With Kiffin's Coaching Career on Life-Support, Does Davis Pull the Plug?

As Ryan Lindell's 37-yard field goal sailed through the uprights and the clock read 0:00, many Oakland Raider fans probably began thinking: "Oh great, here we go again."

To try to gain some continuity for their beloved team, Raider fans have begun an Internet movement aimed at keeping Kiffin in town. There were rumors of signs to be printed up that reads: Keep Kiffin, there is an on-line petition that fans can sign calling for the front office to keep the young coach, and there were even a logo printed that reads: Keep Kiffin, Fire Al.

Not exactly what Al wanted. Then again, a man like Davis could care less what everyone wants or thinks. He's a control-freak who's only gotten worse with age.   

Weeks of speculation have surrounded Lane Kiffin's tenure in Oakland, and this may be just what the decrepit crypt keeper needs to show the young Kiffin his way out the door. Of course, canning young "Lance", as big Al once called him, is only going to lead to more heartache and failure.

What is Al thinking? He's going to die watching his beloved "Raidahs" turn into the perennial loser that Tampa and Detroit were when the Oakland was in its heyday. Raider fans have seen this before. The coaching carousel started spinning again when Jon Gruden jumped ship and opted the Caribbean waters the Bucs sail through. Coaching Oakland must be like trying to sail a ship on the walls of Hurricane Ike.

Gruden had had enough with the old man, but the difference between Gruden and Kiffin is that Gruden's teams were playing great football. Kiffin's teams are being held hostage by Davis' insistence on keeping Rob Ryan and on playing the role of GM.

Kiffin's hands are tied, and despite it all, his team has been playing it's heart out the last two weeks. If that is any indication as to what Kiffin can do when he is allowed to coach a team on his own terms, the Raiders are in trouble. The way Al makes the coaches office a revolving door, he's going to have gone through enough coaches to make every team make it personal when they play Oakland.

Shanahan and Turner are two in the AFC West who can't stand the Raiders. Throw Lane out there and if you add Gruden into the mix, that's four coaches who salivate when they play Oakland. If you bring Marty Schottenheimer back into the NFL that's five. Plus you add the next few coaches who Davis is going to hire and later fire, and you're talking a hefty number.

At that rate, the Raiders will never win another game.

Davis needs to step back and realize that his way isn't the right way anymore. Yes, there was the glorious past that I'm sure every Raider fan is thankful for. Al's time has passed, and it's time he realized that. He needs to start to admit that he's been making awful decision after awful decision for the last five seasons. 20-63 are proof. Instead, he'll blame Lane...even if he's not blaming Lane, he's going to fire him because he can.

Who should this one fall on? Rob Ryan. How you can go from dominating a team for three quarters and then turn chicken and let them carve you up is a mystery. Not to take anything from Trent Edwards, but he is no Jim Kelly and Ryan's play-calling made him look like the hall of famer.

So what's it going to be Al? You already tried Callahan, Shell, Turner, and apparently Kiffin. Who's next? Cowher? Billick? Fassel? Green? Ryan? Lofton? Either way, if your aim is to destroy the greatness of the Raiders (or what's left of it), you're doing a fabulous job. Commitment to Excellence? You should be committed to a psych ward.