It's been over a month now since the stories started inundating the net about the rift between Oakland Raiders Head Coach, Lane Kiffin, and the notoriously impatient and crass owner of the Raiders, Al Davis.
While many of the media still expect a change in philosophy and personnel from the head coaching position of the Raiders, there is another theory that could be just as accurate judging by all of the moves out of Oakland since the explosion of rumors flooded the net...Al Davis believes Kiffin will turn things around (still).
I know, most of you are probably saying, "WHAT?!? This guy is outta' his mind!" While many of my friends and family could tell you stories to reinforce that thought, bear with me for a few paragraphs while I make my point. One could look at the changes that have occurred over the past two months on and off of the field to see that Big Al is placing all of his chips on the Lane Kiffin "pass" line.
James Lofton has been called, "Kiffins' successor at head coach." How about calling him the most questionable firing of the 2008 off season?
The Chargers young receivers showed marked improvement last year over years past. Stats don't tell you how much better the receivers have gotten at catching a football, they only tell you how many times that guy DID catch the ball. A look at Philip Rivers' stats from 2006 and 2007 shows that he attempted the same number of passes (460) for seven fewer receptions last year, but that doesn't tell the whole story either. Rivers threw six more picks and had three more fumbles in 2007 than in 2006, which would also begin to explain the lower average yards and total yards in the Charger passing game.
L.T. and Gates both had their usual seasons combining for 135 of 281 receptions made, which also steers away from Lofton's accomplishments. Where Lofton succeeded was in the development of Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers. Jackson caught a career high 41 receptions during the season, 16 games, while in the three post season games he had a total of 18 catches for 300 yards. Chambers played in only 10 games for the Chargers and caught 35 balls for 555 yards, but in the post season he had 16 catches for 278 yards.
If you take their production in the post season and translate that to 16 games, Jackson would catch 96 passes and Chambers would catch 85!! You don't get tougher competition than in the post season, and that's where the benefits of good coaching shine.
On the flip side of the Chargers receiving production, the Raiders receiving corps was not as successful. Running backs on the Raiders combined for 89 receptions of a total of 260! Curry and Porter each had 55 and 44 receptions while rookie Tight End Zach Miller also caught 44. Tim Dwight, Johnie Lee Higgins, and Chris McFoy combined for a total of 13 receptions and this year Porter and Dwight won't be on the team. With Curry getting older, Walker a health risk, and Carter here for a year, the Raiders need to have receivers developed within the next two years.
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8 months ago
Good Read Rob, I agree with your takes. It is the Raider way to not have press conferences explaining what is going on while the rumors swirl around. I love the coaching staff and adding James Lofton as the Receivers coach was huge. You hit the nail on the head he will really help the receivers develope. I'm a huge Tom Cable fan and this guy works wonders with the Offensive line and he did so with Robert Gallery and I think will do the same with Kwame Harris. Contrary to popular belief things are looking up in Oakland.
8 months ago
Great to read an intelligent article on the Raiders without all the sensational negative hype. The key is we dont know what goes on in the Facility yet so called media professionals jump aboard ridiculous accusations for thier own self promotion. I ve heard KNBR Damon whats his name say they have the worst web site..ok joke on the air talent !
I am tired of the Raiders and thier fans being treated like a joke. The only cure all is winning. We still ahve to shut down the run. I would have signed Asomougha first long term - taking care and rewarding in-house hard work first..like Burgess . I guess he wont be back next year.
Its al high risk High Reward for a Mr. Davis..he doesn't have patience to rebuild but he does know talent. I just hope he gives Kiffin time. He impressed me with play calling( out coached M.Shanahan twice)
I beieve his a winner and obvioulsly so does D. Rhodes- he could of made 2.5 million this year somewhere.
I hope they reward Newberry and Jake long would be more cost effective @ pick 4 or trade lower and get a 2nd and 3rd.
I cant beleive the self promoting talking heads even stirred up something about Russel's weight? I wish they stop reporting all together on the Raiders..and raider fans quit whining bout Al go root for the whiners acroos the bay then
Big E
8 months ago
Man, it is so refreshing hearing your take, especially from someone who knows Raider Football. I wish you worked for ESPN or NFL Network. Half the time those sources don't have a clue.
8 months ago
Way off... The minor "votes of confidence" you list are nothing compared to the major votes of no-confidence that is being seen. Why is there no Kiffin statement upon each signing as there was last year? Why is there no trot out the Free Agent for a Q&A session with the press when they sign? Why is the only picture released of a free agent signing (Javon Walker) one of the OFFENSIVE player with Willie Brown? You cite J. Fargas as a vote of confidence? Then why is the loss of J. McCown (clearly a Kiffin favorite if there ever was one) not a vote of no-confidence? They could've signed him before free agency started. Why is there no comment from Kiffin at all except that he didn't dance at the combine? Why has he not been seen wearing Raiders gear either at the Combine or at the Sr. Bowl? That is unprecedented for a Raiders coach. Though many of us could say "I'M IN", he clearly is OUT.
