IT’S HIS TEAM AND HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS TO

I’M BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!! My apologies about last week, but you know school comes first. I did well on my test, so the studying truly did pay-off! Now let’s get down to the business at hand.

I have a real bone to pick with the national sports media. Particularly the hosts of my favorite radio show (Moving the Chains on Sirius NFL Radio, the best radio on radio). “Why?” you ask. Because in my opinion they are painting Al Davis as an old out of touch guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing and basically calling him stupid for firing Lane Kiffin. Everyone is throwing a pity-party for Lane Kiffin, and quite frankly I don’t know why. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of the Oakland Raiders in any way, shape, or form. I also don’t have any problems with Lane Kiffin, but on this issue I must do what I always do and call a spade a spade.

This story has multiple layers, and I will briefly explain them to you and help you to understand why I must come to the defense of Mr. Davis on this issue.

First of all, Al Davis deserves to be held in very high regard by true NFL fans. He has contributed as much or more to the NFL than anyone else in the history of the league. He was the head coach and general manager of the Oakland Raiders when they played in the AFL. He then served as commissioner of the AFL. Once the AFL merged with the NFL he returned to the Raiders as a general partner and head of football operations. During his tenure the Raiders have won five league or conference championships and three Super Bowls. His track record proves that he knows football and truly deserves the spot he has in the Hall of Fame.

The one criticism of Davis that I think is fair is that he is too meddlesome with his coaching staffs and doesn’t allow them the freedom or authority necessary to do their jobs. He is known for not allowing his coaches to have total control in choosing their assistant coaches. Former players have also talked about instances when Mr. Davis would call the sideline from the owner’s box during games to “suggest” plays that should be run. I have no problem with the hands-on NFL owner, but in this respect Mr. Davis does take it too far. The point that I am getting at is that EVERYONE WHO PAYS ANY ATTENTION TO THE NFL HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THIS ABOUT AL DAVIS. Why in the world would Lane Kiffin think that Davis would suddenly change after hiring him?

Al Davis hired a 31- year old Lane Kiffin as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007. O.K. let’s evaluate that situation. Prior to being hired by Oakland, Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC. That means he went from college offensive coordinator to NFL head coach. It is well documented that college head coaches that make the jump to the NFL fail at a tremendous rate, so you know that the odds of success were firmly stacked against Kiffin. Also, we must be honest and acknowledge three facts. The first is that the Oakland Raiders is arguably the worst head coaching job in the NFL. The second is that Lane Kiffin was nowhere near the first choice for this job, and only got an interview after fellow USC assistant Steve Sarkisian withdrew from consideration (he wasn’t the first choice either). The third fact is that no other NFL team was exactly beating Kiffin’s door down to become their head coach. With that being said and knowing Davis’ reputation, how could Kiffin think that he was hired to be anything but Al Davis’ puppet? If he thought otherwise, then he was simply fooling himself. Did he really think Davis saw him as a young genius who could lead the Raiders back to their glory days rather than a young kid who was so happy to be an NFL coach that he would do whatever Davis wanted him to do?

Twenty games into his tenure as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Lane Kiffin was fired. This decision caused an uproar in the national sports media. Everyone immediately started to take shots at Davis for firing Kiffin. Comparisons were immediately drawn to the Mike Shanahan situation. Davis fired Mike Shanahan after just twenty games also, and Shanahan went on to win two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and will probably be in the Hall of Fame some day. I don’t think that is a fair comparison because Shanahan had an NFL pedigree prior to becoming the head coach of the Raiders. Where Kiffin had only been a college assistant (he was only a coordinator for one year), Shanahan had spent time as an NFL quarterback coach and offensive coordinator before becoming the Raiders head coach. Trust me, that makes a huge difference. However the bottom line in the firing was the fact that Kiffin had a 5 – 20 record as the head coach of the Raiders. Last time I checked a 0.250 winning percentage was grounds for termination. So please, stop acting like Al Davis just fired Tony Dungy or Bill Belichick. KIFFIN SUCKED AS AN NFL COACH!!!! In all fairness to Kiffin, the Raiders weren’t exactly the most talented team in the NFL, but they certainly had better talent (especially on defense) than their record dictates. Although I hate to see anyone lose their job, especially in these economic times. We must remember that AL DAVIS OWNS THE TEAM AND HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS TO!!!! That my friends is the joy of being the owner. Everyone works for you at your pleasure and you can replace them whenever you like.

When the story first broke and I heard Al Davis’ press conference, one thing in particular stood out to me. I noticed in his speech that Al Davis clearly stated that he was firing Lane Kiffin “with cause.” I immediately knew what that meant. That meant that he was firing him and did not plan on paying him the remaining value left on his contract (which is reportedly $3.5 million). Although I think that Davis was well within his rights to fire Kiffin, I didn’t initially think that Davis had the right to withhold the remaining value of his contract. Then I thought about it and determined that if a player can be cut (essentially fired) without being paid the remainder of his contract, why can’t a coach? I know that the answer to that question is that coaches and players are playing by different rules, but that still doesn’t make it right. You can’t have it both ways. Either players should have guaranteed contracts or coaches shouldn’t. It’s the player that puts his body on the line week in and week out, not the coach.

Let the record clearly state that I have no problem with Al Davis firing Lane Kiffin. Yes, he did do it fairly quickly (20 games into his tenure) but the record speaks for itself. I also think that Lane Kiffin is crazy if he thought working for Al Davis would be any different than it was. Everyone who follows the NFL knows how Al Davis is, and if you didn’t that means that you didn’t do your homework. Shame on you! I also feel as though Lane Kiffin should be paid the rest of his contract. However, I am glad that Davis is trying to fight it because it will shine a bright light on how different a player’s contract is treated compared to a coach’s contract.

Don’t cry for Lane Kiffin. There is a very good chance that an arbitrator is going to rule in his favor concerning the dollars remaining on the contract. He will also have his pick of available college head coaching jobs after the season. That’s right, I SAID COLLEGE! It is painfully obvious that he is a college head coach and not an NFL head coach. He was tremendously overmatched in the NFL. He belongs in college football and I think that he realizes it too.

So before you go bashing Al Davis and talking about his incompetence and his poor decision making, evaluate the facts at hand. KIFFIN DESERVED TO BE FIRED!!!! whether you like it or not.


****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 23 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!