the task, who has embraced this task at the tender age of 31 years.
Surely, we have many ills yet to be cured. But at least we now have a physician who gives us hope. It must not stop here. Our offense must be remade in our coach’s youthful, forward-thinking image, and authority should be granted to do so. If that means moving Moss, fine. If that means drafting JaMarcus Russell in the first round, great. Coaching has been a big part of our problem of late, but let’s not forget the other half of the problem, which is a lack of talent, character and/or chemistry in the locker room (on the offensive side of the ball).
Some in the media have already unsheathed their daggers. Well, he’s better than nothing! A last resort! The Raiders’ second choice from USC alone! Go ahead and mock, my friends. Go ahead and doubt Mr. Davis’s ability to identify young coaching talent, such as Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan and John Madden. Go ahead and tell me that Mr. Davis is totally out of touch and hasn’t made good choices for 25 years, when just six years ago his team was enjoying a Super Bowl-bound renaissance under the guidance of a similarly underestimated and untested former offensive coordinator in his thirties.
Norv Turner and Kerry Collins? Been there. Art Shell and Aaron Brooks? Done that. Lane Kiffin and JaMarcus Russell? Minty fresh! Results are pending, but at least we have good reason to hope. We should not underestimate the power of hope to fire up the Raider Nation, to fill seats and restore our faith in the Oakland Raiders. Nor should we doubt Coach Kiffin's ability to restore order and purpose on the field, to give this team the direction it needs.
Therefore, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the benefits of this hiring are tactical, philosophical, spiritual and economic.
Welcome, Coach Kiffin. I, for one, am fired up. The future is, indeed, now.
I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about Coach Kiffin, although I got a good snapshot of his career over at Calico Jack’s Silver & Black Forever. However, I do know that he’s not Jim Fassel or Denny Green or some other questionable retread. I do know that it’s not late February. I do know that Kiffin represents an attempt to step boldly into the future and not blindly into the past. For those reasons, I rejoice.
When Steve Sarkisian skulked out of Alameda, I said that I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over the fact that a college quarterbacks coach decided he wasn’t up for the task. I will now sleep soundly knowing we got a guy with an NFL pedigree who knows he’s up for the task, who has embraced this task at the tender age of 31 years.
Surely, we have many ills yet to be cured. But at least we now have a physician who gives us hope. It must not stop here. Our offense must be remade in our coach’s youthful, forward-thinking image, and authority should be granted to do so. If that means moving Moss, fine. If that means drafting JaMarcus Russell in the first round, great. Coaching has been a big part of our problem of late, but let’s not forget the other half of the problem, which is a lack of talent, character and/or chemistry in the locker room (on the offensive side of the ball).
Some in the media have already unsheathed their daggers. Well, he’s better than nothing! A last resort! The Raiders’ second choice from USC alone! Go ahead and mock, my friends. Go ahead and doubt Mr. Davis’s ability to identify young coaching talent, such as Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan and John Madden. Go ahead and tell me that Mr. Davis is totally out of touch and hasn’t made good choices for 25 years, when just six years ago his team was enjoying a Super Bowl-bound renaissance under the guidance of a similarly underestimated and untested former offensive coordinator in his thirties.
Norv Turner and Kerry Collins? Been there. Art Shell and Aaron Brooks? Done that. Lane Kiffin and JaMarcus Russell? Minty fresh! Results are pending, but at least we have good reason to hope. We should not underestimate the power of hope to fire up the Raider Nation, to fill seats and restore our faith in the Oakland Raiders. Nor should we doubt Coach Kiffin's ability to restore order and purpose on the field, to give this team the direction it needs.
Therefore, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the benefits of this hiring are tactical, philosophical, spiritual and economic.
Welcome, Coach Kiffin. I, for one, am fired up. The future is, indeed, now.
posted by Raider Take at 7:48 AM
149 Comments:
I'm ecstatic! I would much rather see an untested commodity then a proven runner up/failure come in. Hope is here and I too feel minty fresh, although it could be the new tooth paste.
So now all of the Al Davis apologists can say they told us so. Even though they were telling us how Art and Walsh were going to return us to glory, but we won't talk about that will we. Today is a day for celebration.
Great!
And leave it to Jerry McDonald to supply the proper perspective.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2007/01/22/gru-review-would-be-positive/
This article bears out much of what I've been saying in regards to a coach's relationship to Al Davis. The haters always talk about "born to lose" if working for Al, but they fail to mention that Gruden was highly successful.
And it's true. Gru has never said a bad word about working for the Raiders or for Al Davis.
What stands out here is that Kiffin his being given a FIVE year contract, which is NOT typical of Al Davis. Even Shell was only give two years, and Shell was suppose to remain with the team after he quit coaching.
Kiffin will find that he has to work with Al Davis, he has to do battle with Davis, he has to debate with Al Davis, and he has to win Al Davis. But in the end, if Kiffin's constitution is up for the task, Kiffin will lead us on a new journey to glory.
We are now truly the youngest team all around (aside from a few long-toothed assistants that shall remain nameless).
I have this funny feeling we're all about to get a lesson in innovative play calling 101. Yeah, that will be refreshing!
Please Al, stick with the program. Infuse more youth. Draft our man, JaMarcus!
Just to add. Although the media tells us that Sarkisian fled town to get away from Al Davis, it's just possible that there's another reason that Sark decided to stay at the college level. No Raider coach has been able to get the players on board since Gruden left. In college, a coach doesn't deal with the same player attitudes as the NFL. It could be that Sark felt he wasn't up to that task, but Kiffin was.
raidercoachella, remember that PAYING customers esp. we season ticket holders can say any GD thing we want OK? so chill on the hater crap. MR. davis my ASS! MISTER? this senile old geezer is the reason we are where we are. wake up dude. get your nose out of his crack! celebration? this usc guy hasn't done a GD thing in the NFL yet and you people are already crowning him coach of the year. this from the same group who made mcquistan an all pro in his rookie year. yeah, we all know how THAT experiment turned out didn't we?
that being said, i can live with this decision. another last minute, desperate one at that. BUT at least this guy has a pedigree with his dad being the DC of the Bucs. he's a wait and see. it'll be a few years until this guy develops. if anyone expects this guy to come in here and turn this team around tomorrow is smoking something. the raiders are a team in serious disarray. and that starts from the very top.
that's not what bothers me this am. what is bothering me is the rumor that the raiders are thinking of trading the #1 pick overall, porter and moss for mike vick and their 10???? WTF-ing heck is that? that QB/RB is a coach killer not to mention he sucks! i truly hope this doesn't happen. shaub and their pick might be a better choice.
sorry i have a little edge this am. haven't had my coffee just yet.
RT, you need to expand upon that Mercury News "article." I don't think I have read such a HATEFUL article on the Raiders. What an attack, what venom, what pathetic journalism.
Regarding Vick, here's my take: The Falcons' owner, Arthur Blank, is very image conscious, particularly in the wake of the recent Mora and Vick public relations fiascos. In fact, his tipping point for shipping Vick would be the airport incident. Therefore, it's hard for me to imagine him saddling his new coach, and his team's image, with two receivers who had major P.R. issues just last season.
Conversely, it's hard for me to imagine the Raiders wanting Vick without major talent at wide receiver (and if we got rid of Porter and Moss, that would be the case), since he's proven he can't otherwise get the job done.
Scorpio, chill out man! Did you want Denny Green instead? Please, not fossil... I mean Fassel.
Nobody is expecting a miracle in 2007, but we do expect to see improvement across the entire offense, beginning with the playcalling... which is Kiffin's craft.
Count your blessings! One step at a time. Let’s hope for no more statues on the sidelines, no more burying your best receiver on the bench, etc., etc., etc.
Tim Mo, you are right, that article is an embarrassment to the author and his newspaper. It may merit News You Can't Use treatment, but in many ways, it speaks loudly enough for its own pathetic self.
Yeah! Tim Mo and Raider Take, the Mercury News article falls grossly below the depths of the old axiom, "do you think when you speak, or do you just speak."
In this case, it's clearly the latter. What an idiot!
NYRaider: One more reason to be soured on Fassel...he revoked Sean Payton's playcalling rights when they were in NY together. At first I thought that was a knock on Payton, but considering what Payton's done this year and what Fassel HASN'T done in the last six years, it made me seriously doubt Fassel.
Anyway, about Lane Kiffin. I'm cautiously optimistic heading into this season. I still think that Ryan deserved the position more than anyone, but Al's not about to change his tendency to put an offensive minded head coach in there. My fear now is that with another good season under his belt, Rob Ryan may bolt for a head coaching position with another team.
Also, a piece of that Mercury News article stood out:
They say he's arrogant. They say he was protected at USC because he's the son of legendary Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who happens to be USC Coach Pete Carroll's mentor.
They say several star offensive players, including NFL-bound receiver Dwayne Jarrett, soured on Kiffin after he publicly blasted them early this season. (Hello, Randy Moss and Jerry Porter.)
Yikes. But again. Cautiously optimistic.
Right now I'm more concerned about who's going to be coaching the offensive line and whether or not they're going to continue the thus-far failed return to man blocking schemes.
Good questions, Doobie. But I know that, deep down, you feel...minty fresh!
Doobie said, "Anyway, about Lane Kiffin. I'm cautiously optimistic heading into this season. I still think that Ryan deserved the position more than anyone, but Al's not about to change his tendency to put an offensive minded head coach in there. My fear now is that with another good season under his belt, Rob Ryan may bolt for a head coaching position with another team...I'm more concerned about who's going to be coaching the offensive line and whether or not they're going to continue the thus-far failed return to man blocking schemes."
I agree with both takes. I thought the HC job should've gone to Ryan. It wouldn't surprise me to see his name thrown in the hat for the Dallas HC vacancy. If he leaves, then we know Martindale goes with him. Then Al will hire some retread DC to run the "Prevent-Us-From-Winning" defense.
I'm glad to have Lane, I'm optimistic as well with him as HC; but is it worth the potential of losing Ryan? No.
I wil be interested to see who comes in as OC, or if Lane himself will act as HC/OC like Payton does in NO.
