Cirque du Alameda
Well, things are going from bad to worse, as this video will attest. Raiders executive John Herrera apparently took exception to San Jose Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami's assertion that the Raiders distributed a negative article about Lane Kiffin to local media last week. The result was a near brawl after today's press conference, replete with f-bombs and in-your-face finger pointing.
Now, I can certainly understand Herrera's frustration if, indeed, Kawakami's account about the article distribution was untrue. I wasn't there to know whether or not such a thing happened (the Raiders don't recognize independent bloggers, just Raider-hating bloggers employed by established media outlets), so I can't really take sides on this matter, but I've got to think that Herrera got so heated for a reason. Unfortunately, he looked a bit silly in the process. He is a "senior executive" for the Raiders, but he looked kind of junior league coming unglued like that.
What's even more unfortunate (and revealing) is that this is the only rumor the Raiders have chosen to vociferously deny at this time. Not that Kiffin is hanging by a thread. Not that Kiffin has no significant role in the defense. Not that communication has totally broken down between the head coach and the front office. No, only that the Raiders didn't distribute a negative article about Kiffin to a beat writer.
Wow, that's like chasing minnows with a shark on the loose.
Now, I can certainly understand Herrera's frustration if, indeed, Kawakami's account about the article distribution was untrue. I wasn't there to know whether or not such a thing happened (the Raiders don't recognize independent bloggers, just Raider-hating bloggers employed by established media outlets), so I can't really take sides on this matter, but I've got to think that Herrera got so heated for a reason. Unfortunately, he looked a bit silly in the process. He is a "senior executive" for the Raiders, but he looked kind of junior league coming unglued like that.
What's even more unfortunate (and revealing) is that this is the only rumor the Raiders have chosen to vociferously deny at this time. Not that Kiffin is hanging by a thread. Not that Kiffin has no significant role in the defense. Not that communication has totally broken down between the head coach and the front office. No, only that the Raiders didn't distribute a negative article about Kiffin to a beat writer.
Wow, that's like chasing minnows with a shark on the loose.
posted by Raider Take at 9:15 PM
174 Comments:
Let's win Sun and flush all this BS down the crapper. 2-2 goin into the bye week would fix quite a bit.
RaiderMike
Pile of crap. I don't like Tim Kwak (Quack), I think he's an idiot, just like Nancy Gay, and her reply when Tim asked, "Has anyone else received a copy of this?" Her reply was, "One of my beat writers received one." Uh-huh, sure they did.
It's funny how the question was addressed to Kiffin, who didn't even answer it because Herrera the Hit Man was all over Tim like Crap on a fly (or something like it).
All of this to say, go look at my last post. Al needs to step in. Al needs to address the media and voice his opinion about the Raiders Organization, his coaching staff, and his team. This has to stop.
Cam Inman has a good article:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_10533918
He's the one who had an interview with Al Davis last August (I know because I read it to my son when he was born). It was a great article that gives you a clear picture of what kind of person Al really is; and it tells the story of his wife having a stroke, Al taking care of her, and his own health problems.
Cam hits the same note as I have, it's time for Al to put an end to this circus. Enough is enough.
Take,
The original video has unfortunately been taken down. There is a second one that is very disjointed and hard to follow.
Also, I have never had you in the IAADF crowd. You will listen and offer questions and oinions besides "Al must go".
Folks in the IAADF crowd don't like anyone who disagrees with them. They have delusions of grandeur, believe they are the smartest person in the room and that they have all the answers. Problem is many times they don't know what the question is.
Ultimately it is Al Davis' responsibility because he is the owner. But, as far as it being all his fault, no.
He doesn't call the plays or have a strategy to "not lose". I mean that on both sides of the ball.
He doesn't drop passes, or fumble, or false start.
As for Blanda and I living in the past. Well, Jones, at a certain point in your life you will wake up one day and realize you have more past than future. A lot more.
And, you look at that past and realize Al Davis has been very kind to folks like Blanda and I.
We also utilize that database that comes with all those years when we analyze the current situation.
We want to win with Al Davis. Not because of some convoluted hero worship, but because he deserves it. He was the driving force behind all those trips to the Super Bowl, including this decade, and all those division championships.
We percieve, true or not but probably true, of a major media bias and therefore do not buy into every article that comes out. As for this take, Kawakami is one of the worst of the haters.
We also understand and accept that Al Davis is the Raiders. We may not always agree with him, but we understand him and his place in football history, what happened twenty years ago and what happened last week.
H
H, I agree with your sentiments on Davis for the majority. That he has been a great owner to people like you and I (afterall, he gave my dad tickets to the AFC Championship in the '83/84 season). But he is part of the problem as well, and things like this yesterday further proves that he is not part of the solution to right the ship. He's been at sea too long, and is starting to see mermaids. If he truly loves his team, he would step aside. Change has to start with him. I hate to see it because he's one of a kind. But I would rather remember him for what he was, not what he has become.
I wrote the below on Calico's blog this morning. I had to share it here as well, because it is my view of the last 5 (going on 6) seasons. Agree or disagree, this has become the truth of the Raiders Organization.
The winter cold killed a pirate
Frustration on the sea
With a lamenting song, he weeps, he longs
To recover from his injury
He hangs his head in defeat
He feels helpless as the cold waves crash
He's lost his sense of direction
And has snot-sickles on his mustache
He moans and begs for mercy
He reflects on his glory of old
He begins to shake, and quiver and quake
As the winter robs him of his gold.
