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Call The E.P.A!!! The Raiders Mess Just Plan Stinks...

Hat Tip to MDierk for breaking this story in THIS DIARY!

2007 was by far the toughest season in recent memory if you are a Denver Broncos fan. Luckily for us, there are things worse than being a Broncos fan right now.  What you ask??  How about being a Raiders fan.  Yes, the garbage heap that is the Silver and Black looks like it is about to hit toxic levels.  Al Davis is reportedly trying to force Head Coach Lane Kiffin to resign, going so far as actually writin the resignation letter himself --

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has been pushing for coach Lane Kiffin to resign and is considering Dennis Green as a potential replacement, sources close to Kiffin and the team said.

Davis has gone so far as to draft a letter of resignation for Kiffin to sign, a source said. Kiffin has refused to do so but has dared Davis to fire him instead. The letter, the source said, was sent to Kiffin two weeks ago.

One season into the job and Lane Kiffin has quite a dilemma on his hands. Raiders owner Al Davis wants him out, but Kiffin's not budging.

Kiffin, who was 4-12 in his first season as coach, has two years remaining on his contract at an estimated $2 million per year.

In the letter sent to Kiffin's legal representatives, Davis stated that only he would have control over his staff and full personnel decisions, sources said. According to a source close to Kiffin, Davis had promised Kiffin when he hired him that he would have more control over staff and personnel matters than recent Raiders coaches. Kiffin was allowed five offensive assistants and to name his own staff when he took the job after the 2006 season.

"I'm not going to comment on anything that has transpired in the past three weeks," Kiffin said from Mobile, Ala., where he and the Raiders staff are coaching the North team in the Under Armour Senior Bowl college all-star game.

The Raiders had no immediate comment.

Kiffn and Davis clashed near the conclusion of their postseason evaluation meetings when Kiffin expressed his desire to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, a source said. Ryan wanted out to join the New York Jets in a similar capacity, but the Raiders released a statement asking for speculation to cease about the defensive coordinator's future.

Just this week at the Senior Bowl, Kiffin and Ryan said their relationship was fine and expected to be coaching the team in 2008. But Davis has not rescinded his request for Kiffin to step down, a source said.

As for Green's candidacy, while team sources said Davis has reached out to the veteran coach, Green said Friday, "I haven't really talked to Al about any coaching job but, really, how many times has my name been mentioned every time something goes on with the Raiders?"

According to John Herrera, senior executive of the Raiders, "it's a non-issue. It hasn't been an issue and Dennis Green has already debunked the report," he told Bay Area reporters.

The Raiders will interview James Lofton on Monday for a job, a source said. Oakland is looking for a wide receivers coach and Lofton, who has interviewed in the past to be head coach of the Raiders, was recently fired as San Diego's receivers coach.

Looks like Al Davis feels "his way" -- losing -- is better than what someone else can do.  The Raider mess, close to becoming the laughing stock of professional sports, has been rapidly deteriorating since their Super Bowl appearance in 2002.  In the five seasons since, the Raiders have used 4 different head coaches, all having been supreme failures --

2007     4-12     Lane Kiffin
2006     2-14     Art Shell
2005     4-12     Norv Turner
2004     5-11     Norv Turner
2003     4-12     Bill Callahan

All of this is music to my ears, of course, because any time the Raiders make fools of themselves it reminds me hoe fortunate I am to be a fan of the Orange and Blue.

0 recs  |  Comment 6 comments

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It seems to me that
this is Davis' way of "testing" potential coaches.

If they can't take the heat...etcetera.

This should give KC real hope of not bein in the basement (alone at any rate) in 08...

LOL!

by Jeremy Bolander on Jan 25, 2008 5:53 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Also...
I am officially calling them the 'Faded' from here on out.

They are simply so far from where they have been that it is unbelievable.  This isn't a process for them, as 'Fader' would, and has, indicated.  This is a STATE for them.  Faded.

Ridiculous.

by Jeremy Bolander on Jan 25, 2008 6:05 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Well, Guru....
I don't know who "MDirek" is, but he seems to be a good guy.  LOL

Does this mean that the Oakland Raiders qualify as a Superfund site?  If they are deemed a Superfund site, it will take at least 20 years for clean-up and it could be another 10 years before they lose the Superfund designation.  LOL

Hopeful for a much better 2008!

by mdierk on Jan 25, 2008 8:51 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Shame.
I feel badly for Lane Kiffin here, who would have been in line for any number of the high profile college head coaching jobs that were open earlier in the offseason.  Al Davis makes me laugh and sick all at once.

by ejruiz on Jan 25, 2008 9:19 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

The game seems to have passed him by...
Al Davis is not the visionary he once was, and he does a lot of stupid stuff now (or so it seems).  I always felt the best owners are the ones who let the football guys do the football, like Pat Bowlen, not Davis, Snyder, and Jerry Jones.

by studbucket on Jan 25, 2008 11:40 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Long live Al Davis!!!
I never get tired of laughing at the shenanigans of the prince of fadeness!  

The only sad part about their plight is that a lot of early first day draft choices are wasted on them.  Maybe the NFL should penalize them for watering down the level of play in the league and take away their first round draft choice :)

by Arctic Bronco on Jan 26, 2008 12:22 AM MST reply actions   0 recs

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