Lane Kiffin Is Fired—Or Is He?

Okay, folks, here we go again. Place your bets on which day Lane Kiffin will be fired. Oh, did we forget to tell you? Al Davis is the one operating the betting wheel and he gets half the winnings.

More than a week ago it started in the media. Al was going to fire Kiffin, regardless of the Raiders' game against the Chiefs. Monday, the gloom and doomers trumpeted.

Sunday came, the Raiders won, and everyone in the Raider Nation waited with anticipation. Monday came. News checks every hour, nothing, nada, nothing.

Tuesday, still nothing.

By midweek, still nothing. It was safer to assume Kiffin would stay coach for that following week. So, he stayed.

After a loss this Sunday, there was more of the same. The gloomers stated he'd be gone, some even blaring the headlines stating that Kiffin would be fired on Monday. But there was not a thread of truth in the matter.

Three things come to mind, in this case:

1. Al Davis is playing this, simply to make the media look foolish. Every time Adam Shefter makes a critical blunder, it warms that old coot's heart.

2. Al's hoping that all the stress will get to Kiffin, and that Kiffin will finally just resign and walk away, leaving Davis with all that money...pocket change for Al Davis.

3. Al's going to do it, but he wants to know who will steer the ship when Kiffin is gone, and who will stay on the Black Ship Pirate once it leaves the harbor.

Right now,No. 1 sounds like Al's style. Here's a man, who went out of his way to thumb his nose at the media, the league, and the commish by moving to LA.

This one's for you, Adam.

How long will this showboating go on?

Only Al knows.