The winter cold killed a Raider
A legacy ends in turmoil and shun
He's been knocked around, hung upside down
Disgraced, defeated, undone
Nate,
That is why I want to "win one for the Gipper" for lack of better expression. Then he can ride off into the sunset like he deserves.
I feel he has built a nucleus of players who can get the job done. It's time to turn them loose on both sides of the ball.
If you are going to go down, go down with both guns a blazing. That's why he opened the checkbook last spring. It's why Kiffin and Ryan need to open up the playbook.
Both are falling into habits developed last year. Kiffin playing not to lose, and Ryan playing soft late using zones.
Last year Ryan played man coverage with Nnamdi and Zone on the other side. Especially late with a lead. I think he went back to that after Hall was lit up opening day. Not a good decision.
Last year I was begging Kiffin to take the training wheels off this supposed high powered offense so we fans could see it. So far nothing. You can only protect Russell so long. At some point you have to put the game on his shoulders.
H
He opened the checkbook on players who have no self-control, who haven't contributed in the NFL in the last 4 years, who have potential, but never used it, and on players who should be second-stringers; but have a starter's role!
You can say all you want about his desire to win by putting a "team" together, but the only anchors he really has is J-Russ, McFadden, and Bush on offense; Morrison, Howard, and a franchise on Asomugah. He didn't "open the checkbook" on the players that he needed. Asomugah, a Left and Right Tackle, a genuine #1 WR, a DT (or 3), or a DE to help Burgess.
He's done nothing to bring good talent in. He's done nothing to build a winning team in YEARS!
No, DeAngelo Hall is not a good CB. No, Kelly is not the stop-gap DT. No, Javon Walker is not a good WR. No, Kwame Harris and Mario Henderson are not good Tackles. The jury is still out on Richardson at RDE. This team, should be at best, and 8-8 team. Which is far better than any of the last 5 seasons, but it is not a winning team. They continue to prove that week-in, and week-out.
I am a big fan of Al Davis (past and present) and feel bad for him and the direction his legacy is headed.
If he keeps his present course and fails, it may destroy, or at least distort his Raiders legacy.
However, if he hires a GM and allows Kiffin to continue and try to improve the Raiders, it's a win/win situation.
Either Kiffin succeeds and Al is a hero for pulling that trigger, or Kiffin and his new GM fail and nobody will blame Al for trying. Kiffin is well respected in the NFL and comes with excellent lineage. Let's hire a GM and let them have a go at this.
H
Your dreamy view is the exact problem. You dream for Al but not for the Raiders. Your fantasy of glorydays from 30 years ago trumps anything that will help the team move forward today.You one of the people who loved it when Al hired Art Shell II and talked of how we would play old time Raider football. I have been a fan since '70, so your dreamy outlook and talk about me realizing that the past becomes more than the future is BS. I want what is good for the Raiders, Al Davis has proven over and over and over in the last 20+ years that he is no longer good for the RAIDERS. It's time to get into the NEW CENTURY H, it's a different time , with different rules and different players and a different formula for success. If you want one for the "gipper", then call for Al to step off, call for Al to put people in place who can get tyhe job done. He will still get to raise the trophy when it's all done. This is TODAY H, stop living in yesterday..."those who live in the past, cannot move forward."
JONES
A comment with respect to the article:
"Almost a brawl". Give me a break. It was a heated argument at best. Kawakami was being very submissive after his arm was removed forcefully. There was no chance for a fight. As far as a brawl is concerned, at least my definition of a brawl involves more than one. The other reporters were either smiling or looked intimidated and were really keeping there distance.
So you, the author, are risky your credibility by exagerating. You are as bad as some of the reporters.
Jones,
I guess since you are the smartest guy in the room, you have all the answers. I mean all we would have to do is ask and you would answer yes.
The problem with folks like youself is it's a one note samba. Hence the term IAADF or IAAF, take your pick.
Nate,
Points taken, but for a few years we complained about him not opening the check book. And, those players you mentioned are the nucleus I was talking about.
Javon Walker thus far seems to be a bad investment, it happens. I was against bringing in Hall, thought it was a bad idea. I said so last spring on this very site when the trade was announced (for those who say I dont critized Al Davis, take that).
The jury is still out on Kelly also. He plays well in spurts, could be part of the recovery, don't know yet. Wilson has played well so far. He should not have been ejected on Sunday. He was held and drug to the ground with his foot tangled in the pile and took exception. Should have been offsetting penalties.
Hell, now that he's starting, the switch may go on in Henderson's head.
People seem to forget, we are getting some of the things we want. QB, RB, TE, LB, CB, SS. More pieces are needed and we need to turn them loose. But, the cupboard isn't as empty as it was three years ago.
By the way, Seabass hasn't missed yet. He's actually doing his part this year, including a team record.
H
Anon, go to Dictionary.com and type in brawl. The first definition that comes up is: "A noisy quarrel, squabble, or fight."
Go ahead and split semantic hairs if you'd like. But I saw a very heated, in-your-grill squabble, and when Herrera jerked the guy's hand off of him, it looked like anything could happen at that moment, depending on their respective reactions.
And remember this, I'm just a blogger, I don't have any credibility.
if you haven't seen john herrera's confrontation with kawakami, it's here on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruiUgDyMf60
what an embarrassment this organization has truly become!
WOW!
Jones, I'd imagine you are one of the ones who believes the coaches have NO say in the players that come aboard. I have to imagine it, because frankly you haven't said anything other than Al Davis, H and I are the "problem."
But for those who think the coach has no say in regard to players, take this from the Head Coach...