I give him a 5% chance of being a figure-head coach this season (Al Davis may not want to pay him for doing nothing). More likely it will be Ryan (but who would be the D. coordinator?), Knapp (Lofton as O.C.) or Lofton.
8 months ago
Whats up with all those reports that Kiffin is not part of the draft, you would think everyone would know by now that Al Davis has never let a new young coach pick draft picks, he will let them cut a player(except a few favorites) but Al is the guy who selects. I dont think it was Kiffin who really wanted Jamarcus Russell either.
Kiffin can come up with a wish list but its Al who decides, so why should Kiffin go through all the motions when he is just really waiting for Big Al. Maybe why he's just walking with the Raider Drafting Entourage instead of leading it.
Do you think Gruden wanted all those defensive backs...Big Al again
As far as the spending spree this year, I think Al was embarrassed by the Jamarcus Russell hold out. He didnt like being called a tight wad so this year, he is spending money to show the league that the Raiders arent broke or cheap. Dont forget taking janokowski and Gallery were seen as being cheap too.
Getting DeAngelo Hall is great and worth the picks, after all the past money thats been wasted on a lot of DBs the past years. At least you know what your money is buying.
Hall is vocal but so was Sapp and Moss prior to becoming Raiders, why do they all of a sudden become less vocal as Raiders? It makes them seem less intense, too relaxed
I will be at all the game this season regardless.
8 months ago
Nice evaluation Rob, It was a pleasent surprise to see astute commentary on the Raiders. I am so curios and excited with what Al will do with the 4th pick. Part of me wants Mcfadden but my heart says draft in the trenches. Keep up the good work, Go Raiders
8 months ago
We need more people loke you , to write about what you see and not what rumor sounds like the truth. it's kind of hard , having to rely on post that are just wishful thinking. Another thing thats geting to me is the fact that everyone is calling Al a bonehead for spending like crazy. I say these are the people who dont know the whole truth behind all the spending, I remember when he sold part of the raiders for alot of cash, it seems as if everyone else has neglected to see that part of the deal, Yet they want to condemn Al for suring up the Defense. if this plan of Als works everyone will be calling him a brilliant man, and if I'm not mistaken we still have enuogh to go after anyone in the draft. please correct me if I'm wrong
8 months ago
Whether you think its a vote of confidence or not, Al is giving Kiffin some weapons to get this team to respectability. Thats good to see.
8 months ago
Good read...unlike the boneheads that bash the Raiders most of the time! I am happy that Al is not sitting on the fence watching things go by, rather he is THE aggressive maverick as usual. My one concern is how will all this spending affect the Raiders from a salary cap standpoint. I am sure most of these huge contracts are heavily backloaded and along with the signing bonuses, this reducing the cap number drastically, but I would still like to understand it more.
All in all, watch the F*** out AFC West! We are coming at you, and to all of the fair weather Charger fans that used to be Raiders fans , your little punk a** QB will have more to whine about...pick central with the Raiders secondary!!! Hurry up NFL draft...
8 months ago
Even though I like the positive thinking. Smoking that much crack at once is really bad for you.
8 months ago
I'm excited! This article has pump me up. To add to this article... another vote of confidence for Kifmister is that Al showed the NFL he is not afraid to spend a lot of me, if he did not want Kiffin he would of payed him off.
8 months ago
geat read
im thinkin may b go to the draft and get a wr like limas sweed
since curry is gettin kinda old no bout he is still great but i dont see the harm in gettin Sweed
8 months ago
Who would put their meager thoughts forth expecting "anyone" to read and digest such carp when they sign "Anonymous".
Might as well put Ray Ratto or Ann Killion.....sheesh.....
Love what the team is doing, they are "doing" what other teams are not...being active.
Bring on the other 31 teams, see ya in the playoffs in 2008-2009 BIT***S!
8 months ago
great article
im thinking may b go into the draft and get a wr like Limas Sweed
he is a great reciver and would fit good with the deep attack
Curry is gettin old no doubt he is still great but we could use Sweed with Walker and Carter
and we need to get long term deals for Nnamdi and Kirk Morrison
8 months ago
Very poor article. It is so far from the truth it sickens me. This is the problem with the raiders and raider fans. You live in LALA land. Kiffin is on his way out. Deal with it MYOPIANS. He has been stripped of all player personel decisions AND THIS IS A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE???? People, Kiffin did not do that great of a job last year, and all he ran offensively was a washed down USC offence. Get a coach who has credibility, and a coach of credibility will force Al to respect him. James Lofton will be the next Raider coach, and his HALL OF FAME credentials will give him more credence with Al...
