Oakland Raiders News: Kiffin's Stay In The Fast Lane Is Over

by saint on Sep 30, 2008 11:17 AM PDT

Before last season Al Davis made history by hiring the youngest Head Coach in NFL History. Lane Kiffin was only 31.

Today, Al Davis, the Maverick that he is, made history again by firing the youngest Head Coach in NFL History.

In his 20 game stint, the young wippersnapper managed to win only 5 games and he was clearly outcoached in nearly every game he presided over. Being outcoached was to be expected, but being a whining ungrate was not.

Lane expected to have full control over the entire staff and player management. That was a naive move and his actions surrounding this issue eventually cost him a great job.

Being 5-15 and throwing your owners name out in the paper as an excuse for losing will get just about anybody fired and Lane never stood a chance to keep his job after that last straw was tossed on the camel's back.

Even though in his final two press conferences he seemed to be getting the picture and was acting as IF he really cared about the team AND took responsability for his own mistakes, it was too little, too late.

So, there's the door kid and don't let it hitcha where the god Lord splitcha.

There is no word out of Oakland as to who will be replacing him, YET, but, I do favor either Tom Rathman, Tom Cable or Jim Fassel.

With a bye week to prepare and a healthy Cooper Carlisle and Justin Fargas returning I expect the new Coach to RUN the BALL!!!

0 recs | Comment 13 comments

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Oh well

It doesn’t matter who coaches this team, Saint. The next poor bastard who takes over, Tom Cable by the way was named interim coach, is noy gonna have any more luck than Kiffin did.

Good for Kiffin, he’s out of hell and now gets to collect his money. Move on……….

by mrod on Sep 30, 2008 11:50 AM PDT 0 recs

Not so fast on the collecting money part:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3618137&categoryId=2378529

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Sep 30, 2008 11:51 AM PDT up 0 recs

Can't see the content bro

How the fuck is Kiffin not gonna get paid? That is total bullshit! that money is guaranteed, dude.

by mrod on Sep 30, 2008 11:54 AM PDT 0 recs

Because

he was fired for cause.

Shannahan didn’t get his money either. Ever.

Win, Lose, or Tie, Raiders til I die!

by mikesd1981 on Oct 5, 2008 9:24 AM PDT up 0 recs

I'm Torn

There were days when I wanted him fired and others when I didn’t. In the end I think this was necessary simply to get the media off our back and get the team re-focused on football.

In the end, Kiffin did expect too much from his first NFL coaching experience and made a habit of being extremely passive-aggressive in his media relations. If Kiffin thought he could reprimand Randy Hanson for potential insubordinate comments, this is Al Davis’ lesson to Kiffin on that issue.

If Tom Cable ends up being our interim coach then we can all wave goodbye to Greg Knapp, who must have told Al Davis not to promote him since he already plans on going to Seattle next season. Cable is an extremely fiery guy who hopefully can get the offense to rally behind him the same way that Rob Ryan’s fire gets the defense around him.

I guess I’m just glad its over.

"I love being here. I love these players. I'm loyal to these players and this team, all right? I'm on the side of the players and the Raiders. And anybody who isn't on the side of the Raiders, then I'm not with them." - Randy Hanson, DB coach.

by LiveAdam on Sep 30, 2008 12:47 PM PDT 0 recs

Wow...a GREAT JOB? I wouldn't work for Al Davis if you put a gun to my head.

Circle your wagons around Al Davis raider fans….life will continue on the same path for as long as you do. I am sure the next coach will pull the raider nation out from the gutter right? lol

5-15….20-66…doesn’t matter who is coaching this team while the man at the top and his dimensia is steering the ship!

If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08

by Zappa on Sep 30, 2008 2:31 PM PDT 0 recs

It is a great job:

LANE just cried like a baby when he didn’t get the Arkansas job, couldn’t hire his dad and had to draft JaMarcus Russell. It’s all in the press conference.

getting paid million of dollars and having the opportunity to turn around one of the most famous franchises in all of Pro Sports with an owner who went out and signed everyone you wanted is a GREAT job.

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Sep 30, 2008 3:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

It's one of the least desirable jobs in the NFL

That’s why Kiffin got hired in the first place. The Raiders can’t attract a qualified candidate. That’s why Sean Payton passed on the Raiders (a miss for Oakland) and why Bobby Petrino also passed (thank God for that!) Looking back at the Raiders’ hiring process since they dumped Gruden, you’ve got Callahan, a guy who wasn’t identified by any other team as a potential head coach, Norv Turner, a great offensive coordinator who has proven to be a failure as a head coach (the Chargers will never win with him, and the fact they hired him shows them to be as incompetent an organization as most any in the NFL, something that’s been true for a long time) and Art Shell, a wonderful man not wanted by any other NFL team, and whose primary qualification was that Al Davis knew Shell would do exactly as he was told. Hell, Ken Whisenhut, now the Ariz coach, who was a popular coaching candidate after the Pitt Super Bowl win a couple of years ago, wouldn’t even come in for an interview! Even Kiffin wasn’t interviewed until after the other USC offensive coordinator (I forget his name) declined the job. I believe this could be a great job, because the Raiders have a great history and tradition, and a hellaciously great fan base. But so long as coaching candidates believe that Al Davis will hamper their ability to run the team, and progress is rewarded w/ dismissal, then the Raiders will be stuck w/ piss poor coaching candidates.

by guapobob on Sep 30, 2008 4:10 PM PDT 0 recs

I Never Said It Was The BEST Job in the NFL:

But being an NFL Coach is a great job.

But when they start scheming us the way these guys did, and we weren't particularly ready for it, anything can happen."

by saint on Sep 30, 2008 4:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

Never know what your saying

Saint you go back and fourth from one reply to the other you dont know what the F you are saying. Listen Kiffin was a good coach not great still to young. But Al is out of his mind and has been for a long time. He is right he hired Lane and for a good reason and age has nothing to do with it you hire someone to take control of your team and lead to victory. You do not give them half or less of the control and expect them to lead. Al will never see a winning team in his life time and niether will we. When Al dies we will see the Raider team of NEW. As a strong leader do you sit down and be quiet bullshit you stand up and tell it like it is and that should be what an owner wants out of the leader of the team. Only Al’s ego wil not let that happen and that alone is why we lose.

AL is the dividing factor of this organization.

by TraxRaiders on Sep 30, 2008 9:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

Press Conference Quotes

Has Al ever admitted making a mistake before? That strikes me as a move in the right direction, but only time will tell if the HEAD coach is actually more than a pawn under this regime.

I am so smart - S...M...R...T!

by gforce on Sep 30, 2008 9:55 PM PDT up 0 recs