“There’s no way I’m quitting, and that’s got nothing to do with money, at all,” Kiffin said. “That has to do with our players. I talked a lot of these players into coming here at some point - obviously, money has a lot to do with that - in free agency over the last two years. A lot of our coaches, I recruited them and their families to come here and build this thing together. So the last thing I’m ever gonna do is quit, the way that you guys are talking about quitting or even quit behind closed doors, as far as my energy or my passion towards getting this thing turned around."
But, I guess, since IAADF, Lane must be lying.
Al Davis is a coward who won't come out and address team issues. Instead, he marched out his underlings [flunkies] to deliver his disapproval of media reportings. Ryan and Herrera are such paid-stooges......In regard to Kiffin's [probable/possible] firing [never denied through mouthpieces], Al is trying to torment Kiffin emotionally....by allowing him to 'twist in the wind' and hoping Kiffin will resign so Al doesn't have to pay him if fired. But Kiffin is winning this battle of the mind! Al will go berserk himself seeing how Kiffin go toe-to-toe against this strategy......Just Win, Baby!!
With the #1 pick, Al Davis selects...[a track star/a DB/a high school player/ a Mexican futbol kicker/a player from University of South Africa.....you pick the choice!]
H, I did not like the Javon Walker signing, and did not like the D Hall signing. Wilson was an improvement, but the only one we made.
We could have gone after Marty Booker, Bernard Berrian, Antonio Bryant, Reche Caldwell; or traded for Ocho Cinco or Anquan Boldin at the WR position. Any of those guys are better than Walker.
I've made a list of tackles before, so I won't revisit that.
We could have re-signed Grady Jackson, Ted Washington, Rod Coleman, or signed Larry Tripplet, Kimo van Oelhoffen, or Nick Eason at DT.
Asante Samuel, Michael Boulware, Aaron Glenn, or Nate Jones at CB that is better than Hall. Or we could have left Routte there, and signed another CB that could play the nickel.
Money was spent, but not on the talent we needed (exception Gibril Wilson). I didn't hear anyone screaming for us to sign Javon Walker, Kwame Harris, or Tommy Kelly at the end of last season. We were wanting the wallet to be opened, but opened on improving the roster.
DEAR ALVIN,
I THINK THIS WHOLE THING IS BULLSPIT. JUST LOOK AT THE EMPIRE YOU'VE BUILT. INSTEAD OF A WINNER AND A CLASS ORGANIZATION, YOU'VE BUILT A LAUGHINGSTOCK. (CUE THE BENNY HILL MUSIC HERE). NOW TEAM EXECUTIVES ALMOST COME TO BLOWS WITH THE MEDIA. WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT THIS TEAM HAS BECOME - AND ITS ALL ON YOU ALVIN.
WHY DON'T YOU JUST FIRE THIS COACH AND HIS WHOLE STAFF AND GET THIS ORDEAL OVER WITH? WHY DRAG THIS ON? TELL YOU WHAT ALVIN, WE'LL JUST SEE YOU IN THE NEXT PRESS CONFERENCE YOU CALL WHEN YOU FIRE THE NEXT COACH.
THIS IS JUST FREAKIN' RIDICULOUS. WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THE DISGUST I HAVE WITH YOU!
I'M SURE YOU'RE GONNA SPIN IT SO THAT ITS OTHER PEOPLE'S FAULT AND NOT YOURS. BUT THAT'S JUST THE PROBLEM HERE ISN'T IT ALVIN? IT'S NEVER YOUR FAULT. GOOD LUCK WITH THIS. GOOD LUCK HANGING ON TO THE FANS THIS TEAM MIGHT HAVE LEFT YOU SELFISH, EGOTISTICAL MORON.
Upcoming Free Agents we should attempt to sign in the offseason:
WR
Roy Williams
TJ Houshmandzadeh
Ashley Lelie
Jabar Gaffney
OT
Marc Colombo
Mark Tauscher
Mike Goff
Jordan Gross
Jon Runyan
DT
Tank Johnson
Albert Haynesworth
Marcus Tubbs
DE
Julius Peppers
Terrell Suggs
CB
Sign Asomugah to a long-term deal
Nate,
Last time I checked...Ashley Lelie is on our team.
lelie signed a 1 year deal so he's an UFA next year.....
that said, if we can't sign any of the other more experienced/accomplished guys, then go after lelie again.
How can Raider Nation survive without the daily/annual drama performed according to the script written by the great dramatist, AL DAVIS?? Just think of it....you will only have on-the-field football to discuss...The Nation needs the kind of suspense drama and comedies produced by Al Davis to get his loyal supports to remember him, to idolize him, to see the great guru in action....and to use these loyalists to counter the increasing number of converts to the hate-Davis camp!!!!!
Long live the great Al Davis and hope you continue to produce more comedies/tragedies/suspense dramas.
Just Whine, Baby!!
H
By your own admission, Al is the Raiders, so.... there really is only one note. Until that note has changed, all the squabbling about coaches and players and how the organization is run as whole, doesn't mean a damn thing. It is up to Al and he has shown quite clearly that he will never change, so where does that leave us? It leaves us with those calling for change (me) and those calling for " Al can still do it" (you). So take all you mumbo jumbo and blow it out your ass. Until Al is changed , nothing will change , get it?
JONES
Blanda
Who has the FINAL say in who is a Raider and who isn't? Who is the one that signs these hasbeens to outrageous contracts? Kiffin may help in the process but he in no means is the one who says who will come and who doesn't. Fairytale land must some place to live hey Blanda? As far as the coaches, yes Al did let Kiffin recruit Cable and Knapp but Al never budged on his boy "Rex" Ryan. If it was up to Al to recruit offensive coaches....no one would come to Oakland.
