I have been keeping close tabs on the media reports and some other bloggers in regards to Kiffin's future with the Raiders. Two of the more reliable bloggers in my view, Jason Jones and Jerry McDonald, had a pretty tough time finding Kiffin during the NFL Combine. That was a good chance for the Raiders and Kiffin to put to rest the rumors running rampant regarding Kiffin's future with the Raiders. Instead, all we got were more questions. Why was Kiffin hiding from the media, furthermore, why does he insist on dodging questions regarding his future with the Raiders? Rob Ryan answered questions and all the other members of the Raiders coaching staff were there for the taking. After watching all the drama unfold during the Combine, I have little doubt that something bad is brewing in Oakland. And I would not be the least bit surprised to see Kiffin gone within the next few weeks if they can come to a settlement.
What makes this even more disturbing is remembering last offseason. Does anyone remember how accessible Kiffin was? I remember hearing Kiffin on Sirius Radio and remember the conferences he had with reporters regarding the future of the Raiders. So why wasn't he accessible this time around. The easy answer would be that with all the controversy surrounding him he didn't want to deal with it. But what better way to deal with it than to come out and answer everyones' questions? Until The Raiders show some kind of faith in Kiffin this kind of thing will happen. Al Davis didn't help matters any by coming out and blaming his coaching staff for the trade that sent Randy Moss to the Patriots. If you put everything together there are undoubtably some obvious tension going on between the boss and his coach. If not, the Raiders need to fire their PR staff.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
After More Than A Year Off..I'm Back!
Well, I had to take a year off from the blog because personal matters demanded my attention. Not much has changed since I stopped posting has it? Same ole' Raider drama. Is Kiffin going to be our coach next year or will we watch as our 3rd coach gets fired in the same 3 years.
Personally, I'm pretty skeptical, especially seeing as James Lofton was hired to be our new Wide Receivers Coach. He interviewed for the Raiders Head Coaching position twice in the past. How would that make you feel if your name was Lane Kiffin? I don't think Lane will be fired this offseason, however, because it's way too late in the offseason to do that. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was fired during the season if the team gets off to a slow start. None of this drama, true or not, can be good for the team or the players.
I'll take a look at our options for the draft in my next post. I originally felt McFadden would do us a lot of good, but with the resigning of Justin Fargas, things have obviously changed. Until next time..
Personally, I'm pretty skeptical, especially seeing as James Lofton was hired to be our new Wide Receivers Coach. He interviewed for the Raiders Head Coaching position twice in the past. How would that make you feel if your name was Lane Kiffin? I don't think Lane will be fired this offseason, however, because it's way too late in the offseason to do that. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was fired during the season if the team gets off to a slow start. None of this drama, true or not, can be good for the team or the players.
I'll take a look at our options for the draft in my next post. I originally felt McFadden would do us a lot of good, but with the resigning of Justin Fargas, things have obviously changed. Until next time..
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Argument for Brady Quinn
Let me first try to rebuff those that say "Brady Quinn cannot win the big game." Quarterback is possibly the most important position to a football team, well at least it's the most glamorous. Which is why the fact that Notre Dame losing in big games has been put squarely on Brady Quinn's shoulders. But football is a team game, and I think it's unfair to blame him solely for those losses. Notre Dame is not a very talented team, and in no way deserved to be in a BCS game. They were totally outmatched against LSU, and it showed. Notre Dame's offensive line hasn't been very good this year, therefore, Quinn has not had a lot of time to throw the ball, especially in the "big games". If you watched the Sugar Bowl, you would have noticed the amazing difference in speed between the teams. LSU was a much better team. In fact, I think LSU was the second best team in the nation.
Before that, they lost to USC. Once again, Notre Dame was completely and utterly overmatched in every area. And while Quinn didn't have the best pass percentage, he didn't throw any interceptions, and tossed 3 touchdowns in that game. In fact all season, including the Sugar Bowl, Quinn only had four games where he tossed an interception. I understand that the Fighting Irish had a very easy shedule, but that is still a very good accomplishment. And once again, Notre Dame as a team is not that good. They are overrated. Brady Quinn, however, is not.
Take a look at what is happening in the NFL playoffs. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning aren't looking like top of the line quarterbacks in these games. Sure, their teams have won so far, but they have won because winning in football takes a team effort. So far in the playoffs, Peyton Manning has thrown only 1 TD, and has thrown 5 INTs, with a 58.3 rating. But he has the "can't win the big game status" as well. So we will move on to someone who "wins the big games". Tom Brady has thrown 4 TDs and 3 INTs for a 75.2 rating. But, against the Chargers, he threw 2 TDs, 3 INTs and completed only 52.9% of his passes for a 57.6% rating. They won that game because of circumstance. They lucked out and won a ticket to play Marty Schottenheimer in the playoffs.
