Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that Raiders owner Al Davis has fired head coach Lane Kiffin (by telephone), seemingly ending the charade that has taken place since Kiffin's hiring last year. That said, Davis aims not to honor the remainder of Kiffin's contract. For that, Davis will be criticized for yet another reason.
The demise of the Raiders is nothing new. Though Davis should be remembered for his contributions to American football, his missteps (and cowardice) as owner over the last five years may result in this generation forgetting that.
In spite of a 4-12 record last year and the exact same winning percentage so far this season, the Raiders were making progress under Kiffin, who was doing his best despite not having any real control over personnel and staff. With the likes of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City (my pick), Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Francisco and perhaps Seattle looking for a new head coach in the off-season, Kiffin will have a leg up on the competition due to his youth and experience.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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As much as I love Kiffin sticking it to Davis, I'm not so sure about your assertion that he'll have a "leg up" on the competition ... unless he's urinating on them doggie style.
My general observation is that owners in the NFL don't like having their authority challenged by their coaches and other personnel. Given that Kiffin has taken this to new levels, I wonder what owner would take the risk of hiring a guy who is more than willing to bite the hand that feeds him
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