As far as the blocking schemes, you can count on those changing with Lane calling the shots. If the O-line Coaching Stools don't like it, they'll be shown the door. I look for a mixture of both zone and man blocking schemes, depending on the play being ran. When they go man, it will be successful.
RT: Kind of, but it's more of the suspect minty variety...you know, the kind of mint contained in a somewhat yellowed "Junior Mints" box you find in a vending machine. You buy it, but you're not quite sure what that mint's going to taste like!
I love the hire, can't wait for the press conference! He will get every chance to prove himself as far as I'm concerned.
Doobie, I hear you but let me remind you of something. When the Raiders hired Gruden I vividly recall Chris Mortenson reporting that "a lot" of people thought Gruden was "not ready" and "too immature" to run a team. He pointed out clashes Gruden had with players such as Ricky Watters in Philly. If anything I like hearing that Kiffin is firey, and I wouldn't worry about it.
next step...Russell first round, hopefully Bush second. none of this vick nonsense. there's no shell to make porter sit without anybody knowing what he did. porter and moss will get their fair share, especially with such fine young talent as russell working with them. bush (or the best available RB) will give us the opportunity to mix a number of different backs (whatever can be most successful between jordan, fargas, lee, crockett, and whoever we get in the draft or free agency) which has shown to be successful on many teams without a superstar back (the 2 SB teams for example -- Colts run Addai and Rhodes, Bear run Jones and Benson).
thank god we have such an impressive defense as so we can truly focus the much needed attention on the offense, where we need the most help. let's do this.
..Franco..
On the debate of Ryan vs Kiffin, I'd have to say that I prefer Kiffin.
I like the idea that he is young, bright, and hopefully, will turn out to be a great leader.
The Raiders defense has improved plenty under Ryan's guide, but, the fact remains, they do not stop the run consistantly, nor do they rush the passer consistantly.
Now, this is NOT Ryan's fault, I know. It is because we lack a run stuffer in the middle of the D-line, and, aside from Burgess/Sapp, there is no one else to rush the QB,(very little blitzing by the Raiders)
After watching Chicago's D shut down the # 1 ranked offense without Tommy Harris, & without Tank Johnson, I really have to wonder just where does the Raiders D stand right now.
Could we do the same ???
Again, I like Ryan, and I think he's doing a excellent job.
I just don't think he had earned the HC spot based on what he has done so far.
Again, I like Ryan, and I think he's doing a excellent job.
I just don't think he had earned the HC spot based on what he has done so far
Raider00, don't take this the wrong way but...Lane Kiffin has?? At this point of each coach's career, Rob Ryan has done far more to earn a head coaching job than Lane Kiffin has.
Also, am I the only guy here seeing an oh-so-slight resemblance between Lane Kiffin and Ricky Martin?
Maybe Al's targeting the 15-35 year old female demographic? :)
Doobie,
Well, you're right to an extent, when you consider Ryan has done it at the NFL level, and Kiffin has not.
But upon further review, maybe there's not as big a difference between the NFL, & college, as there used to be.
Kiffin had a tough transition year at USC, without Lienart/Bush, and I thought he did an incredible job.
The point I was trying to make was that Davis would have been taking a risk hiring either Ryan, or Kiffin as the HC.
I just like the risk of Kiffin better,
CBS 5 has a video clip of the news conference. The stream I saw started toward the end, but I found it interesting that Al more or less cut off Kiffin and started acknowledging former Raider players in the room.
Also, Al made an interesting comment about Jerry Porter. Someone must have asked the question “what about Porter,” because Al said the issue with Porter “will resolve itself, if it hasn’t already.” Not sure what to make of that, except maybe the fact Shell and Walsh are gone or Kiffin is hired, in itself resolved the problem with Porter.
Thanks for the recap, Toni! Excellent.
Can anyone out there post a good link to the press conference? I haven't found one yet.
Thanks for the tip, Toni!
To all, go to KNBR at knbr.com to hear live streaming audio of the upcoming interview.
For those who reside outside Northern California, this is your opportunity to listen to one of the Bay Area's resident pinheads, Ralph Barbieri (he's the one with the scratchy voice). It will be interesting to see how he handles the interview.
I watched it at
http://cbs5.com/sports
But, when I tried again, it didn't come up.
Update: Ralphie is saying that they will interview Monte Kiffin, Lane's father, who works with Gruden in Tampa Bay.
knbr.com for streaming audio. Monte Kiffin's on deck.
Monte Kiffin sounds like a cool dude. I like what I'm hearing.
The entire video is up now.
http://cbs5.com/sports
How did Al Davis get so tall? He sits 1/2 foot above Lane, and Lane is about a foot above Amy.
"Our defense played well, not great, but played well". Wow. I think the defense DID play great this season...not '85 Bears or 2000 Ravens lights-out great, but still great. Was that some kind of a diss to Rob Ryan?
doobie,
I don't think it was a diss towards Ryan. I agree with Al, while the D was much improved, ranked among the top 4 D's (?), I would not classify it as great.
I'm sure being great is defined by each of us a little different. I would say that the Bears of 85, the Steelers of the 70's and the Ravens in 00(?) would to me be classified as great. IMO, last years Raiders did not come close to the above mentioned D's
Having said that, I really like our D and the way they played....they are only going to get better. I think Mr Davis realizes this too.
nyraider,
Thanks for the link to the press conf video...it worked for me.
Great takes everyone
Wow, long press video, but worth it. My quick observations:
Al Acknowledged Lane as a top college recruiter and someone who has the advantage of knowing college talent. I think Al will give this kid unprecedented say in draft selections and player personnel.
Kiffin says he will hire an OC, but he (Kiffin) will call the plays. I like his passion about this.
Jeff Tedford, Monte Kiffon, and Pete Carrol all endorsed Lane taking the Raiders HC job.
Al said “..we have some quality players that may not have been at their best last season.” That speaks volumes to the bad coaching last year.
Some of it seemed scripted, but when asked a direct question, Kiffin was smooth and decisive in his responses.
Maybe the most impressive remark for me... “you got to coach your coaches” Outstanding!!!
Note: Al called Lane “Lance” once during the interview.
Private jet to the Senior Bowl to recruit assistant coaches. They already have people in mind.
raidercoachella said:
as far as I am concerned is for inferior people that does not take responsibility for their personal actions.
in case you haven't noticed - as for the last several years of LOSING, al davis would NEVER take responsibility for LOSING because he is a senile old geezer who is living in the past. he hires young yes men so he can live out his youth through them. he keeps yes people like trask and otto around to kiss his ass all GD day. he doesn't realize the world has passed him by. it's not the 60's anymore man!
and when the team's lease expires in 2010 he gets outta dodge because the fans weren't supporting the team? al davis is full of shit man. what kind of crappy product has he been putting on the field all these years? and he expects people to support this? so he blames US the fans?
get your NOSE outta his ASS and put the kool aid down brutha!
if this dude REALLY wanted to win, then hire a GD general manager man!
as for your claim of me having a fat wallet - hey dude, i'm just a freakin pee-on in ths world. i don't make a whole lotta money. i go to school (at an old age) and i have sick parents that i care for. so don't give me this crap about being a hater. oh yeah, you're one of those who watch game film in the meeting room with the players and is able to break down plays and stuff huh? NO PAL i don't think so. you're just a pee-on like me. you're not any more passionate than me or any other fan.
yeah i am a season ticket holder. but ANY fan who pays their HARD EARNED MONEY is free to say whatever the fucking hell they wanna say. and what WE say is this product that YOUR GOD COACH al davis is putting on the field is $Hxx! when are you gonna wake up and realize what this guy is? a crook! BUT i will continue to buy season tickets ANYWAY because i love the raiders. always will.
mark my words - as long as this man is alive, we will NEVER win a championship! you can keep kissing his ass if you want pal. but keep that hater shit to yourself.
I think the definition of what a "hater" is needs to be clarified here. I, personally, don't think any Raiders fan who visits this site is a "hater". They may be down on their team, but they certainly don't hate them. I can even make an argument that if they truly hated the team, they'd probably be more inclined to take a stance of apathy and not talk about them at all, instead focusing their attention on more important aspects of their life (family, etc.)
I also think it's unfair to call any critic of Al Davis a "hater". While I'm not as critical of Al Davis as Scorpio is (which he has a perfect right to be), I'm certainly skeptical of the direction that Al's taken this franchise over the last decade or so, including the early 00's where if there was no falling out with Gruden, this team may have won SB XXXVII since there wouldn't have been a Gruden-coached team who knew the team inside out playing against them.
As I've said in the past, Al Davis has a heart of gold when it comes to the well being of this franchise. Fans of most other teams probably wish they had an owner that cares about the success of their teams as much. Simply put, he IS the Raiders, and any and all success this franchise has ever experienced can be traced back to him. However, he has been unable to see past his own faults recently which has been detrimental to the team. From a GM perspective, on any other team he would have been fired from that role by now.
That all being said, until this team can turn it around...possibly win another Super Bowl...I won't be convinced that Al can still deliver.
And, when you think about it, after a successful run of almost 40 years to say that Al Davis doesn't have it anymore is hardly an insult. From that perspective, that's damn near a compliment.
Watched the press conference. He seems a bit stiff - hopefully he's more inspirational when he's out on the field. Gotta love that comment - "They will happy and they will play hard." Guess that means Moss is staying . . .
One thing Al mentioned, and I think is a plus, is that Lance (he didn't even bat an eye at that!) is familiar with a lot of the guys in college ball due to his recruiting responsibilities. That's the Jimmy Johnson factor - I believe he was successful so quickly partially because he had a handle on the guys coming out of college. I don't know about "unprecedented say", but I do think his opinion will be more informed. That should translate into better picks on the second day, which is what it takes to have a truly outstanding draft.