Back to the point. This is a team game, and Notre Dame is not that good of a team. I do believe that Brady Quinn is a good quarterback, and more importabtly he seems like a pretty stand up guy. Sure, we can draft Jamarcus Russell. He had a good Sugar Bowl, but he was playing inferior competition. Isn't that the same argument people use to attack Quinn's credibility? "He has all his good games against service academies (inferior competition)." So why is Jamarcus Russell being held to a different standard.
Another reason Oakland may want to pass on Russell, is possible character issues. It has been reported that his coaches had to "make" him go to classes this semester, and his recent comments regarding his decision to enter the draft raised red flags. Russell was asked what his draft preferance was, and he said, "Whoever picks first and whoever pays the most." Big shocker, right. An NFL player wants big money. But who comes out and says it in public? With guys like Randy Moss and Jerry Porter on this team, do we really want another possible malcontent?
In the end, I hope the Raiders pass on both quarterbacks and trade their pick. But if they decide to go with a QB, they would be smart to draft Quinn.
Before that, they lost to USC. Once again, Notre Dame was completely and utterly overmatched in every area. And while Quinn didn't have the best pass percentage, he didn't throw any interceptions, and tossed 3 touchdowns in that game. In fact all season, including the Sugar Bowl, Quinn only had four games where he tossed an interception. I understand that the Fighting Irish had a very easy shedule, but that is still a very good accomplishment. And once again, Notre Dame as a team is not that good. They are overrated. Brady Quinn, however, is not.
Take a look at what is happening in the NFL playoffs. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning aren't looking like top of the line quarterbacks in these games. Sure, their teams have won so far, but they have won because winning in football takes a team effort. So far in the playoffs, Peyton Manning has thrown only 1 TD, and has thrown 5 INTs, with a 58.3 rating. But he has the "can't win the big game status" as well. So we will move on to someone who "wins the big games". Tom Brady has thrown 4 TDs and 3 INTs for a 75.2 rating. But, against the Chargers, he threw 2 TDs, 3 INTs and completed only 52.9% of his passes for a 57.6% rating. They won that game because of circumstance. They lucked out and won a ticket to play Marty Schottenheimer in the playoffs.
Back to the point. This is a team game, and Notre Dame is not that good of a team. I do believe that Brady Quinn is a good quarterback, and more importabtly he seems like a pretty stand up guy. Sure, we can draft Jamarcus Russell. He had a good Sugar Bowl, but he was playing inferior competition. Isn't that the same argument people use to attack Quinn's credibility? "He has all his good games against service academies (inferior competition)." So why is Jamarcus Russell being held to a different standard.
Another reason Oakland may want to pass on Russell, is possible character issues. It has been reported that his coaches had to "make" him go to classes this semester, and his recent comments regarding his decision to enter the draft raised red flags. Russell was asked what his draft preferance was, and he said, "Whoever picks first and whoever pays the most." Big shocker, right. An NFL player wants big money. But who comes out and says it in public? With guys like Randy Moss and Jerry Porter on this team, do we really want another possible malcontent?
In the end, I hope the Raiders pass on both quarterbacks and trade their pick. But if they decide to go with a QB, they would be smart to draft Quinn.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Coaching Speculations
In my last post I said that our new choice of head coach would either be someone that gets you excited, or someone that you have to google to find out who he is. With news coming out that Al Davis is interested in Steve Sarkisian, I think he is a guy that fits the second description. Most average football fans don't know too much about this guy, and many probably don't know that he was an assistant in Oakland. That gives this guy an edge over the other candidates. Plus the fact that he fits a mold of guys that Davis has gone after in the past. Think Gruden or Shanahan. I think he is a good choice, but I do have some reservations about him. I think that it could be difficult for some of the egos on this team to handle having such a young coach. I don't care how good he is, I just can't see guys like Porter and Moss taking him seriously. Because of this, Al would have to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. If the malcontents start to act up, Sarkisian has to be given the ability to get rid of these guys, and the players need to know it was his decision. You see, the players on this team aren't dumb, no matter what Bill Callahan says. They have used the fact that Al Davis holds the players in higher regard than the coach to their advantage. While I don't think Art was the guy for the job, it should not have been the players that resulted in his demise. It should have been his coaching ability. If the players start complaining about this head coach, Al needs to realize that it has more to do with the players he brings to this team, and not entirely the coaches. This is the third coach that the players have cried about. It's getting out of control.
