Will Lane Kiffin Get a Shot at the Washington Job?

Lane Kiffin did not leave the Oakland Raiders' head coaching job on the best of terms.   Still, he is a visible collegiate head coaching prospect on the market.  I would suspect the University of Washington will take a good look at Kiffin to succeed the doomed Ty Willingham. 

Kiffin is not a sure thing.  He has a lot to prove.  We haven't seen his ability to shape a team on his own terms.

Most condemning, however, he has shown he is willing to step out of line in speaking to the media if he is unhappy for whatever reasons.

Kiffin also does not strategize very well.  By filing a grievance against your former employer while looking for a new job, that paints an odd picture for yourself: "Play nice with me or I'll sue."

I guess he picked up a few tricks from Al Davis, huh?

It remains to be seen how Kiffin's grievance to claim $2.6 million in salary from the Raiders will be dealt with by hard-nosed NFL Commish Roger Goodell.  One thing about Goodell is that he is unflappable.  He will do what is best for the league, not the men involved.

It is plain as day Kiffin was counter-productive with the Raiders in his speaking out to the media on whatever subjects he felt the need to vent on in his own conniving way.  To me, it's a no-brainer the grievance will be dismissed.

Kiffin's behavior shows he is temperamental.  He could have skated through his tenure as a temporary minion of Al Davis, but instead, he played the role of bratty little boy not getting his way and then leaving town with his expensive sunglasses and Mercedes and million-dollar house to put on the market.

Hey man, I was not one of the suckers who didn't want to see you go.  Five wins in 1.25 seasons as head coach may be unfair to judge him on, but it's not much on the résumé either, despite the horn-tooting Pat Hill and Pete Carroll are doing for him (and no doubt the gleaming-domed Trent Dilfer).

There isn’t a Fresno State and USC connection at work, is there?

Despite the negatives, Kiffin has several factors in his favor as far as being a decent choice to take over a struggling program.  He understands recruiting, and he is a name coach at this point.  He could be the type of personality the players will take to, and being an offensive-minded coach, he could potentially draw blue-chip skill players to a program.

He is also battle-tested and brings to the table a wealth of new knowledge from his time in the NFL. 

The problem is, who would place their trust in a guy like this? Whatever you think of Al Davis, Kiffin still signed a contract.  Underhanded arrogance is what we got when he was with the Raiders.

If I am going to support a head coach, I'd like to know he cares about his own team and me as a fan.  I never got that impression from him.