It's also interesting to note that there is no one in line to come on staff right away. Sounds like he will be busy at the Senior Bowl - looking at players in addition to recruiting coaches. I don't know how much contact he has with guys in the pros, considering he only has one year of experience in the NFL. This is the first test of how much his age will be a factor. I'm hoping he's not looking at bringing in a bunch of college guys with him - I think it's imperative to have some coaches with NFL experience on the offensive side of the ball.
it'a all about karma baby. what goes around comes around. al davis has been trying to screw the league all these years and now he's surely getting his! and we fans are getting ours! i'll bet that ole robert kraft is yukking it up huh? even freakin york across the bay has a clue!
peyton manning even dissed the raiders in a radio sound byte last weekend.
this is what this once proud organization has become. a worldwide laughingstock! this is what al davis and his ego have done. karma. the truth hurts baby!
Bama7
Lost over here in bama, but you guys are better updates than any sports site.
I agree with Raider Nate 75 about Ryan desrving better, but I feel good about who we got. I watch SEC football but from over here USC has clearly looked like the best team in college football for the past 4 -5 years. Kiffen was running that offense? This is great.
I also say get off Scorpio's back cuz he's right, Al is a freakin senile geezer and has been for about 15 years now. We need him to give this young kid space to work. SPACE, AL, SPACE AL...
Let's see what happens with Freddie and the other old Raiders. They gotta go. It's the only way to get the players attention. You gotta have a coup... gotta have a purge or nothing takes hold.
I want Jemarcus too. But it seems anyone running the USC offense would prefer Quinn(?) Hope not.
As for the BS about Moss, Porter & a 1st rounder for Vick, forget about it. Davis doesn't know X & O's anymore but he damn sure ain't gonna give up all of that for one player. And remember how stubborn the old coot is... he's damned and determined to show everyone that the cast of characters he has assembled was a championship team, it just didn't have the right coach. Moss is Al's cadillac and he still wants to show it off.
With that saidm I'd love to see a few gone: All the QB's, Brayton, S Williams, Whitted, Porter & Fargas.
Most of these guys have had umpteen chances simply becasue they were "Al's picks". Cut your losses and move on. Fill those spots with some players.
I love how Al Davis called Ann Killion out for calling Oakland "a black hole for coaches." She obviously thought she was being cute, but it was inappropriate and disrespectful for a journalist to take such an approach. I couldn't believe she said it, and I wasn't surprised when Al Davis jumped on it.
I would still like to see the Raiders take the best offer they can get for Moss.
You can't have a player on the team, who can decide to quit at any moment.
Remember ? "I'm not happy, I give up". Remember that ??
What if the Raiders are trailing 17-6 at halftime of game one next season, which Moss comes out for the 2nd half ??
will he play hard, or does he quit ?
You just can't put a heavy stone like that on Kiffin's back from the get go.
Take the best offer, and say goodbye to Captain Moody !!
Also, for the THIRD straight season, the Raiders must play the two Super Bowl(Indy, & Bears), teams next year.
Unbelievable !!!!!!!!!!
As to the "Hater" label... I also don't think there are many fans of the team that hates the team, or hope they lose... that makes no sense. I prefer the term "gloom n doomer"... and there are many many many many of them in the Raider Nation. To each their own, but I fail to understand why anyone would want to be a FANatic of a team and think they are going to stink every year no matter what. What fun is THAT?
I do think there is a smaller group of people in the Raider Nation that are Al-haters... which is a sub-group of the Gloomndoomers. These people can get insufferable at times... but once again. Too each their own. The final sub-group is the Al-hater, gloomndoomer, season ticket holders... the fans that think that because they spend money on the Raiders they have some special reason to bitch and moan more loudly than any other fan, and above all their opinion on all-things-Raider gains extra credit or something... and they never let anyone know for a second that this added prestige should be revered (despite the fact they will deny it the second anyone calls them on it).
Well, thats how I see it.
I think this is a GREAT DAY for the Raider organization and all the Raider Nation, and marks an important step towards respectability and hopefully another ring within the next 4-5 years. We have the youngest teams in the NFL, and I don't think I can remember saying that before as a Raider fan.
LETS LIGHT THIS CANDLE!!!!
Well.. thats just the way I see it
Scorpio-
Just curious. What exactly did Manning say that was disparaging about the Raiders?
In reference to the discussion about Ryan being slighted by not getting the HC job:
Has anyone considered that Rob Ryan may not want to be a HC? I'm sure his father will tell him that moving from a coordinator to a HC, even when you are regarded as the best in the league at your job, is not a guaranteed path to success. There are coordinators out there who are content to stay in their role and excel at it rather than take on the burden of being a head coach. Which job do you think has the greater potential for longevity?
I said it in the last thread and I'll repeat: I'm happy with the choice for HC if for no other reason than that it brings a fresh new outlook and someone who will be driven to succeed. Kiff's ability to recruit at the college level is actually one of the most promising talents that he brings to the job, in my opinion. Being able to recruit means he can spot talent and can get players to buy into his program. His offensive playcalling makes him that much more attractive as a coach. Was anyone else as impressed as I was with USC's ability to make offensive adjustments during halftime at the Rose Bowl this year and outclass Michigan? Wasn't the lack of adjustment one of the biggest weaknesses of the Raiders offense this year?
It seems to me that no matter who the Raiders chose to be their new head coach, there are those in both the sports media and the fanbase who were ready with the cry of, "That choice shows the Raiders desperation." But I'm betting that if Kiff turns the franchise around and brings success and glory back to the Raiders that columnists like Kawakami and Killion and all of the fans who claim that Al Davis made a desperate attempt to catch lightning in a bottle again with an untested young coach will change their tune and say that they knew Kiff was a great pick all along. That to me is the definition of a "hater". Someone who decries someone or something without having a valid reason to do so. I put as much stock in them as I do the people who say that someone or something is absolutely infallible with no valid reason to do so. The two types of people are just opposite sides of the same coin.
A fan should cheer for his team through good times and bad, be critical of their team's mistakes, but leave room for forgiveness and have hope that the mistakes will be learned from.
Damn, RoundrockRaider, that was eloquent and incisive.
I'm glad that you also feel minty fresh like me.
Oh, and you all should check out (and comment on) Kawakami's blog. He's the Mercury News guy that wrote the seething article about how the hiring is "better than nothing".
Plenty of infuriating stuff on his blog. Raider Haters surely have it bookmarked. For a supposedly neutral newspaper columnist, he certainly doesn't hide his hatred. I'd like to go back to 2001 and see what he was writing about the Raiders when they were successful. Maybe the Raiders just deserve this kind of stuff. I mean, the team's play has made them easy fodder for comedy and sarcasm.
Do read about his bizarre give and take with Al Davis at the Kiffin press conference. Reminds me a little of Al's "unbeautiful women" speech.
the kid sounded what he should be,green yet enthusiastic,stern but a little unsure... to me Al showed what he will do with this kid and i recognize it from just watching the press conference. here it is,the big hiring for the kid,but who does half the talking and interupting to give his answer? Al is going to overwhelm this kid,sorry,maybe i look at negatives but it's what i saw,you can see the kid is going to be aggresive in what he wants,whether he gets it or not is another matter.....make no mistake about it,Al will be doing no backing off. he already said today that he is involved with the defense and that ryan answers to him basically. you could see the kid slump just a little as it went on and Al dominating the conference. just makes me think that this is just the way it is with Al,he grinds on ya,not on purpose,but his presence is ominus and it's just who he is. can the kid take and be able to thrive in it? not many can and it is asking a lot for a straight ahead, green kid coming from a very stable program. the kid seems like he wants to start running a tight ship,if he doesn't get the teams respect early......it is by no means a lock with this kid but God bless him if he can do it........ hey panty,still taking jabs at me?? didn't rt tell you to stop?? if you can't prove it,then don't say it,you are going on a hunch and your hunch is way off,are you sure you aren't Al himself??....jones
Thanks X. I left little Timmy a comment on his blog.
One of the main points on his latest blog entry is that Al made Kiffin look "tiny" today at the press conference.
I guess one could infer that little Timmy means that Al overshadowd Kiffin at the press conference.
I watched the press conference from start to finish. My take is that Kiffin was forceful, authoritative but had the good sense to not overstep his bounds and deflected some of the reporters more loaded questions.
If anything, I think Al looked like the proud father of Kiffin and by no means tried to steal the spotlight. Al was protective of Kiffin ("Black Hole of coaching" question) and the organization in general in a good way.
After 4 straight years of crappy football(at that point it can't all just be bad coaches, talented players could win a few games in spite of bad coaching) I'm guardedly optimistic. I drank the Kool Aid last year when we had the 4-1 pre-season, so I'm taking a "believe it when I see it" approach to the 2007 season. I'll feel "minty fresh" when the Raiders when at least 6 or more games and beat some division opponents.
Hey raidertake, how much did Scope pay you to plug that "minty fresh" slogan?
X: I had half an ear to Manning's comment, and I think he was asked to size up his competition (Pats). He said something like, "well, we're not playing the Raiders..." more or less implying they will have to be prepared and play hard to win.
I have a lot of respect for Manning, and I don't think it was an intention diss to the Raiders.
I finally had a chance to view the press conference, and my favorite comment made by Lane was to the question if he spoke with Jon Gruden.
He said, "I did speak with Jon, and asked him to be my Offensive Coordinator."
That was awesome!
nyraider:
Coaching the coaches... good take. And so it goes. This is the identifiable problem with this last season's Shell regime. Teaching is everything.
"If you get up on the board and you're putting in a pass route or a blocking scheme or whatever, the players are pretty smart in the NFL and they'll see that and they'll buy into it. If you're not a good teacher, you won't make it. But he's a good teacher."
The quote is from Kiffin's father.
Calico,
I came away with the same feeling about the press conference in regards to Al being a proud father...great analogy. I did not view him as being overbaring either, just doing his normal Raider press conference thing. I like the fact that Al put Killion in her place after the Black Hole comment.
Gary at 8:24
I love your clasification of Raider fan types. I couldn't agree with you more. I have always thought about it in a similar way, only you put it to words much better than I could.
I'm really curious to see how Lane views or QB situation (i.e draft Russell, Quinn or none at all)
Check this out...