Take, I disagree with you on exposing Kawakami as a liar is minor deal for the Raider executives to tackle. If the Raiders take on "Kiffin is going to be fired," they have no proof of that lie, and then if they do decide to fire Kiffin, it supports the original untrue story. The have to take on the lies they can fully discredit.
So it turns out Timmy was distributing the article and claiming it came from the PR department to discredit Kiffin. We all know that Timmy is a liar, and now the Raider brass has the evidence. Not one reporter in that room could actually claim to have gotten a copy from the PR department.
But it appears that "where there's smoke, there's fire" only applies to Al Davis. If the press corps would freely lie to convince the public that Davis is attempting to undermine Kiffin, they would certainly lie that "sources within the organization" are saying the decision has been made to fire Kiffin.
If you want to know why this organization is being turned into a soap opera, ask the press. I don't see how any statement from Al Davis would make any difference. He's taken that approach many times over the years to no effect.
Kiffin put it back at the presses feet again yesterday by saying that he didn't want to discuss what people in the organization might or might not be saying. He gave an appeal to get back to football. How Kiffin handles himself in face of a press that is determined to create a soap opera might have a greater influence on his stint with the Raiders than his W-L record.
Oh, I see it all clearly now, Jones. Al Davis doesn't allow his coaches any say in who their personnel is, but when Kiffin recruits somebody, Al signs them, PROVING IT!!!
How... fiendish!
Huh?
In fact, Take, I can't think of a way to more clearly make the statement that the press is full of it than by having Herrera show up at Kiffin's press conference to call the press out. In fact, I see that as a limited sign of support for Kiffin.
And you know as well as I do that it would do the Raiders no good, in the larger scheme of things, to simply deny that Davis is considering firing Kiffin. Because, of course Davis is always considering firing a coach who isn't or cannot win. You simply have to go back to Shell. At the point ESPN had Shell fired, I believe that Davis hadn't yet made up his mind. Then when he did make up his mind, it gave credibility to a lie. You bust the lies you can bust, and hope the other truths can take care of themselves.
Regarding Al Davis and passive play and all the drama:
I've got every meaningful Raiders win since 1979 on tape or dvd. The Raiders never played passive until Art Shell became coach in 1989.
You name it, the Raiders brought it. Cornerbacks, safties and linebackers. Millen, Hendricks, Hayes, Mike Davis and many more. They all brought pressure and left their corners all alone to cover the pass.
Passivity came in with Art Shell who not only played Prevent Defense but also Prevent Offense.
As to Al Davis' legacy: he gets way too much credit for the great years. If you go back and look at when the Raiders made their bones, you'll notice all the great periods of consistent winning were done under either Ron Wolf and then Bruce Allen.
Wolf was there during the late 60's thru mid 70's and the Raiders built their mystique going to 8 AFC title games in 11 years.
Wolf came back around 1980 and our team was again dominant, winning 2 more SB's.
Interesting to note that when he left, both teams he went to all of a sudden became powerhouses (Tampa Bay went to the NFC title game in 1979) and Green Bay was a consistent powerhouse under his GM watch.
Likewise, Bruce Allen shows up and darned if we don't have a resurgence, win a bunch of games and go to our 5th SB.
He leaves and goes to TB and they's been fairly competitive.
I love Davis' humantarian qualities, the fact that he is both color and gender blind.
But the fact is that the Raiders have never won on a consistent basis when he did not have a strong GM-like presence between him and his HC.
As for the current mess: Kiffin needs at least 3 years to get his program up to speed. Other teams give their HC's time to grow into the job.
SOB has now had plenty of time and has proven over and over that he just can't get it done. Our problem on his side of the ball is not talent, it's coaching. How many journeymen backs has his defense made to look All World? Our gap control truly sucks and defensive stops are a once-in-awhile miricle.
The Bills game was just the latest example. How many of you said to yourselves that "no way we win this game"? I did. Wish I was wrong, but I've seen this so many times that its become part of the script.
Finally, I am sick of all the drama that surrounds our team. Just play the damned games! Let the coaches coach and the players play and lets put the drama behind us.
blanda - the walker signing has alvin's fingerprints all over it. he wanted to retire, al talked him out of it because he didn't want to look like an idiot for signing him (which he is because look at what his investment's gotten him so far!) this one can't be on kiffin because of the way kiffin rides him. the kelly signing also has alvin's prints on it. kiffin isn't in charge of player contracts. hall? who's bright idea is that one? my hint would be his obsession to have the best cornerback tandem in the league. yep. look how that's panned out alvin!
Blanda, this isn't New York or Chicago. As far as media markets go, the Bay Area is pretty tame, and yet you'd think they are some unstoppable, all-powerful force judging by what's going on.
The inability of the Raiders to better control the situation falls squarely in the organization's lap. Simply following PR 101 would cure much of this. It's not rocket science, despite your implied suggestion that it is.
I am not defending every Bay Area sportswriter. Many are good, but a few are bad, as I have shown many times with News You Can't Use.
I think Kawakami's written account of this incident is juvenile. Same with Lowell Cohn's. At this point, these guys are just glorified bloggers, yet the Raiders continue to give them all sorts of access. Maybe the Raiders should cut folks like Calico Jack into their media picture, a blogger who can actually write well and who would give them a fair shake?
tinfoil,
as long as alvin lives, there will ALWAYS be drama. this has gone way beyond comical. it just goes to show you just how much farther we have to go to get out of the laughingstock or doormat category.
