ESPN : Raiders coach Kiffin on cusp of firing, report says

[ixcuincle]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3587018

The job of Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has come under fire again from the one person that matters, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

In late January, ESPN Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen reported that Raiders owner Al Davis had drawn up a resignation letter for Kiffin a week into the year and asked the coach to quit.

Lane Kiffin

Kiffin
Now, Davis is preparing to fire Kiffin as soon as Monday, regardless of how the visiting Raiders perform Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Mercury News has reported, citing several front-office sources.

"You have to look at the history. History is what it is, that he doesn't keep people very long," Kiffin said Wednesday of Davis, two days after the Raiders lost their season opener 41-14 to the Denver Broncos in Oakland.

"He's not the guy I hired," Davis said in mid-August, according to the report in the Bay Area newspaper.

Speculation about Kiffin's status began in early January after reports surfaced following the season that he wanted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. The Raiders dismissed those reports and announced that Ryan was staying on as coordinator.

Kiffin was reportedly upset that he didn't have control of his coaching staff, leading Davis to ask for his resignation. If Kiffin were to resign, he would not be paid for the remaining two years of his contract.

"We don't have a general manager; everything goes through the owner," Kiffin said Wednesday. "That sets up a difficult situation at times. Knowing who the owner is, you know from Day 1 there's no job security."

Kiffin, 33, became the youngest man to coach a game in the NFL since Harland Svare took over the Los Angeles Rams as a 31-year old in 1962.

The Raiders went 4-12 in his first season in Oakland, doubling the team's win total from the previous year and showing signs of improvement in many areas.

But it marked the fifth straight year that Oakland has lost at least 10 games.

[DWinzit]

Can any one name a worse NFL owner over the past decade then Al Davis?

[bubba9497]

Can any one name a worse NFL owner over the past decade then Al Davis?

senility is a sad thing :(

[DWinzit]

senility is a sad thing :(Yeah, he's made a laughing stock out of a once proud organization.

[tr1]

Al really hates Denver...and coaches he can't bully.

Maybe Chuckie is ready to go back from Tampa Bay.

[Thinking Skins]

so is Al about to regain the throne as (in a Keith Olbermann voice) "Worse Owner in the WORLD World world world"

[Terence Newman 41]

Always trying to build Rome in a day.

No patient what so ever.

[Hunter_R]

Can any one name a worse NFL owner over the past decade then Al Davis?
Bidwells? Possibly Snyder as far as meddling is concerned.

On a different note, am I alone in thinking Kiffin didn't do all that bad with what he had? The defensive coordinator should have been strung up by his toes. The Raiders won't be a force in the NFL until Davis no longer owns the team. He says he won't give them up until they win 2 more Super Bowls, so I guess that leaves the alternative.

[BillyKilmer]

Can any one name a worse NFL owner over the past decade then Al Davis?
Bidwell does not have the excuse of senility. I can not imagine the hopelessness of being a Cardinal fan.

[JMU Alum 07]

Bidwells? Possibly Snyder as far as meddling is concerned.

On a different note, am I alone in thinking Kiffin didn't do all that bad with what he had? The defensive coordinator should have been strung up by his toes. The Raiders won't be a force in the NFL until Davis no longer owns the team. He says he won't give them up until they win 2 more Super Bowls, so I guess that leaves the alternative.


No you're not alone. If I were an owner I'd definitely give Kiffin a look if I was looking to hire a new coach. The Raiders showed a lot of improvement last year in a lot of areas. Even though they only won 4 games they were competitive in a lot of games for the first time in years and I would like to see what Kiffin could do with a little talent on his roster.

[The extremist]

Can any one name a worse NFL owner over the past decade then Al Davis?

in his defense (i can't believe i'm doing this), the raiders HAVE made it to 1 SB in the past decade...

worse ownership groups over the past decade are Detroit, Cleveland, Arizona, Miami, and Washington

[StJoe4Life]

Senility is an awful, awful thing.

[ECU-ALUM]

Well...he won today...so now what to you do Al?

Couldn't happen to a nicer organization.

[laurent]

Whenever Washington fans they think they have it bad with Snyder, I urge them to think about Oakland and how terrible it must be to watch that fogies shenanigans year in and year out.

[laurent]

in his defense (i can't believe i'm doing this), the raiders HAVE made it to 1 SB in the past decade...

worse ownership groups over the past decade are Detroit, Cleveland, Arizona, Miami, and Washington

The only difference between losing the super bowl and not making the playoffs is draft slotting.

[KDawg]

If Kiffin is smart, he keeps riding McFadden.

[ECU-ALUM]

I saw Kiffin on the post-game show...and keep in mind his team just won...I swear you'd thought you were watching Norv Turner after a loss.

He looked around like he was expecting someone to mug him.

[DCranon21]

I actually feel sorry for Kiffin, as I thought he was trying to improve what happens out there. Granted he's 32, he's still learning himself.

Congrats Raider fans, you owner just set you back yet another 5 years in order to feel good about a coach.

[Warhead36]

Good thing for Kiffin now is that he's gotten his feet wet in the NFL. Nobody will hold this firing against him and he can use this experience to benefit him wherever he goes next, college or pros...

[veteranskinsfan]

Bidwells? Possibly Snyder as far as meddling is concerned.

On a different note, am I alone in thinking Kiffin didn't do all that bad with what he had? The defensive coordinator should have been strung up by his toes. The Raiders won't be a force in the NFL until Davis no longer owns the team. He says he won't give them up until they win 2 more Super Bowls, so I guess that leaves the alternative.
I agree Kiffin did not do as bad as Davis wants fans to believe. Davis made some more bad signings this year with veteran players he acquires from teams who are trying to unload their lousy players with expensive contracts. Ryan finally blitzed his linebackers today and they actually won the game today. Bay area fans are shocked that they won today.

[zoony]

Al should just coach the team himself.

Who is going to work for him? Serious question

[Terence Newman 41]

Al should just coach the team himself.

Who is going to work for him? Serious question

He can bring back Art Shell for the 3rd time :)

[zoony]

He can bring back Art Shell for the 3rd time :)


I bet Denny Green would even say no

If I'm a coordinator NO WAY do I take this job. Why would I? You're destined to fail. And in this game, you only get one shot.

And if I'm an ex-coach, out of work- why do I come back to work for that jerk? No thanks, I'll enjoy retirment.


I was serious when I said he should just coach them himself. It's obvious that Al feels nobody is as smart and as football-savvy as he is. Nobody can live up to his expectations.

Of course, Al can't fire himself when the team sucks- so that's out of the question. Maybe he'll promote the waterboy

[ixcuincle]

A week after this whole saga , Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com reports Lane Kiffin will be fired for real today.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8593236/Sources:-Raiders%27-Davis-to-fire-Kiffin-Monday-


Updated: September 22, 2008, 1:10 AM EST

It appears the Lane Kiffin experiment in Oakland may really be over this time ... no, really ... seriously.

Kiffin has been informed by Raiders officials that Al Davis intends to remove him as the team's head coach as early as Monday, FOXSports.com has learned.

Davis blamed Kiffin for the Raiders' 24-23 loss on Sunday to the Bills, and told his underlings that he will make the move on Monday. However, word was leaked out last week in a similar fashion and Kiffin survived. Players reached out to FOXSports.com to express hope that the move would not be made, and with Davis you can never be certain.

[DCSaints_fan]

Mass_Skinsfan should love Al Davis. I mean if you can't win every single game you might as well fire the coach.

[ChocolateCitySkin]

man that blows you don't even get 4 games with davis huh?