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/kawakami/2007/01/23/tiny-lane-kiffin-large-al-davis-the-deng-xiaoping-quiz-and-little-ol-me/
From the idiot who wrote the Mercury article RT refers to. The problem with this jackass is that he thinks insults are analysis.
He claims that the more Al Davis criticises him, the more he loves Al Davis. Don't worry Time. I suspect Al doesn't really spend much time thinking about you at all. And the more you insult us, the less we think of you too.
roundrockraider:
You're right. Kiffin's own father has been in the NFL for 25 years. He was offered the 49ers HC job in 2003, and stayed with the Bucs as DC.
Kiffin, who said he will call the offensive plays, promised tough practices with open competition for jobs, workouts that would be so energetic, "the game will become easy to them because practice will be hard.''
This statement, along with his commentary on honesty, left me feeling...brace yourselves...minty fresh!
This kid has his work cut out for him, but I think he has a shot at it.
Also, his personal connection with Peterson is very interesting. We'll see how that develops.
I really don't place much value in any kind of supposed "hidden meanings" in anagrams, but I do find them amusing in certain coincidental situations. For instance, if you take former hockey goon Tie Domi, scramble the letters in his name and respell them, it becomes "Me Idiot"...which was almost perfect for Domi.
That being said, last year I predicted that Art Shell would be Al Davis' last head coach under his watch. Obviously, I was wrong.
But, per the press conference, one of the things that sold Al Davis on Lane Kiffin was his promise to "attack" on offense.
One anagram for Lane Kiffin? "Final Knife".
Maybe Lane will be Al's last coach? Hmmmmm...
Even better, maybe "Final Knife" will be what the offense will be able to do to opponents in the 4th quarter.
Whoah, that's one minty fresh anagram.
There's quite a comment storm brewing over at Kawakami's blog. X and Calico Jack led me into that quagmire!
One of the other things Kiffin said at his press conference was, "We have the talent, and I will run similar offenses that we ran at USC. Will they be the exact same? No. You have to evaluate and run offensive schemes that utilizes the strengths of the talent around you. My job is to put my talent in positions to be successful, and that is what I'm going to do."
This is what I was trying to convey about Tom Walsh this past season. He wasn't doing this, which is why I wanted him out. I'm glad we have a coach that not only speaks it, but has practiced what he preaches. I agree with him, we will see a different football team on the field.
coachella - a minty fresh feeling in your mouth? do you know that products such as scope and listerine HIDE or mask the smell in your mouth? having that minty fresh feeling doesn't hide what the real problem here and that's AL DAVIS and will always be AL DAVIS.
X - i heard the same interview as nyraider. he said we're not playing Oakland with laughter heard in the background by the gathered press. he also mumbled something about having the number one pick.
nyraider implied that they will have to be prepared and play hard to win. i add that's true, but he meant to say that in a sarcastic way. iow, we're not playing scrubs like oakland....that's how i took it. my nephew who was in the car with me commented - did he just put down the raiders?
Pantyraider = "Pray, I ranted", "Ye Rapid Rant" or many others. Hey, go have a blast yourself over at the Internet Anagram Server.
Sincerely,
"Boo, Die!"
Well, I've finally taken the time to read the whole cotton pickin' thing. Those who have stressed the philosophy of getting the ball into the hands of the best players should be happy with this hire. Kiffin also expresses a "team first" attitude.
I feel that often these philosophies contradict in pro football. You ask that some players be stressed, and other support them. It's a fine line, and with NFL sized egos, difficult to follow.
So far Kiffin reminds me more of Shanahan than Gruden or Madden. Davis says that Kiffin reminds him most of Flores.
Kiffin also says that his players will play "happy." Moss is coming back, and I suspect Porter as well. That's just the obvious reading between the lines.
One of the things that I think this process has brought out is that Davis does not want "yes" men. Davis wants debate. The problem is that sometimes the HC doesn't have time for it. Those who claim that Davis has some sort of philosophy criteria for a Raider HC are clearly wrong. Davis knows what he likes, and he expects you to debate with him if you like something different.
I also note that Davis claims, according to the press reports, that Huff was Shell's pick. Davis wanted Leinart. So tell me, was Davis lying, or does Davis grant his HC's wishes more than folks think?
Kiffin and Ryan on the sideline should keep everyone juiced---let's see what happens with the personnel--looks like Al kinda went off on the o-line in the press conference...mugshot of Kiffin in the paper makes him look like Ricky Bobby...
Blandarocked..
I also note that Davis claims, according to the press reports, that Huff was Shell's pick. Davis wanted Leinart. So tell me, was Davis lying, or does Davis grant his HC's wishes more than folks think?
Is there a URL to this anywhere? I have some Al-haters that have to see this.
The comparisons to Gruden aren't really apt. Gruden was a an NFL assistant and had been interviewed for other jobs prior to joining the Raiders. He had called plays for the Eagles. Kiffin spent only one year as the quality control guy for the Jaguars, and shared play calling duties with Steve Sarkisian.
But hey, he is young and is not a retread. But so are about a billion people in America who also have never been an NFL coordinator.
You can smite Mike Martz and Jim Fassel as retreads but both reached the Super Bowl. And do you think that New England is enjoying its retread?
Good luck with Kiffin.
Scorpio and X: I certainly can't get into Manning's head and tell you if his comment was an intentional diss directed at the Raiders, but it is funny that when he thought of a "scrub" team to make his point, naturally, the Raiders came to mind. Ouch!
Please Coach Kiffin, set this man straight.
One other irrelevant point I'd like to make: I was just getting used to the players being younger than me. Now, the coaches are too. That sucks! Although, I think I heard there are over 200 players on active rosters that are older than Kiff.
However, don't worry about the man getting respect. I believe his approach and playcalling will be so refreshing, even Moss and Porter will embrace it.
NFL Adam - I think you are really splitting hairs when you say that the Kiffin comparisons to Gruden are "not apt".
Here are a few similar parallels between Gruden and Kiffin.
Both grew up in the midwest (Ohio, Minn)
Both come from football families
Both of their fathers were/are coaches at Tampa Bay
Both played QB in college
Both have younger brothers who played college ball
Both served as Graduate Asst.
Both were offensive assistants in college
Both have been WR coaches
Both have been OC
Both have been playcallers
Gruden was selected HC of the Raiders at age 34, Kiffin 31.
Yeah, you are right as usual. There are no similarites worth making a comparison. My bad.
Hey Scorpio,
I don’t get it you call yourself a Raider yet you insult and degrade the captain. Al Davis is the Raiders; the Raiders are Al Davis. Davis and the Raiders are known for operating in secrecy and doing things in an unconventional way.
Among other things the Raiders are the only team:
Having the first and only woman CEO, Hiring the first black coach, first Hispanic coach, starting the youth movement, having an all black secondary, and black OL, hiring older outcast players that nobody wanted and winning. Al Davis’s Raiders have never gone 6 years without being in the playoffs, no other team can say that.
Not liking Al Davis is like saying you like breasts but you can’t stand those nipples.
If you don’t like the captain, you are on the wrong ship, because Al isn’t going anywhere.
Perhaps the niners or another team would be more suited to your liking..
I heard the Manning quote live, and I think it's a lot less damning than people think.
He was asked if he'd rather face the Pats or the Chargers (stupid question right there...) and he said he'd rather face the Oakland Raiders. Then he followed up that we had the #1 pick. I don't think he singled out the Raiders as the epitome of suckitude, but rather as the last place team in the league.
That sort of treatment should be expected when you finish last.
Looking forward to trying to win games next year....
Storminator
br..... i mean it's not like Al has never lied before or has never changed around the truth... are you saying everything he says is the God's honest truth? like when he says kiffin was his first choice? i'm sure if Al WANTED leinhart bad enough,he would have taken him. have you ever noticed Al changing things around to make it look like he isn't making any mistakes? ask art about that.... ask norv about that.. come on....jones.
Gary:
The information was from one of the articles on raidernews.com today, not sure which one. He made the comment during further questions after the press conference.
Jones:
Show me where Turner and Shell have said that Davis lied about dealings he's had with them. In fact, show me any coach who's said that about Davis with the exception of Shanahan.
br... did i say he lied to them? no, i said changes things. he spins things to make it look different than it is,just like you bloggers who do the same thing. it's funny,if you don't have that ability,you are called a non fan.is it mandatory to do this if you want to be a Raider fan??? or can we as Raider fans actually see things and say things for what they really are without repremand? Al's first choice was not kiffin and Al said it all loud and clear in his press conference that he was his first choice and it isn't the first time Al has done this ,he did it with the art signing as well,no doubt.......sorry,but some of us don't accept spinning or changing of facts to make something look different than it really is. some of us actually want to deal in reality and to leave the spinning to the press and politicians.
......jones
PantyRaider:
Where would we be in this division if the Raiders had the #15"O"...instead of the #32"O"...do you believe we could become the #15"O" in one season...lookin at the Draft and FreeAgency and our new "Firey" young Coach...just lookin for "Opinion"s..
Well, we gave up 20.8 points a game, and so looking just at scoring, if we would have been 16th in scoring offense, that would have put us around 20 points a game... and considering many of those defensive points given up were because of short fields (which would hopefully disappear with a better offense) and being TWENTY EIGHTH in the league in TOP... I think just an AVERAGE offense next year would put us right in the playoff picture... especially if we could also improve our horrendous KO/punt coverage.
As I keep saying to the gloomndoomers, it's not really going to take much for this team to be pretty damn good... especially if our young defense (I think eight 4 yr or less experience starters) keeps improving.
Kiffin is walking into a dreamjob here, IMO.
So Art Shell was allowed to come in, twelve years removed from coaching, and draft Huff over Leinart.
Well, ok, nice plan. No wonder the Raiders have hit rockbottom.
So now many bloggers here think keeping Moss, & Porter, is a good idea.
Just great.
Did you here Kiffin say he wants to practice hard ??
How do you think Captain quitter, & the Pouter will like that ?
We just can't keep putting lipstick on these pigs, and calling them football players.
Doesn't matter who the coach is.