I just wish something would happen either way. I'm tired of reading about this every day. I don't want Kiffin fired, but if that's what they are going to do, then just do it. If it's not going to happen, then come out and say it's not going to happen. This keeping quite while the story just keeps growing is just getting silly and is making the organization look even worse (which is amazing since it already look really bad).
No matter what they say, this does noting but add distraction to what is the real goal of winning football games.
Just Sh-t or get of the pot!
tinfoil writes the best post I've seen in weeks, and while don't always draw the same conclusions, I absolutely acknowledge that Davis has been ably supported by both Walsh and Allen.
Take, the problem with PR 101 is that the course requires an assumption that no longer applies. PR 101 assumes that you have a press corps with no ax to grind against your company. There are members of this press corps (certainly not all, but a few) who would like nothing better than to take credit for undermining the entire organization. These people are not Raider Haters, they are Al Davis haters. They want to be able to say that they went to war with Al Davis and won.
So, it is true then, all of this will never go away until Al does. While he has built some life long friends, he has also built some life long enemies, and some controversies will never go away until either Al or the enemy dies.
As we watch our financial system collapse because of deregulation, we are also watching our 1st Amendment collapse with the deregulation of the media. The media is no longer constrained to tell the truth, and suffer no consequence by lying. The fact of the matter is, you can find more truth from bloggers in this day and age than you can from the media.
As for tinfoil's point that the Raiders were best under Wolf and Allen, he's right. They were at their worst under Lombardi. Kiffin brought his own presumptive replacement for Lombardi in the person of Mark Jackson, but Jackson has had a shaky start. While many here blamed Davis for Russell being unsigned before the deadline in 2007, in Davis' history he had NEVER failed to get a drafted player signed by the first day of training camp. That has to come around to Mark Jackson's door, but it never did. Jackson continues to fly under the radar. I also have to assume that Jackson had something to do with the high salaries issued during the off season.
You don't have to say that Davis is faultless while distributing the blame for failure around fairly. While it is true that Davis is ultimately responsible for the failures of the last five years, it is still reasonable to give him credit for his successes, and to expect him to find success again. As I've said many times, there is not a team or an owner in the NFL who has not experienced a decade or more of futility.
I can't think of another instance where it has just been assumed that the owner should sell his team because of five years of losing.
blanda - he still has to approve and sign those contracts. the reason those financial companies went under is because of the neglect of their respective CEO's (clinton croonies no less).
same deal for the raiders - to a certain extent. its because of alvin's neglect (the CEO) that we find ourselves in this position today. NOT JUST the past 5 years but all the crap he's done in years past is finally catching up to him. this is why executives of teams around the league are laughing at us. and that's why i now call him "alvin" as in the chipmunk. because that's how i see him. another way to illustrate how i see this guy is - remember that movie "the devil's advocate"? i see alvin that way - as the devil himself!
we fans are powerless to have our say, except at the gate. then again, when the lease is up and alvin decides to leave yet again, he'll blame us the fans. how evil this guy truly is.
this team may have been worse in the lombardi era but it is CLEARLY even worse under the davis era.
Blanda, you're referring to PR 101 circa 1985.
PR 101 in 2008 does not assume that it's 1985. PR 101 today addresses the breakdown of old journalistic assumptions, the emergence of new media, and the increasingly open flow of information (and misinformation) across social media. Effective PR practitioners these days are proactive on all of these fronts.
All you are doing with this line of debate is further confirming the widespread suspicion that the Raiders are too rooted in the past to cope with the present.
I'll tell you what, Take. Write up the response that Al should deliver, then I'll write you a press response to his response. Let's see how that goes.
Blanda, I'm not going to give you a dissertation on PR (although I could).
It's not a matter of a response here or a response there. It's about putting the right people and protocols in place to best control and advance your message in 2008.
The Raiders are a near billion-dollar outfit, so there's just no excuse not to put the right tools in place.
BR, I'll take you up on that. Here's how Al should respond.
As General Managing Partner of the Oakland Raiders, I, Al Davis, want to show my support to the Head Coach, Lane Kiffin, that was hired last year.
With that said, I would like to address the issues within the Raiders Organization. The Raiders Organization continue to decline due to my lack of involvement on a regular basis, and I am no longer in a position that can deal with these issues due to my health, and the health of my wife. At the same time, I do not have a General Manager for the team to help me keep the ship right. So as a solution for the love of my team, I am putting the Oakland Raiders up for sale to the bidder who has an undying love for the Oakland Raiders, as I have an undying love for. Who will do things his way, and not be swayed by media rantings.
Therefore, I suggest the new owner to be considered to be none other than Mark Cuban.
Thank you for your time, may the legacy of the Oakland Raiders continue for centuries to come; I wish them all my best; knowing that I gave all my best to build the legacy that is the Oakland Raiders. Thank you."
Other ideas of what might actually be going on:
1 - Al is just testing Kiff. If Kiff is truely dedicated, he won't quit.
2 - Al is waiting for the clone of Al to finish being generated in the lab. Once Al II is complete, he will become head coach.
Nate, that's cheating. Davis will never sell the team. If you're really waiting for that, you might as well move on.
Take, I think you might over estimate the value of the franchise a bit, but only by several hundred million dollars.
How long do you figure before you can get Al to run the team your way?
probably NEVER and NEVER is when we will win our next superbowl!
I said "near" billion dollar outfit. And if things were run better, it would be a billion dollar outfit.