Al Davis has also interviewed Fassel, and Rob Ryan is getting an interview today. I don't expect either of these guys to get the job. Some of the players have given Ryan their support. In the past, Al has given the players the guy they want, and it has not ended so well. The reason this time will be different is because Al Davis wants this offense fixed, and an offensive minded head coach would be best for that. In fact, Fassel has a better shot at the vacancy than Ryan does.
Look for the Raiders to interview a few more coaches, get their minority interview out of the way, and hire somebody by the end of next week.
Al Davis has also interviewed Fassel, and Rob Ryan is getting an interview today. I don't expect either of these guys to get the job. Some of the players have given Ryan their support. In the past, Al has given the players the guy they want, and it has not ended so well. The reason this time will be different is because Al Davis wants this offense fixed, and an offensive minded head coach would be best for that. In fact, Fassel has a better shot at the vacancy than Ryan does.
Look for the Raiders to interview a few more coaches, get their minority interview out of the way, and hire somebody by the end of next week.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Let The Coaching Search Begin
Art Shell became the Raiders latest coaching casualty today, and while I agree with the move, Al Davis has to make sure he finds the right guy this time. Our coaching situation has been dismal over the last few years, and besides Gruden's short stint, the Raiders have suffered through inept coaching staffs for a long time now.
So who will be the newest person to try and turn this team around? A lot of people are saying that it will be Rob Ryan, the current defensive coordinator. And while he has done a great job with the defense, that doesn't always lead to head coaching success. I think it would be safer to keep Ryan on as defensive coordinator, and allow him to worry about the defense, and only the defense. If he becomes the head coach, he will have much more to worry about than the defense, and it could cause that unit to suffer.
No, it won't be Rob Ryan. It will almost certainly be an offensive minded coach. Al Davis knows what this team needs in order to compete. They need offense, and bringing in an offensive guy would be best for this team. Sure, he could move Ryan up to head coach, and bring in a good offensive coordinator. But that isn't what this team needs. This team needs a guy who is thinking offense all the time.
So, who will this coach be? Well, a lot of NFL "experts" keep playing that same tune. "No one wants to coach the Raiders". Well, these so called experts are wrong 95% of the time. How many of these same analysts were saying that Art wouldn't get fired. Following Sunday's loss to the Jets, a majority of the news world was saying that Shell would be staying. Money is what makes a majority of human beings tick, and all Al needs to do is throw a decent salary at some of the high quality coaches out there and he will get a solid replacement for Shell.
Of course, you will hear the names that you hear every year the Raiders go on a coaching search. Jim Fassel's name has already come up, like it does every time. He could get the job, but I think one of two things will happen. Either we will sign a guy that will blow our minds, like Bobby Petrino, or we will get a guy that nobody saw coming. It will not be one of those hires where you sit there with a blank face and say "oh". You know the hire I'm talking about, see Norv Turner and Art Shell. This hire will either be a guy that gets you excited, or someone that you have to google in order to find out what his credentials are.
So who will be the newest person to try and turn this team around? A lot of people are saying that it will be Rob Ryan, the current defensive coordinator. And while he has done a great job with the defense, that doesn't always lead to head coaching success. I think it would be safer to keep Ryan on as defensive coordinator, and allow him to worry about the defense, and only the defense. If he becomes the head coach, he will have much more to worry about than the defense, and it could cause that unit to suffer.
No, it won't be Rob Ryan. It will almost certainly be an offensive minded coach. Al Davis knows what this team needs in order to compete. They need offense, and bringing in an offensive guy would be best for this team. Sure, he could move Ryan up to head coach, and bring in a good offensive coordinator. But that isn't what this team needs. This team needs a guy who is thinking offense all the time.
So, who will this coach be? Well, a lot of NFL "experts" keep playing that same tune. "No one wants to coach the Raiders". Well, these so called experts are wrong 95% of the time. How many of these same analysts were saying that Art wouldn't get fired. Following Sunday's loss to the Jets, a majority of the news world was saying that Shell would be staying. Money is what makes a majority of human beings tick, and all Al needs to do is throw a decent salary at some of the high quality coaches out there and he will get a solid replacement for Shell.
Of course, you will hear the names that you hear every year the Raiders go on a coaching search. Jim Fassel's name has already come up, like it does every time. He could get the job, but I think one of two things will happen. Either we will sign a guy that will blow our minds, like Bobby Petrino, or we will get a guy that nobody saw coming. It will not be one of those hires where you sit there with a blank face and say "oh". You know the hire I'm talking about, see Norv Turner and Art Shell. This hire will either be a guy that gets you excited, or someone that you have to google in order to find out what his credentials are.
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