If we can deal the moody quitter to Green Bay for the 16th pick, and take Penn State LT Levi Brown, I would do it in a NY minute.
We need to do something about LT because Gallery sucks, and we have to finally face it.
PantyRaider is right, no where to go but up.
But in order to climb the ladder, we have to take the first step.
How high up we can climb, depends on how many bold steps we are willing to take.
Playing it safe, and just bringing back the same old crybaby, quitters, just aint gonna cut it.
raza, i LOVE the raiders. always will. I hate what al davis has done to this once proud organization and to the fans. as i've mentioned before, i used to damn near idolize the man but that was many moons ago.
re: the press conference. did you hear him make a complete idiot of himself to the merc's kawakami? granted - kawakami hasn't been one to be raider friendly but the guy isn't even chinese for crying out loud. just incredible!
yes, he IS the raiders. and this is why we as fans will NEVER enjoy a championship as long as this man lives.
Raider00: In the press conference, Al explicitly said the Raiders “need better players.” Now, what constitutes “better players” is a matter of opinion, but his expression was pretty clear. And we know Al’s not one to keep quiet during the off-season. I think we can expect a fair amount of player movement, whether it’s via trades, FA acquisitions, draft, release, etc.
Dumping Moss and Porter is like chewing off your nose to spite your face. Realistically, I think you have to keep one or the other due to salary cap constraints, marketability limitations (fair value) and depth of WR personnel. Our QB, whoever it is, will need someone to throw the ball to, and I pray it’s not Alvis Whitted. Besides, there’s no way it makes sense to dump both and use our #1 draft pick on a WR. We have too many other more dire needs.
Jones, no, you said, and I quote.."i mean it's not like Al has never lied before or has never changed around the truth... are you saying everything he says is the God's honest truth?"
So, yes, you called Al Davis a liar. Just seems to me that if you're going to call someone a liar, you ought to have some evidence that he lied. If so, I'd like to see it. If you can direct me to where Art Shell said that Davis selected Huff, it could prove your point.
Jones, you might also tell me how you know that Kiffin wasn't Davis' first choice. What are the "facts" that Al changed?
I don't know that Al is telling the truth. I also don't know that he isn't. I believe that Shell was Davis' first choice last year, because there's evidence to back that up. Lombardi said it himself early in 2006. It was Lombardi who requested permission to extend an offer to Patrino before one was offered to Shell.
Further, it is well known that Davis interviews many people he knows he won't hire. He does it as a means of networking and information gathering.
Of course, you just KNOW that I'm wrong because... well... just because.
br... read again,the point you made was to whether or not art and norv said he was lying. the point i made was yes Al has lied before and modified the truth to fit what he wants us to see. again,the fact that Al said in the press conference that kiffin was his first choice... i didn't have to go back very far did i?... there are rumors that art was pissed about the conference and that he even stated that it was Al who took huff...art will never come out himself and say it,but it has been rumored that art said nobody makes the picks but Al.
Here's a well-written article by Carl Steward
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_5083152
I like his take on Kiffin and I’m inclined to agree that this kid is the real deal.
br.. tell me you can read between the lines..art was not his first choice,would he have been yours??? really???? here you go with your raider spin machine and propaganda. you go ahead and believe what you want,i'm not that dumb...jones.
Jones, of course you're not.
Let's review. It was stated at the time that Shell was fired that Davis already knew who he wanted, and it was a young up and comer, low on the radar. We assumed that was Sarkisian. But Sarkisian wasn't offered the job - according to both Al and Kiffin - and Sarkisian himself the day he withdrew from consideration.
Show me where I can find those rumors about what Shell has been saying the things he'd never say. I'm eager to read! Or did he talk to you directly?
I think the amazing thing that is true with ALL Al-haters is that every single one of them think they know all of the behind the scenes interactions of the team... even though we are fans of a team that is the most secretive of pretty much all 32 teams.
The funny thing to me is none of the ex-coaches or players come out and verify any of it... hell, Gruden just got quoted as saying he is now a huge Raider fan (because of Kiffin.)
Al has made some blunders lately, but name an owner that hasn't made mistakes? The NFL and it's parity makes it tough to be really good every year (ironically the Raiders did better without a salary cap because everyone used to like to play here... how could that happen if Al treated everyone like dirt?)but luckily it makes it tough to be really bad every year. This team will be back... whether it is with Moss or Porter or whever, nobody knows... Kiffin said he is starting with a blank slate, and so next year is when everyone has to prove they want to be here for what I think will be a really great team soon... this defense is that special.
In keeping with the intent of this blog, it will be interesting to note how the media deals with the Cowboys' hiring of Garrett. Had the Raiders hired an O/C prior to naming a head coach you can bet Al would have been blasted, it would have been pointed out as an example of a coach not having authority, etc. I haven't seen any commentary of that nature so far, despite the fact that Jerry is probably considered as meddlesome as Al from a media perspective.
BR, the article that Jones is referring to is found a Kawakami's blog that X linked to earlier in the comment field.
Kawakami is saying that a "Friend of Art" (not even Art himself) told Kawakami that Art was mad about the statement that he chose Huff. The whole article is speculation based with no fact, or "source" given other than anonymously labelled as "Friend of Art."
The thing I find most humorous about Al-haters are the accusations that he is "too involved" with how the coaches coach, and the play on the field. I find that humorous. These are probably the same people who have never been to the Alameda Facilities for a training camp session (which is open to the fans, but closed to the media, btw). I find it humorous that Al has not physically been there since Gruden was coach.
I find it even more humorous because I've been to a few of them before they left the Oxnard area. Al would stand on the sidelines and take notes in his playbook copy. The only time he would talk to the coach is if he had a question, or a suggestion (which wasn't as often as you would think). The only time he talked with a player is if they screwed up, or to coach them to run a route better, etc (again, something that wasn't done as often as you would think). He did this because of his own coaching experiences on the college level and NFL level. He was there to "get to know" the system that was being ran, and have some of his questions answered; to see if he was investing his money wisely. He is the only owner who does this.
Al hasn't (by his own admission) been able to attend training camp because of his health, and his wife's health; but admits that he watches film of the training camps, and then submits his questions to the coach, and brings suggestions to what he viewed some players could do better.
I don't think that Art was Al's first choice. I think he was spinning that. Yes, Al spins things, just like the media does. He spins things about his health, because he is losing his health, just not as extreme as the media spins it; and he doesn't want to appear "weak." So to say that he never lies, or lies all the time is bogus. I think he is more truthful than not.
The Raiders' problem right now is, Al needs to gain control of the front office, and put an end to the back-biting and posturing by Lombardi. I was hoping he would hire Fassell as GM, and rid himself of Mike Lombardi. Mike Lombardi is the reason we lost Bruce Allen to the Buccaneers a year after Gruden left. Davis didn't want to get involved in their little spats, and wouldn't intervene for Allen (even though Allen was his front office guy, and Lombardi was a pee-on), and it got so bad that Allen stepped down, and went to Tampa. So Davis gave it to Lombardi. Lombardi has done the same thing with Turner and Shell as far as the players they wanted to bring in (more so with Shell), and Davis didn't want to get in the middle of it. Shell walked into the HC job, posturing for Lombardi's position too. So he and Lombardi never worked together, never even spoke to each other. Lombardi didn't want Shell, and made it known to Davis that he didn't want Shell before Shell was hired. Davis said that it was fine that he expressed his concerns, and took them into consideration; and hired Shell anyway. Lombardi took the hiring as an insult. Like Shell did with the players, Shell came in demanding respect from Lombardi (because he knew of Lombardi's attitude toward hiring him), and ended giving him the same treatment he gave Porter. Lombardi never worked with Shell, and Shell didn't work with Lombardi, and there was a power struggle between the two. Davis needed to step in and put them both in their place, but didn't do it. That is where the circus is; that is where Davis is currently at fault, and why the Raiders' are becoming a "concern" in the NFL. The NFL is concerned not because of Davis controlling everything the Head Coach does; but because he is stepping away from his front office duties (more than likely due to his and his wife's health) while letting it be destroyed.
Panty, others have this down way better than I do, but the Raiders would take a big cap hit with accelerated bonus monies, etc. It’s not as simple as just “dump’n da trash.”
Stickum, interesting point. If all's fair, that deserves some media trashing.
Raider Nate 75:
I agree with your take almost exactly. And I think that you're right about Shell. The thing that was different about Shell's first time around was that the players already knew who Shell was, and what he was like. The vets taught the rookies how to relate to him. The second time around the players didn't know him, and he's a man who takes a long time to get to know because he's so quiet.
The first time, he already had the respect, because he'd been earning it there for years. The second time he demanded it from players who had no knowledge of him, and didn't understand him. The hire of Walsh as OC didn't help matters any either.
gary (10:06)& Raider Nate 75,
I agree with your assessment of Doom & Gloom/Al Bashing Raider fans (with no offense to anyone in particular).
Well said...well said.
I could definitly be classified as a Silver & Black Kool-Aid drinking fan, but not necessarily chugging it down all at once.
My Kool-Aid glass is half full (note: not half empty), and I give each sip plenty of thought.
Each batch of Silver & Black Kool-Aid I drink is a little different, sometimes too much sugar, sometimes not enough. But when it's all said and done, I still drink it.
After the hiring of Kiffin and seeing the press conference, my Kool-Aid this morning is very sweet....and tasting good! One might even (dare I say) tastes "Minty Fresh".
The posts on this site definitly help me digest the Silver & Black Kol-Aid I drink every day.
Looking forward to Lane bringing his "A" game to the Raider Nation.
One of the best aspects of this forum is the diversity of the takes, and I enjoy reading each opinion as it only serves to help me understand the intricacies of my beloved team. I like this minty fresh approach and the optimism, but I still have concerns about the management and how many seasons are needed to right the ship. I wouldn't suggest that AD is senile, but I will agree with Scorp's in that his decisions haven't been the wisest. If he has gone on record saying that he didn't leave his stamp on certain choices, take yourself out of the blame game and HIRE A GM who is accountable and whose tenure is based on such decisions. Every owner makes mistakes, but few owners have made errors consistently enough to have reduced a once proud winning franchise to be mentioned in the same breath as the perennial losers of the NFL. Final thought: Lane Kiffin is a success if the 2007-8 Raiders go ?-?. Obviously, an informed opinion can't be made until K gets the rest of his staff, but my minty freshness will be gone if we select a bad OC and don't make the most of this rare #1 selection.
rg2 wrote,
Every owner makes mistakes, but few owners have made errors consistently enough to have reduced a once proud winning franchise to be mentioned in the same breath as the perennial losers of the NFL.