Your last line of defense is always: What are you going to do to make the team change their ways?
Well, let's just call this place Raider No Take. Anything that we can't personally change or control is now off limits for discussion.
I think I'll start a new blog called Bigfoot Take. Or Pop Tarts Take. Or Toy Airplanes Take.
BR, you asked for ideas of how WE THINK AL SHOULD HANDLE THIS! THIS IS HOW AL SHOULD HANDLE THIS, IF HE TRULY LOVES THE TEAM (AS HE CLAIMS).
Al needs to step in and either gain control back of his organization; or admit that he cannot gain control back and step aside.
I've said the last 3 weeks, I don't think Al can truly gain control back of this team, not because he's lost it; or because he is mentally ill or insane as other's have suggested; but based on the FACT that he is not healthy enough to be there on a daily basis; nor does he have anyone within the organization that can help him run it the way it should be. Change always starts at the top when an organization goes array. If we are ever going to see the Oakland Raiders return to glory, then change needs to start with him.
You cannot back out, simply because you think my response is "unfair". You asked how we think Al should respond, that is how I KNOW Al should respond.
No, nate, you're doing what the press does and have taken my request out of context. The context of the question was how Davis should deal with the Kiffin question in favor of better PR. The question was not "What should Al say when he decides to sell the team?"
Also, you don't have the vaguest idea of how much control Davis exerts, because you don't have a press that's honest with you. But that's okay. I don't really have any better idea than you do. There's just certain things that the press reports that make absolutely no sense.
One of the things that I find most remarkable is that now-a-days a non-denial is considered confirmation of fact. Okay... let's play that game.
At least two sources familiar with the San Jose Mercury News have confirmed that Timmy Kawakami farts in his bathtub and pops the bubbles with his teeth.
Now, if Timmy doesn't post a denial within the next few days, every time he is mentioned here, it should begin, "Timmy Kawakami, who farts in his bathtub so he can pop the bubbles with his teeth, said today..." You get the idea
Kawakami didn't post a denial. However, he just posted that Kiffin called him to apologize for the blowup:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2008/09/23/lane-kiffin-just-called/
My vote is for Pop Tart Take.
well that was a class move by kiffin, amidst the classlessness of our so-called team of the decades!
In Honor of Mr. Davis:
"We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
For those unfamiliar, here is the rest of Tennison's great "take"
http://www.metalvortex.com/poems/
ulysses-.htm
err...Tennyson. Typo.
Pop Tart Take it is!
Here's my first haiku take:
How can it be, I
put it in the oven yet
the icing don't melt?
If I seem overly supportive of Al Davis, just consider me a loyal fan. Loyalty is as important to me as it is to Al Davis.
Consider what I'm about to say. In earlier days, when the Raiders were competing in nearly every post season, the press always attempted to pull the Raiders down by degrading their players. The players were cheap shot artists, malcontents and criminals. No parent should be allowing their children to accept these players as role models. Davis repeatedly defended his players.
When the Raiders moved back up to Oakland from Los Angeles, the team was not doing as well, but they were still competitive - too competitive to find any traction in attacking Davis directly. So they went about attacking the fans. "Never let your child near a Raider fan! To do so would be tantamount to child abuse. Raider fans are drunks, gang members, and the insane who prefer to hide behind masks." But whenever Davis appeared for a press conference, Davis backed up the fans, calling them the greatest fan base in the history of professional sports. Not just for their number, but for their commitment, their passion, their loyalty, and THEIR COMPASSION. Davis repeatedly, during this time, referred the public to the charitable causes of the Raider fan base.
When Gruden came on the scene, and we started to win again, the press attempted to step in between owner and coach. They constantly informed us that Gruden couldn't stand anything about the Raider organization and couldn't wait to get out of it. From the other side, they told us how jealous Davis was of Gruden and how Davis wanted him gone. The facts state that Davis was negotiating a new contract with Gruden at the time Davis received an offer from Tampa Bay. Davis immediately called Gruden to ask if he wanted to stay or to accept the TB offer. Gruden said it was his life's dream to coach in his home town around his own family, and wanted to accept the offer so Davis got it done. Those are the facts as confirmed by Gruden, Bruce Allen, and Al Davis. Gruden says he does not regret one moment with the Raiders, and has a high level of respect for Davis. He has no trouble, however, saying his experience with the Raiders was "different."
And while the team was winning under Gruden, the team was still having trouble selling out games. The press dutifully informed us that the reason for that is, if you go to Raider games, you have to sit near Raider fans who were criminals, gang members, drug addicts and drunks. Davis wrestled the ticket marketing away from the City of Oakland, and while losing sold out nearly every game.
So, now, here are. Losing. Raider fans tolerate losing less than any other fan base. Al Davis' team of the decades is the reason for that. But after a 19-61 record over the course of several years, the press has finally found traction in playing Raider fans against Davis, and Kiffin against Davis and Davis against Kiffin. Davis backed us up all those years while we were being referred to as something subhuman. Now Davis is being referred to as something subhuman, and many in this fan base are ready to cut him loose.
I don't count myself among them.
BR said, "No, nate, you're doing what the press does and have taken my request out of context. The context of the question was how Davis should deal with the Kiffin question in favor of better PR. The question was not 'What should Al say when he decides to sell the team?'"
Wow, you just said the same thing using different words. I gave you how Al Davis SHOULD handle the situation. He SHOULD come out as Kiffin has, and state that he will handle his affairs with Kiffin, and is currently in favor of him as Head Coach; which is what I mentioned in the first portion of my response.
