ProFootballTalk.com - Rumor Mill This was expected a while ago when we saw Davis ask Kiffin to resign. Kiffin refused to. I know that Kiffin has ignored Davis and what Davis wishes. Kiffin has told Davis that he's the head coach and he runs things on the football field. That clearly did not sit well with Davis and now it looks like he is getting the boot. I personally think its a bad decision to let Kiffin go. This team will never be good again if they continue to change coaches. This team may not be good until Davis leaves. Either way, I don't agree with the possible move. Moving on, I think Rob Ryan should get the job. Ryan listens to Davis often and even has run specific defenses that were asked by Davis. Ryan cares about his players and is a true Raider imo.
No one with half a brain would take the Raiders job. Al Davis is just to wacky to deal with, and the "new" HC is expected to turn lead into gold in three games.
Kiffin is a smart man. He is doing things the right way and hopes to god he gets fired from this situation. Something tells me he may even be helping his own cause.
Al Davis detests assertive coaches. He wants absolute control and wants to remain he face of the franchise. Gruden was allowed to stasy as long as he did because he was winning. However, the image of the Raiders was quickly becoming one of Gruden's face and not Al's, so Al started messing with him to the point where Gruden felt that it was time to leave while the leaving was good. We all know how that turned out. Since then, Davis has tried to get coaches that he can keep under his thumb...so to speak. Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell. All people who Davis was able to dictate too. And, all people who led the team to no where (Callahan won with Gruden's players and playbook). So, after Art Shell if fired, virtually NO ONE wants this job. Assistants from USC turned it down, Dennis Green looked at it and said no way. Sean Payton walked away from it as well. They settled on pretty much the only guy that would come back for anothe rinterview in the early 30's Lane Kiffin. The thought for Davis was, besides being the only person who would accept the job, that the young guy could be molded in Davis's image and easily manipulated into doing whatever Davis wanted. Well, right off the bat, Davis forbids Lane from bringing in his own coaches (which is nothing new for Davis). Davis also demands that Kiffin draft McFadden when Kiffin had his eyes on other players who would have been a better fit right out of the gate considering that Justin Fargas wa sjust given a huge contract and Michael Bush was/is still on the roster. So Kiffin, fed up with have no control over a team in which he is supposed to be the head coach, refused to give anymore input, negative/positive or otherwise into the draft. He essentially sat there while Davis and co. selected who they would get. This coming AFTER Davis tried to get Kiffin to quit. Kiffin, knowing that his career would be over if he is viewed as a quitter, refused. Instead, knowing that he is a lame duck, decided to run through the motions of coaching. I was told that he might even leave the team right before the start of the season as sort of an "F you" to Davis, but obviously that didn't happen. He is simply waiting to get fired so that he can go elsewhere. Everyone knows how hard it is to work for Davis, so getting fired from the Raiders isn't exactly going to stay with him forever.
I don't know man, I like Kiffin as a coach. I think he can be a good one. The only question I have with him is can he control his team. His team lacks discipline.