I would guess that those few owners would be:
1) The Bidwell's (Cardinals) - consistantly bad and have never been winners
2) Ford - (Lions) I can't remember their last winning season...maybe back when Lem Barney was playing.
I agree that Al has not made great decisions of late, but I believe he will turn this ship in the right direction. At least he will die trying, unlike some other owners that know nothing about football...only ticket sales.
Good post though.
number 1 picks are for losers, which we have been for several years. hopefully we will never be in this position again. this is why it is so very important to be extra wise with this pick as well as with signing any free agents. these next few months is crucial to our future.
randy moss and porter are here to stay, let's face it. the players are more important than the coach of this team. here, the inmates really do run the asylum.
we all know that davis says things publicly to make himself look like the good guy. everyone else is the bad guy. others make bad choices but not al davis ohhh no.
hiring a ron wolf type of GM would get started in the right direction. i am OK with this coaching hire. i really am. at least this kid has a coaching bloodline and people to fall back on for advise and consolation when the owner is in his face. the question as always is will al davis give this guy a chance and let him coach?
davis needs to be hands off. but we all know that'll never happen.
I am not a salary cap expert either, but there must be some way to dump at least, Moss.
When we traded for Moss, he already had a big contract, so to make up for it, Minny took Nap Harris' contract off our hands.
So maybe we can do the same, take a draft pick, and a player in the deal.
I'm not so oppossed to keeping Porter, because he did not quit on the field, like Moody Moss did.
Although Porter complained about practice being to long, and he better correct his 'tude right now, cause Kiffin is going to ride him hard, I hope.
But I cannot forget the sights of Captain quitter, quitting during games, leaving a young rookie Qb out to dry, jogging through routes, not going hard after passes, just quitting, and admitting to everyone that he was doing it !!!
It makes me mad even now !!!
I would feel like the biggest sucker in the world if this jacka$$ is allowed back next year.
For him to make all that money, and I'll bet he'll spit in our faces again, and quit any time he feels like, and laugh all the way to the bank !!
Get rid of Moss, and replace him with someone who cares.
You can already see where a lot of this is headed. If Kiffin does well, it will be because he stands up to Al Davis. But at the same time he won't be given any credit because, "Al Davis really runs this team."
If Kiffin fails it will because "Al Davis really runs this team, and Al's a senile old fart."
All of that along with, "you can't run the style of offense Davis likes in the modern NFL." Even though Shanahan, White, Gruden, Callahan, and Turner didn't run that style of offense. Davis hate QBs who can't throw the deep ball, even though we had Stabler, Hostetler, Gannon... Davis only like speedy wide receivers, even though we've had Biletnicoff, Brown, Fernandez...
If we win, it's in spite of Al Davis. If we lose, it's because of Al Davis. His detractors, who say everything bad is his fault, say Al blames everything bad on somebody else.
I'm sure I don't agree with everything Al does, but I don't claim to know everything Al does.
I'm really getting tired of this tune.
This coaching talk has been all well and good, but can we get back to position needs and potential draft picks? I think we've beaten the coaching issue like a dead horse.
How about who do we take in the third round, a WR, OL, or maybe a DL? Is anyone else checking out the Senior Bowl practices or going to watch the game this weekend?
For my part, I think that we could unload both Moss and Porter for a first round pick, and take a hot WR. I'm very confident with Curry in the #1 WR spot.
BTW, I read that hit piece from Tim Kawakami's blog that claims a very close friend of Art Shell called his cell phone to refute it was Shell who picked Huff.
That's a piece of crap for two reasons. Number one is that with all of the hate articles Kawakami has written about Art Shell over the last season, do you really suppose that Timmy is going to be the first person Art Shell's good friend is going to call?
Number two is that many former Raider HCs (i.e., Madden, Flores, Gruden) have stated repeatedly that the coach gets his choices if he an identify the need.
Lastly, I don't blame Art for that pick. Why should that be an insult to Art? One of biggest problem areas for the Raiders, since even Gruden's time here, was the lack of quality safties.
Timmy is no stranger to makin' sh*t up.
scorpio said...
"re: the press conference. did you hear him make a complete idiot of himself to the merc's kawakami?"
I didn't think he looked like an idiot. It was probably politically incorrect, but Kawakami makes himself look like an idiot on a regular basis and thats why Davis doesn't take him seriously. Just check out his blogs, they are full of hate, lies and rumors. Why a Raider Fan would spend his time reading Kawakami's mindless blogs, when there are so many other more insightful blogs to read is beyond me.
Scorpio.."yes, he IS the raiders. and this is why we as fans will NEVER enjoy a championship as long as this man lives."
With Al Davis the Raiders already have 3 SB's, while many teams have none and they have never been out of the playoffs for more than 6 years, no other team can say that.
I respect you as a season ticket holder but i just don't understand how a "Real Raider Fan" could have so much animosity toward Al Davis. To me it's bizarre. It's like loving the USA but hating capitalism or loving Seinfeld but hating Jerry..
Maybe rooting for a different team would make you feel minty fresh..
RAD RAZE AIR
Panty & Blanda I'm with you.
We need to dump Moss-Drops and Pouter.
To me they violated the unwritten code of a TEAM. They QUIT.
It's hard to respect someone when they quit on you. I rather have players like Morrison, Burgess, and Curry they play with heart and for pride. They will always give it their all. #18 and #84 are phantom injuries waiting to happen.
If Kiffen chooses to keep them in Silver and Black, I would respect them and hope they do well, BUT i would never wear a #84 or #18.
RAD RAZE AIR
raiderrealist,
IMO, we should draft a QB with the first pick. I prefer Russell, but if Kiff sees something in Quinn, then I can live with that (Kool-Aid driking blind faith).
I think we should trade our 1st pick in the second round/Moss and someone else (maybe Porter) to move back up into the 1st round to take the best runningback available, preferably Marshawn Lynch or Michael Bush.
I think our third round pick should be the best WR available...Dwayne Bowe from LSU. He'd fit right in with Jamarcus...but I don't think he'll be there in the 3rd.
If we do not trade Moss or Porter, then we should go OL with the 3rd round pick. We should also address OL in free agency.
I do not believe we will trade down out of the #1 pick as most people think we should. Right or wrong, it's not the Raider/Davis way. With Kiff having input, it might be possible though.
opps...forgot the anagram
RAZED AIR 63 (after I broke wind)
Interesting article on ESPN.com's Page 2 today re: why there has been such a run on young head coaches recently.
Just a snippet from the article:
The primary reason NFL teams are much better off trying to find the next Eric Mangini than rehiring a retread like Green is that NFL success is no longer strictly based on who is a master of X's and O's. Guys like Parcells, Bill Walsh, Don Shula and Dan Reeves built their reputations on their strategies. But these days, an NFL coach can be successful as long as he can build, foster and manipulate relationships with his players. This doesn't mean younger coaches can't strategize too, but their success isn't as dependent on it.
S&B Illustrated reported today that the Raiders are interviewing Tom Cable for the OL Coaching position. Here is a quick rundown on the 42 year old Cable;
Last season he was the OL Coach for the Falcons. In 2004-2005 he was the OC/OL at UCLA. He also was a HC at his alma mater (Idaho). He also spent 6 seasons at Cal as the OL Coach.
Also, the rumor on Fox Sports today was that Greg Knapp (former OC at Atlanta) is being considered for the OC role for the Raiders.
raza - al davis' genious ran out 20 plus years ago. i believe back in 83. the last time the raiders won a superbowl. let me clarify that statement i made. i didn't mean they've NEVER won one. i know we've got the 3. i meant that since that last championship, davis has been involved a lot of BS court distractions and has been trying to screw the league for years. he sure screwed the mcgah family out of their shares of qwnership didn't he? i remember when he even tried to sue the buccaneers for their pirate helmet logo for crying out loud! so with all the off the field distractions, instead of concentrating on putting a winner on the field, the raiders have been sucking instead. with the exception of the gruden years of course.
oh and btw, once this new coach takes off successwise, off he goes too! we all know this is just a stepping stone for kiffen. no-one is bigger than al davis.
so i don't care what you say. nothing will sway me from my hatred and despisement of this man. i will always be a raider fan. in spite of al davis. all the years they were in LA, i went down there almost every damn week to watch a game. don't tell me i ain't dedicated to my team. there ISN'T any other team!
knapp for OC? from atlanta?
cable for OL? also from atlanta?
i hope these are not preludes to the mike vick era!
FYI - My friends sister dates an ex Cardinals coach here in Arizona. He was released right after Denny Green. His name is Billy Khayat and he was the Quality Control coach, also played TE in the NFL...believe it or not...with the Falcons. Anyway, my friend told me that he was approached at the Senior Bowl in regards to joining the Raiders staff as TE coach. I know nothing about him or if he will ebe get the job. If its true, Kiff looks like he want to clean some house with new coaching blood I just thought I'd add some fodder to chew on.
Correction...Khayat played for the Chiefs and Panthers (96-96).
You'll all be crying the blues again this time next year , you'll be screaming for big al's head after "kiffy" turns out to be another monumental faida bust! 2-14 has just begun, you faidas are the new aints. Just keep defending the "nation" babies. Ha ha ha ha ha ha...
Check out azraider with the inside info! That's awesome! I hope Khayat gets the job just so that AZ can be our inside guy!
I can understand the strong consensus to dump both Moss and Porter, but I just can’t believe that will happen.... mostly due to salary cap hit and diminished market values.