BR said, "Also, you don't have the vaguest idea of how much control Davis exerts, because you don't have a press that's honest with you. But that's okay. I don't really have any better idea than you do. There's just certain things that the press reports that make absolutely no sense." No I don't, but I have more than press reports, I have the words of the Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, and other's in the organization on record saying, "Al Davis is not here on a daily basis. I don't talk with Davis on a daily basis, but I do speak to him when he's here."
I agree that the press doesn't report things as they are, and twist things to drive their own agenda; but that is not the issue I am complaining about. The issue I am complaining about is Al Davis' inability to properly run the Raiders Organization speaks LOUDLY through his continued inaction and invisibility on a daily basis.
Does he need to address every mediot like Kawakami? No, because he has John Herrera to speak for him, since he isn't strong enough to take his hands off his walker, let alone lift it to whack Kawakami like he should. But he needs to address the dysfunction of his organization, which he cannot because he is part of the problem.
It's not the legacy I want to remember when I think of Al Davis, but it is the legacy he is writing of himself. It's a damn shame.
Pop Tarts Haiku:
Brown Sugar
Strawberry, Cherry, and mixed
I eat 'til content.
i, Al Davis, am here today to correct some of the rumour mongering goin on around these parts. i am not, have not been, nor do i believe i will be thinking about relieving Lance Kiffin of his duties of Head Football Coach of the Oakland Raiders at this time.
dispite the rumours and inuendo aimed at harming me and my franchise i am here to tell you none of it is true. of coarse i am not sayin that we are totally satisfied with our record as of the moment we are working in unison toward one goal, and that is winning. i've told you and told you that this will take time.
thank you for your patients (<--lmfao) and cooperation (<---lmfao again)
spin it BR!!!
frkyraider
nate - alvin is not "part" of the problem. he is "THE" problem.
its great to relive the good ole days but those days are gone. we are LOSERS now and we have been for years. winners don't keep reliving days long gone. winners don't have stupid antiquated slogans like "commitment to excellence" or "team of the decades" when there hasn't been any of that for years and they are NOT a team of the decades but a team living in the past and desperate for anything resembling a glimmer of hope.
the one thing that stands in the way of that hope is one alvin the chipmunk davis. if his son mark is anything like his dad, it'll be a long time in hell before this franchise gets any respect!
Thanks, frkyraider! Here you go.
DAVIS ISSUES BIZARRE STATEMENT OF DENIAL!
After weeks of hiding from the press reports, Al Davis emerged to deny rumors of his intent to fire Lane Kiffin. Authors who initially reported on Kiffin's impending demize stand by their story that Davis his, in fact, told Kiffin that he is on his way out.
According to Nancy Gay, "Of course he denies it, just like he denied he was going to fire Shell. He waited a couple of weeks and then fired him. Davis will likely now wait a couple of weeks, for this to blow over, and then he'll fire Kiffin."
Kiffin, asked again if he had heard from someone in the building that he'd be fired, again refused to go through a "he said, she said" with the media. "Until Al Davis tells me I'm fired, I'm still the Head Coach of the Raiders," Kiffin reiterated.
However press reporters are still maintaining that Kiffin's ouster has been confirmed by at least two sources inside the Raider organization. An additional report was filed today by ESPN that Kiffin will be fired after the game against the Chargers on Sunday, leaving the bye week for the new coach to prepare.
Mr. Davis is not going to like the fact that Kiffin took it upon himself to apologize to Kawakami.
Kiffin now has the perpetually bemused look of a man who can't lose: he either continues to coach in the NFL or he walks away with millions still in bank at the age of 32, and a big career still ahead of him.
No wonder he's so zen-like these days. I don't think he's dogging it. I just don't think he's stressing, either.
Wow, it's been quite a day here at Pop Tart Take.
Kiffin seems too cool, like a man with a plan. He really can't lose. If he's not coaching the Raiders in three years, he be beating them.
BTW, do the Raiders actually have a PR department? Or, at least one without a standing gag order?
Take, Kiffin, through all of this, has never appeared stressed. Have you considered that he knew the story about his impending doom was crap from the start? In fact, the first week he even cracked some jokes about it.
While I believe it's true that Kiffin and Davis have not directly spoken since this brouhaha started, it doesn't mean that Kiffin is insecure about his job.
And Kiffin isn't banking millions. Davis doesn't pay his coaches at the top of the pay scale, and next year is the option year. Davis can fire him then without penalty. While I think the last few weeks have done Kiffin as much damage as Davis within the NFL, it is likely that Kiffin could get a college job within 24 hours. But I don't think, at least not right now, another head coaching job in the NFL.
No, that's something I don't consider when Kiffin himself is quoted saying about the situation: "Does it help? No. I’m not going to sit up here and lie and say it helps and that it brings our team together and we’re going to bond together like the movie “Major League”, like somebody told me or something. It doesn’t help."
Take, seems to me that Kiffin was referring to the press reports, not what has or hasn't been said behind closed doors. In fact, he specifically refused to talk about anything said behind closed doors.
In fact, I believe Kiffin specifically said that, "a lot of things are said around here, and if you believe everything that's been said, you'd be in a lot of trouble."
Ok, I am going to stay the hell out of this ceaseless IAAFers vs non-IAAFers war for once. Sometimes this forum seems more drama-filled than the Raiders.