8 months ago
Great Read! While the media is spoting the same recycled crap as always abot the Raiders (never forget, the experts at TSN, SI, ect reported that Madden, Grvden, and to a lesser degree Flores were "reaches" as HC candidates) Hell, TSN said that Grvden's hiring and Gannon getting the nod as starting QB were "evidence of Al Davis' senility" .. none of this tripe is new or original, they jst trot it the same tired stff over and over.
8 months ago
Rob, you wrote a decent article here. Unfortunately I think the Raiders are a good 5 years from being a playoff team, but I'd love to see them prove me wrong. As a sports fan, I do appreciate how active they've been, but I worry that the team's reputation (and moreso, the management/ownership reputation) will keep most quality free agents away, which means that this time will have to continue to go to the well and better itself through intelligent draft picks and crafty trades.
Andrew Palumbo
from 8 months ago
Dude, this is the NFL. NO team is five years away from being a playoff time. Hell, look at the Browns.
8 months ago
Great article Rob. It is nice to read a possitive attitude from time to time. I'm all for being objective but when we're losing the negative media gets old. We were winning playoff games and advanced to the superbowl five years ago. Atlanta media is calling us the worst franchisr ever. We have 3 trophies under glass and 5 afc championships. Atlanta? San diego? How 'bout kansas City? (you have to go way back for KC) Why aren't they the worst teams ever? Simple, You either love the Raiders or you hate them. It's us against the world and I wouldn't want it any other way.
We are in the best spot in the draft to pick one of the best players and not have to pay top 3 money. We can wait and see who falls to us. Chris long, Vernon Gholston or Darren Mcfadden. I'll be happy with any of them. Noone will protect Russel like a good running game and play action. But having a stud DE opposite burgess while the corners are locking down would be tremendous. We can stack the box against the run on every down. Should be a fun year.
from 8 months ago
Jay,
You've got me there. Good point. Although I'd say if it takes anyone five years, it'll be the Falcons, Dolphins, Raiders in that order.
8 months ago
The fact that Al Davis is our general manager is not so diffrent than other teams. Why do people think the head coach calls all the shots on personel and staff. Who besides a select few make these decisions? Tuna, Holgram, Shanahan...Who else? I remember when all these guys had to lobby to make the decisions too. Remember Parcells said "if I'm making dinner I should buy the groceries" That wasn't his second year in the league and he had a superbowl win under his belt.
Again the Raiders go through some of the same problems as other teams but we get called the worst franchise ever. When are the 40ers going to be done...Rebuilding? Why isn't the local media all over them? "Cuase they're objective? No.
8 months ago
i dont care who the coach is.draft lb/de vernon golsten 1st rd,dt, frank okan 4th rd.& kicker from georgia 7th rd,cant think of his name right now.seabass to inconsistant.we may have to give a next years pick to move up a little to get okan.if golsten is gone take mcfadden.be like having marcus allen & bo jackson in one player.mcfadden,bush,rhodes & fargus equals russell to walker & miller.with golsten,okan & hall defense is set for years.okan & kicker is doable. tuff call golsten or mcfadden.either way we win.GO RAIDERS
8 months ago
Hey Mr.Davis. Do not draft Mcfadden because we have Fargas and Rhodes. Draft the best line man in the draft, Jake Long from Michigan. Because Gallary is fat and cant count and Mquastian is dumb. And keep Coch Kiffin!
Just win baby that is what you wanted!
8 months ago
Great article. What professional sports teamgets a worse treatment from the press in America?
This is an honest well written article
8 months ago
I am a Giants fan, but I have perspective when it comes to watching football.
I guess that comes with age.
Not everyone hates the Raiders. This 'hatred for the Raiders' campaign has grown past the urban legend dimension to become a battle cry for disgruntled Raider fans.
It exists only in their minds.
Instead of pushing for change within the framework of the Raider power structure, they lament their condition and lambaste anyone who dares to criticize.
From 3000 miles away, I will allay your fears with these words of wisdom...
The Oakland Raiders need to modernize their organization. That means Al Davis must hand over the day-to-day reins to someone of the Scott Pioli, Jerry Reese, Jeff Ireland ilk. Then they must get stability in the coaching ranks
Until then, the off-the-field as well as the on-the-field performance of the club will continue to spin their proverbial wheels.
I say this because I want to see the Raiders succeed. Al Davis must get out of the 70's and join the rest of the NFL in the new millennium.