No matter what Al is offered for Moss it will be far less than he paid, and he’ll have to dish out cap money to move him. Also, in consummating a deal like that, Al would be admitting he made a huge mistake. Believe me, I would love to see that moody, alligator-armed, trash-talking piece of ... well you get my drift. I just don’t see it.
To me, the Porter issue is far more convoluted. It’s an understatement to say the handling of WRs last year was merely pathetic, it was down right nauseating. While I’ve tried to avoid broaching or commenting on conspiracy theories in the executive offices, I believe a conspiracy did exist regarding Porter. To wit, the stupidity began prior to an informal “get to know ya” meeting between Jerry Porter and his would-be coaches, Art Shell and Fred Biletnikoff. I can only imagine Freddie telling Art before the meeting, “watch this one, he’s got an attitude,” thus, Art went into the meeting having strong prejudice with a hair trigger. Why else would our #2 receiver ride the bench for an entire season?
Porter and Shell both acted improperly and unprofessional... I guess to see who could be the bigger baby... uhhh, I mean man. End result, the entire team (and the fans) suffered.
I’m not saying I think Porter can be a model citizen, but I think he is the more salvageable of the two bums. I also believe Porter has the support of many players (for being “treated unfairly”) and he’s younger than Moss. I imagine Porter is in excellent health because he didn't even play last year.
While I’m in favor of trading one or both for draft picks and/or other quality players, I can envision Al keeping both of them. At the end of the day, we have far too many other needs and egos to satisfy.
Scorpio:
You're way off base on the "BS court distractions." I would have done the same thing Al did from the move out of Oakland, to the claim for territorial rights in LA. And the Buc logo thing wasn't a law suit, it was a publicized complaint. There is no question that Davis is quick to file a law suit, but the reason he almost always wins them is because the law is on his side.
I'll do battle with you on this one any day of the week. I know a lot about them. The media's biggest record for BS involves Al Davis and his law suits.
I will agree that the Raiders have often suffered because Al was focused on the law suits rather than the team. But the law suits were anything but BS.
Some of Davis' cases are even cited in legal textbooks for their importance in the developement of law. Davis is knowledgable about more than football. He is well versed in politics, the law, and business.
Raiderdecoachella: I don't believe we have adequate depth at WR to simply dump Moss and Porter without bringing someone else in. Here’s why:
1) Curry is our top receiver, but his injury history has to be a concern. It would be risky at best to leave everything on his shoulders.
2) Gabriel: Belichick might know more than we think here, but it cost him a 5th round pick to find out. Also, Doug may have fallen out of favor with Al (for not running out of bounds at the end of the Jets game).
3) Morant is an unknown, except for back-to-back fumbles at the end of the season.
4) Whitted works hard, uuhhh, Next.
5) Francis: will this guy ever get to see the light at the end of the injury tunnel?
IMHO, I believe we better start warming up to the fact that Moss and/or Porter will be around in 2007, for better or worse.
blandarocked said:
I will agree that the Raiders have often suffered because Al was focused on the law suits rather than the team.
my point exactly!
azraider63-
Check out condraft.com for some mock draft projections. They've got Michael Bush going to the Texans in round 2. They've also got us taking a TE named Zach Miller out of Arizona State in the same round.
As bad as we need a TE, I think if Bush is there in the 2nd round we take him and don't have to trade up. Have you seen Miller play and if so, what do you think?
I agree that QB and RB and OL are top priorities. That's why dump'n da trash (Moss & Porter) only makes sense if we get value for them (and their actions last year pretty much assure us we won't). So I guess what I'm saying is that we may have to accept one or both of these guys as short-term solutions while we fix other, more obvious problems.
scorp
I have never met you therefor I really don't have any negatives things to say about you but I do know Paul Mcquistan and what he told me is that he had two ol coaches telling him two differant things and a head coach something totally differant hopefully things will change maybe one ol coach who knows what the hell he's doing so don't knock big red trust me the kid is tough.....
DIE HARD
raiderrealist,
I watched Zach Miller play in High School at Desert Vista here in Phoenix. They played my sons High School (Mountain Pointe) and he was a man playing amongst boys...a real stud. His older brother played at ASU as well, but Zach was the better player. I think he would be a great asset to the Raiders, similar to Todd Heap in Baltimore.
Having said that, I would still take Michael Bush...no real reason other than I think we need a good running back before we address TE.
Either pick would be good.
PantyRaider:
You're right. If anything goes wrong, it's Davis' fault because he controls everything. When something goes right, Davis had nothing to do with it, even though Davis controls everything.
Obviously, if he's spending all of his time on litigation, he's not interfering, but if the team is going south he's still interfering, even though he's spending all of his time on BS law suits.
You can't win here. Davis is the all powerful, interfering, senile old fart, who runs the team from his luxury box, not doing enough for his team. He makes all the draft choices (unless, of course, we're talking about the good ones).
Isn't it a good thing that we have people like Tim Kawakami who can really tell us about Al because he has friends of Art Shell call him on his cell phone.
And, of course, the friend of Art runs right to Art's biggest detracter in the local press because he knows that Timmy will defend Art when Davis claims that Art made a draft pick.
Oh, wait... I think I just saw a white rabbit run by.
Well, it looks like we can put that rediculous Michael Vick trade rumor to rest...
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AkIic2ooTU8ZsvSKh3oe4UxDubYF?slug=cr-vick012407&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
if Al wants to take credit for hiring ryan and the defense then he has to take credit for the rest as well,works both ways. br... no Al did not mention his work in the defense this last p.c.,he did say it though when he talked to the press standing on his walker. he said he had a good part in the defense,says he studies film 3 hours a day. now why would he be studying film for 3 hours a day if he wasn't involved? you look at him,sure he can't walk around well but he is still in good enough shape to run the team like he did before. if art had control,why did walsh get pulled out from under his feet? why was porter not traded when art wanted him too? why is porter still here and art is not? anyone who says al doesn't do anything or gives full control to the h.c.,no way....jones
bottom line,Al calls the shots,who is responsible for the on field product,who takes credit for the greatness of the Raiders. who is responsible for a team that is in chaos?? everyone thinks hiring kiffin gives us instant stability. the jury is still out and not much has changed YET since art has been here. it might change,it might not. if the kid starts pissing Al off...it will be another mess.....jones
Die Hard 12:29pm said: “...Paul Mcquistan .... told me he had two (O-line) coaches telling him two different things and a head coach something totally different...”
EXACTLY! That’s why Kiff’s quote “you need to coach the coaches” impresses me so much. Somebody has to have the “big picture” and manage the system to success. That kind of synergy has been absentee in Oakland since the Gruden days.
Thanks Die Hard.
They're saying that Kiffin is looking at a USC guy for assistant wide receiver coach. Although the guy is awfully young, it does show that Kiffin may have come up with a way to implement his style while accomodating the past. Let the young guy learn from Freddie B and get some NFL experience while helping Kiffin bring the offense up to date. Not a bad idea - I hope he can pull it off. I really hope they can bring in Cable as an O Line coach. He developed some quality linemen when he was at Cal, and seems to have done well in the pros.
I think drafting another RB might be a damn good idea...not to replace Jordan, but to complement him. The 2-RB committee has been the hottest thing in the NFL this year, and you can't argue with it's success...just look at the four teams in the conference championships:
Colts - Addai & Rhodes
Pats - Dillon & Maroney
Bears - T.Jones & Benson
Saints - McAllister & Bush
Not sure if it's worth burning the #1 pick on, but there might be a decent option with pick #33 or even #65.
Update Shell emerges:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012601627.html
I have so much respect for Shell. He is a class act and I was rooting for him. It's unfortunate it didn't pan out, but he is still to be remembered as a great Raider..
And to the Al Davis haters. Al was the first to hire a black coach and 30 year old young coaches, when popular belief in the NFL was that coaches should be 50+++
I hope the assistant WR coach is a big dude, so he can beat Moss and Porters Ass, WHEN they get out of line.
Art's always been a class act.
As for Jerry McDonald, he has too. I'm glad that there is one bay area sports writer who has actually studied journalism.
For instance, he reports today on the rumored telephone conversation between Kiffin and Moss. He just tells us that there is a rumor, and the tenor of that rumor, without giving the details as rumored to him, claiming that it came from a "reliable NFL source."
But the rumor is, essentially, that Kiffin called Moss to check on his attitude, and found Moss in a full court, bad attitude, press. If true, I wonder if Moss has been reading Raider Nation blogs and finding that there isn't much love there.
I really liked the idea that was floated awhile back. Trade Moss and Porter to Detroit for their #2 overall pick.
"my friends claim that everytime that we would play them (Art and Marcus) would openly laugh about the Raider's loosing to them"
Coach, think about that...isn't that implying an outward display of emotion from Art Shell. That kind of accusation should show how untrue that rumor really is. :)
Scorpio:
so i don't care what you say. nothing will sway me from my hatred and despisement of this man. i will always be a raider fan. in spite of al davis. all the years they were in LA, i went down there almost every damn week to watch a game. don't tell me i ain't dedicated to my team. there ISN'T any other team!
It's interesting that the most rabid of the Al-Haters reside near LA or south of there.
At least that is what I have noticed.
It's not quite as easy to go to games anymore.
Us non-Californian Raider fans look at Al and the move(s) with complete irrelevance. It wouldn't matter to us if they played their home games in Tokyo... they still look the same on teevee.
Having lived in LA while the Raiders were there, I can tell you that the only local press who hates Al Davis more than the bay area local press is the LA local press.
The Raiders proved something that LA didn't like to have proved. That LA is a black hole for any NFL team. In spite of the fact that the NFL has been trying to bribe a team to move there (far cry from the NFL position in 1980), there have been no takers, and Houston got the last expansion over LA.
PantyRaider:
I don't think the Moss/Porter/Detroit rumor was even a rumor. It was suggested, I think by one of the local sportswriters. I just like the idea. But if the Green Bay rumor is more than a rumor, I'd buy into that as well. I hate the idea of a player feeling that he has the right to use alligator arms to control the direction of a franchise. I hope Al has the good sense to remove this tumor.
Welcome Greg Knapp!
