The Raiders of the Lost Job...

            What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in an Oakland metropolitan area court. Both parties have agreed to drop their claims and have their disputes settled here, in our forum: The People's Court."

Chicka-bu-nu-nut.........chicka-bu-nu-nut......twika-tut-tut-tut......chicka-bu-nu-nut.

The plaintiff is one Mr. Lane Kiffin. Lane is the former head coach of the Oakland Raiders. He claims that he was fired from his position by owner Al Davis without cause and is due the $2 million dollars left on his contract. He is suing for the remaining $2 million dollars and another $1.5 million in damages.

The defendant is one Mr. Al Davis. Al is the longtime owner of one of the most storied franchises in professional football. He hired Mr. Kiffin as the youngest coach in Oakland Raiders history, but proceeded to fire him 4 games in to his second season. Davis claims the firing is for "due cause" and owes no money to Mr. Kiffin.

Judge Marilyn Milian will decide the verdict in "The Case of the Raiders of the Lost Job."

                    Al Davis and Lane Kiffin appearing in The People's Court? That sounds ridiculous, right? Almost as ridiculous as an NFL owner not speaking to his head coach for over three weeks. Almost as ridiculous as that same head coach not speaking to the defensive coordinator for over two weeks. Almost as ridiculous as firing a head coach who has taken your team from a 2-14 record back to some semblance of respectability with a good defense and an excellent running game. Almost as ridiculous as replacing the fired coach by promoting the offensive line coach over the offensive and defensive coordinators. I think you get the point.

                   The Raiders have gone from one of the pillars of NFL excellence to a running joke in late night monologues. Al Davis has now become the stereotype of a senile old man who is half mad scientist and half honorary mayor of Boca Raton. Al Davis's team is no longer about winning and losing - he has turned it in to a "good ol' boys" club where any former Raider (regardless of competence) is given a position of power in the club and essentially a lifetime appointment. His system of installing a big arm quarterback and two or three speedy wide receivers to stretch the field is antiquated and hindering the team. Having burned through head coaches like pairs of underwear Al Davis has set his franchise back another two or three seasons.

                   The Lane Kiffin reign in Oakland was doomed from day one when Al Davis introduced him in a press conference by the wrong name. Davis promised Kiffin complete control of his staff of assistance, then told him that he was not allowed in the defensive meetings during the week. The offense is nearly nine points a game better this season than last season and the defense has gotten worse by nearly the same amount. It almost seems like Davis hired Kiffin in the hopes that he could control Kiffin and coach the team from his owners suite. But Davis wouldn't do that - would he?

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