Rgds
JF
8 months ago
I have my doubts about T Kwame Harris, but at the same time, I have hope. The reason being is that Oakland in the past was able to rectify the career of T Lincoln Kennedy. As a Falcon, Kennedy was considered a flop, but was then traded to Oakland where he became a premiere right-tackle for his career. Here's to hoping that Oakland can do the same with Kwame Harris.
As for the defensive-line, I'd like to see Oakland sign DT Grady Jackson. Jackson fell out of favor with Bobby Petrino in Atlanta last season which is why he was cut, and is also why CB DeAngelo Hall became disgruntled with the managment of the Falcons. I know that Jackson has been negotiating with Tennessee, but perhaps now that Hall is a Raider, Jackson will decide to reunite with his comrade and former team. Jackson is exactly the type of run-stuffer that Oakland needs right now, and is probably the best pure-DT on the market. With Jackson in the fold, the Raiders could then select DT Glenn Dorsey in the Draft and leave Tommy Kelly at defensive-end. Between the pass-rushers of Derrick Burgess and Glenn Dorsey, and the run stuffing of Jackson and Kelly, the Raiders could develop a defensive of legendary proportions. Seriously. And with QB Trent Dilfer considering the Raiders as his new team, maybe just maybe, the Raiders will become the 2nd great defense that "the worst QB to win the Super Bowl" can lead--that of course is only to let JaMarcus continue learning so that he doesn't get "wrecked" by playing too soon.
8 months ago
wow, i agree with rob. his points make perfect sense. nice article
8 months ago
I seem to have stumbled upon Raider Nation here. Anyway, great write up, Rob. Very insightful and provoking. It certainly gives us another view of what might be going on inside the Raiders organization. But I still feel Lane Kiffin is on the outside looking in. Will he be fired? Possibly, althought it's pretty late for that. If Davis were going to do it, it would have been done by now.
As far as the 1.7 millions goes, I don't think that's an issue. Davis just sold a ton of non-voting stock so he could raise the cash to go out make all these free agent deals. The Raider payroll has just ballooned to nearly 140 million this year and they still have the #4 pick in the draft to add to that.
While I don't think Davis is at all convinced Kiffin can bring home a winning season, I'm not sure that he isn't convinced either. For one thing, Davis has been wheeling and dealing with his checkbook like he hasn't done since the Raiders left L.A. He's doing his best to bring in fresh talent on both sides of the ball, giving Kiffin and Ryan the personnel to at least get back to a .500 season.
On the other hand, Davis has completely isolated Kiffin from any of the decision-making process. Lane comes into work, punches in, puts in his hours, then punches out while Al and a few hand-picked front office guys work out all the signings.
It's obvious Al did not like Kiffin undercutting him to fire Ryan. Only one thing will make amends for that and one thing only - win, baby, win. If he does, Kiffin will get a new contract. If not, it's hasta la vista, baby. Buenas dias, James Lofton.
8 months ago
That was a good article and you made some positive coments that I can agree with. I hope that L Kiff will be the Raiders head coach next season. I like his positive attitude. The key word in the Raiders offseason seams to be "CHANGE". Afterall, CHANGE is good.
8 months ago
raider fans your coaching staff isnt your problem its your owner and your 300 lb future bust at QB. jamarcus russell has undedicated future bust written all over him and al davis is clueless i think he still believes john madden is coaching the raaadaaasss also al davis is spending all this money to bring in free agents but are any of them players that fit what lane kiffin is trying to do??? javon walker is an injury riddled bust and getting deangelo hall was good i agree but you already had a good defense anyhow so how does any of this help? however raider fans there is hope if by some chance you draft darren mcfadden you can expect a rookie season like a-petersons last year d-mac is for real and he would instantly improve your raider offense your owner is a retard if he doesnt do all he can to draft mcfadden why draft glenn dorsey or vernon gholston or chris long for a defense that is already good? true sapp needs to be replaced but you could easily get a guy like frank okam from texas in the 2nd or maybe even 3rd round
8 months ago
why is everyone yapping about lofton being the next raiders head coach and about how great his HOF cridentals are? arent you all forgetting your idiot owner just fired a HOF head coach to begin with the only thing thats going to help the raiders is for al davis to take a freakin chill pill and let the coaching staff build a team that fits "there" system not his if he wants to build the team in his image maybe he should freakin coach them hiself if not get in the office where you belong and let your coaching staff build and coach the team look at dan snyder in washington dont you see where meddling owners get you thats right no where they ruin your team with high priced players that end up being busts and they run off HOF coaches like washington did with joe gibbs and dont even tell me snyders meddling didnt have a little bit to do with him retiring al davis needs to look at this and think about it what good is switching coaches every 1 or 2 years doing for your team? let kiffin have time and let him build the team up quit meddling al your team will be better off for it
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