Thanks for the heads up, Blanda. The SF Chronicle story can be found here. A guy who specializes in the West Coast offense. Intriguing.
My feeling is the Knapp will not get the opportunity to run the same offense in Oakland that he did in Atlanta with Mora. I expect that Kiffin will be running the verticle/WC hybrid style of offense he helped run at USC.
This is better for us, especially if we draft JR. Obviously Vick didn't thrive with the Atlanta offense, and JR is a similar QB.
gary - i supposed if i lived out of the area i'd feel the same way too. thing is, i feel that the raiders BELONG to oakland.
diane feinstein, a CA senator is trying to pass the fairness act of 2007 to prevent the whiners from moving.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.
cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/12/BAGGNNHJ3E1.DTL
if this measure passes, any NFL team would need approval from all 32 owners to move. if the old cleveland browns had this law there would be no ravens.
al davis would need to seek approval before the raiders moved once again. see - this is what i fear the most! i DON'T want the raiders to move. but all indications are pointing to that very thing. NOW, it's possible that the city/county of LA doesn't even want al davis within sniffing distance OR the league is trying to woo another team there.
here's another scenario: as much as we locals HATE the whiners, there's an article in the chron from matier and ross about the whiners and raiders actually sharing a stadium. if you really think about it, this makes great sense and would help BOTH franchises. but - it'll never happen.
i understand what you're saying though as far as not caring where they're home based.
Scorpio:
When the Raiders moved the first time there was already an NFL rule which required the support of the other owners for a team to move. Davis got that thrown out as anti trust. It's possible that Feinstein couldn't get such a measure passed without a constitutional amendment.
However, to let the mediots scare you. Davis isn't planning on ever moving again. When he was attempting to claim territorial rights in LA after moving back to Oakland, it was business, not an attempt to move back there.
However, please note that as hard as the NFL fought Davis in court in the early 1980s, they have completely reversed their position, offering riches to any NFL team that seeks to move to LA. This time, Feinstein won't have the backing of the NFL. The genie has left the bottle.
I also don't expect to see the Raiders looking for a new stadium any time soon. The HOT is a very good football venue, and without the A's they'll have it all to themselves.
I have to put myself, though, on the side of "I really don't care any more." With cable and satalite (which wasn't available in 1981) you can watch your team wherever they play. And the Raiders can be the Raiders anywhere. If the 49ers leave the bay area, they have to change their name.
Still in all, if the Raiders move, if you don't move with them you are denied live games. But, Scorpio, put it out of your mind. The Raiders aren't going anywhere unless Al Davis' son winds up moving them.
br...how is jr similar to vick? i see nothing similar except color.....jones
blandarocked:
A big reason why LA lost to Houston is because LA won't give the NFL tax money to fund building a new stadium. Houston did. Back in the day the Rams used to get 100,000 people at the Coliseum. Heck, the Raiders drew 92,488 for a REGULAR season game against the COWBOYS back in '92. They were 3-4 at the time and finished 7-9.
I wouldn't say LA won't support a team, they just aren't going to roll over for the NFL the way a lot of other cities have.
Knapp was a nice hire. Don't look now but it looks like we will be blending the best of the Gilliam offense and west coast offense into ...drum roll please... a modern offense that will use all of the offensive weapons to stretch the field both vertically and horizontally. This flexibility to go deep or simply move the chains should benefit our team in a number of ways. I would expect a hybrid offense to have the capabilities to mix and match both personnel and playcalling to fit the opponents strengths and weaknesses. It should also be able to isolate match up advantages.
BR - I'm also curious like Jones about your observation ...
"Obviously Vick didn't thrive with the Atlanta offense, and JR is a similar QB."
Vick is a 6'0", 215 lbs lefty known for his running ability and speed, lack of accuracy (53%), bad mechanics, poor touch and ball security, and injuries.
Russell is a 6'6", 260 lbs righty known for being a pocket passer, his arm/phyiscal strength, excellent accuracy (68%), good mechanics & touch, and being very durable.
Besides the obvious phyiscal differences, the most glaring differnce is their style of play. Vick looks to run at the 1st sign of trouble while Russell uses his mobility to buy time to look down the field for his 2nd & 3rd read progression. Vick is most comfortable out in space or rolling out to the edge while Russell is most comfortable within the pocket.
Jones, Calico:
Your right, of course. Chalk it up to brain fart.
raiderrealist:
I used to go to games down in LA fairly regularly when I lived there. The idea in LA was always that there was such a huge population that filling 100,000 seats in the LA Coliseum would be no big deal. The reality was something completely different. I remember going to play off games where games were not sold out, and not locally televised.
The major problem with LA is that it is such a migratory town. People don't go to games to see the local football team (unless it's college ball). They go to see the team that the local team is playing. You frequently hear the crowd yelling louder for the visitor than for the home team. This is true of San Diego as well. I remember going to Angel games in Orange County when they played the Red Sox. You'd think you were in Boston.
I really think that for an NFL team to be successful in LA, they would have to play in a stadium no larger than the Raiders do in Oakland. Getting on local TV is the only thing that can bring success in LA.
I remember one of the things that has been discussed is not bringing a team to LA, but building a permanent stadium there for the Super Bowl, and playing the Super Bowl there every year.
However, there is an extreme migration from New York to LA. That's why the Dodgers do as well as they do. New York immigrants remember the Broolyn Dodgers. The Lakers do well because they had a long run of winning, and people go to the games just to see all of the movie stars at courtside.
blandarocked:
You haven't posted on your site since Dec 27. When are you going to post again?
Raiderrealist:
Been very busy with work, and the health of my aging parents. I'm just not currently focused in that vein. It's easier just to respond to events. But as my current issues decline I'll be back in the game.
Question: Wasn't Greg Knapp the target of Terrell Owens' infamous sideline tirade back in 2003 when they were both on the 49ers?
This question isn't jaundiced in any way...it's just that I'm just now seeing what Knapp looks like and I can swear the last time I saw that mug was when it was scowling at Terrell Owens in that unforgettable sideline incident...
He is that Greg Knapp.
He'd better get that scowl ready for Moss and Porter...assuming they're still around when the season starts.
I really don't believe that Knapp or Kiffin will have any issues with Porter. Correct me if I'm wrong but there hasn't been any on the field "incidents" with Porter in his playing history. For the most part he is always in top condition, practices and plays hard.
Moss on the other hand is a drama queen who needs extra attention and needs to be coddled. I am hopeful that we can unload Moss to GBay, Det, Atl, Jax, or Miami for a 2nd round pick. Don't we already have an extra 2nd round pick in this upcoming draft? If so, I would like to see us package the Moss 2nd round pick plus one of the additional 2nd round picks to move up into the mid 1st round.
Our draft slots could look like this:
#1, #16, #33
With these 3 picks we could take JaMarcus Russell (QB), MarShawn Lynch (RB), and the best avilable O-lineman.
If we cut Whitted and Francis, our WR depth chart would be Porter, Curry, Gabriel, Morant, Buchanon, and Madsen. For all practical purposes, Madsen should be used as a slot WR. One of the things that I expect to see a lot of with Kiffin/Knapp is using a 1 RB set with either 3 WRs/1 TE or 1 RB with 2 WRs/2TE sets.
I like PR's suggestion on a name for the new offense, should it be the hybrid West Coast / Vertical one that we are envisioning.
For the sake of making it easy to pronounce, how about the "Vert Coast" offense?
I think the signing of Knapp is a very string sign that we are getting a QB with our #1 pick, and I would hope that the Raiders take JR with that pick. While Michael Vick may not have blossomed as some would have hoped under Knapp, his passing skills have greatly improved. Vick's greatest problem seems to be what has already been mentioned- his poor decision making when deciding whther he should run downfield or keep looking for a receiver. I wouldn't put that on Knapp though, since Vick has been doing that his entire career through college and the NFL.
Raiderdecoachella,
Here is a name for our new "O"
THE NO MOSS OFFENSE !!!!!!!!
Got it from Roberto Duran.
How about calling Kid Kiffin's offense "Vertizontal" or "East Bay Fusion O"?
I am very happy to see us moving in the right direction. I mean last years' debacle was unspeakablly and unforgettablly the worst season to date and more so; it hurt very much as Davis said it best.
Now I can see the light at the end of our tunnel and a time for us to reclaim our glory and whip our divisional rivalrys' asses. I mean, I am sick, just like all of us are of losing to the dolts, donkys, and subordinate chiefs.
I hope we wipe the field with them every meeting.
We should not draft a QB; JR. I mean he was really a nobody until the BCS game. There were other propects that were mentioned before JR was ever mentioned. I think it would be a waste of our draft. Now Im not saying that we should give Walter the go ahead either. I mean there were times that he simply did not read the coverage. And yes I understand that he was basically like a rookie and that I even thought there were times that he looked promising but I think we need someone else to helm the offense.
I think the Jeff G. thing is just a waste of time. He is 37 years old. I just don't see him playing like he did with whiners. However, he has roots with Knapp. That is something to consider.
Mike V would just not make any sense. Consider the cap numbers that get $22.5 million, if he is let go before June 1. $17 million, give or take a few after the 1st. The fincial hit we would take is staggering. I mean we would lock ourselves up for the next decade in dead money. Vick is an exciting pro player to watch. But will he develop SB's, I think not.
Anon @ 8:40
I can appreciate your position on not wanting to draft a QB with the first pick, but you then fail to offer an alternative. Right now I'd say our two biggest needs are QB and RB, followed closely by DT. This draft is deep in the RB department, and none of them is so outstanding as to rate the first pick.
JR wasn't talked about much prior to his bowl game (and even a little while afterwards) was because he was a junior and had made no real hints at coming out early. Right now the general opinion seems to be split as to whether JR or Brady Quinn is the top QB in the draft- and in my opinion, the people who rate Quinn higher are just hanging on to their original opinion before JR declared. Russell has all of the raw physical skills to be an All Pro QB- and he seems to have the instincts and smarts to go along with it. I think if the Raiders let him slip away they will end up regretting it down the road as he flourishes in the NFL.
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