I have a completely different subject... last night two of my bowling buddies jumped me about who would take this job if Kiffin was fired. I responded, well with the exception of Art Shell... Gruden won a SB and is still a HC in the NFL and is prolly banking millions... after him, Callahan got the head coaching job at Nebraska and banked millions, and now is a NFL assistant, and after that Turner is now coaching a team that made it to the AFC championship... so 3 of 4 of our last Raider HC's have landed pretty firmly on their feet. I also expect Kiffin to get a great job after cutting his teeth here.
I dunno... I wouldn't mind putting up with a kooky eccentric owner for awhile for millions of dollars and an almost certain plum job after the Raiders.
Especially with the young talent on the team.
Interesting enough, I had no idea that Troy Aikman was one of the slient owners of the Raiders. I guess Troy and a few other investor bought the 20% shares this past Jan when Davis was needing the extra cash.
Then there's reports that Troy and the other investors want to make an even larger purchase and see to it that the Raiders are taken back to the top of the game.
RT, H, CJ or Blanda or anyone know anymore about this?
MR. DUVA
i have the solution to all the raiders problems. and all the fans problems as well.
LA is still looking for a Nfl franchise, and al davis still claims exclusive rights to the LA market. why don't the Nfl grant al davis a brand new team to call his own, and build from the ground up.
they could call them the LA crazies, or something. al could run the crazies with an iron fist. he can hand pick the DC for his HC.
he could fire the head coach of the crazies every freakin year.
and he could make great signings, like jevon walker, for the crazies, and the fans will love it.
it's a win win for the fans also. the al davis fans on this blog could follow al to LA and root for the crazies.
they can spin all his moves every which way, and al never has to be wrong again.
it's a slice of heaven i tell ya.
meanwhile, oakland gets to keep the raiders, and raiders fans can finally see a light at end of looooooong tunnel.
they could bring in madden/flores as advisers or GM's to begin the rebuilding proccess.
the raiders can begin anew with a fresh sense of direction.
and imagine the hype when the raiders were to face the crazies for the first time ?
hell, it would be bigger then the super bowl.
anyhow, that's my idea. if anyone has a better one, i'd love to hear i'd love to hear it.
Blanda, what a hero. So your loyalty is to Davis because they try to crusify him in the press. So you don't care what happens on the field as long as Davis is winning against the press. So when does it become about FOOTBALL? Where does your loyalty start on that? Al Davis has also walked out on Oakland too. The only good product Oakland has had since they came back has been with a guy Al ran out of town. Though he did get 8 Mill. and some more WASTED draft picks. Football is about WINNING, it is about having a great franchise. But because some hacks try to grate Al, we as a supposed "loyal fan" are supposed to watch the team turn into Bizzarro world and say " Al, you go boy"? You have a very twisted mind, one that has no use for logic or what is RIGHT. You sacrifice the team and WINS because of Al's dealings with press hacks...well ain't you something.
Oh yeah
JONES
Duva -
I wish that Aikman rumor was true, but Jerry Mac just refuted it on his blog.
Better if a rich x-Raider could put some cash into the franchise to take it over when Al passes. It could come cheap as Fortune 500 has the Raiders at the bottom of the NFL for franchise value.
Under the current circumstances we truly have the worst possible situation for a $800M franchise.
We've got an owner who wants to control everything yet ...
He is hardly ever around, doesn't have the time, energy, and focus due to advanced age, health issues, and concerns for his wife yet ...
The owner, unlike the other 31 franchises, does not have a GM to help shoulder the responsibilities that the franchise requires and ...
to add to the utter dysfunction, we've got a negligent, mickey mouse PR Dept. who don't understand that information managmement is a 24/7 task for true professsionals not clowns like Herrera and Taylor.
Options for A.D.
1. Get more involved and spend more time in the improvement of his franchise to include delegating responsibilities, hiring more capable staff to handle PR and Marketing, etc.
2. Get less involved AFTER hiring a savvy GM and other key administrative personnel to right the ship while still retaining the final authority on all matters.
3. Sell the franchise and enjoy the last chapter of your life (very unlikely)
What truly kills me about this $800M franchise is the simple fact that it is run like a Mom & Pop Shop from the 70's.
The cost to hire capable professionals is peanuts next to the costs thrown away on such players as Hall, Walker, Harris, Kelly.
Just think ...
You sign Hall, Walker, Harris, and Kelly to fair market value contracts and you would have a minimum of $10M to $15M extra dollars to sign the best coaches, GMs, PR Directors, Marketing Directors possible.
Ultimately Davis is responsible either directly involved or indirectly involved (through delegation) with every single aspect of the franchise. From the smallest task (expense reports for employees) to the decision of who is the HC the buck stops with Al.
Here's a piece of advice for Davis; take a page from the Kiffin handbook of how to deal with turmoil by focusing on the one and only thing that matters ...
WINNING football games!
I'm out. It's Corona time for CJ!
H said:
Last year Ryan played man coverage with Nnamdi and Zone on the other side. Especially late with a lead. I think he went back to that after Hall was lit up opening day. Not a good decision.
What?
Looked to me like Hall was playing ten yards off his man on opening day. Ryan even commented that they were playing off to bait Cutler. Were we watching the same game?
I thought the reverse was true - Hall has been playing more man SINCE opening day. Evidence his int last weekend.
Kiffin may have put the last nail in his coffin with that apology to Kawakami. Al isn't going to like how Kawakami spins it on his blog either...if Al knows what a blog is...Oh, I forgot...Herrera will print it out and distribute it.
X, that was funny.
If you read Kawakami's blog accounts of all this, it's like he's writing for the high school newspaper. It's unbelievable.
Meanwhile, here we have Calico Jack, who can actually write well and would give the Raiders a fair shake under any circumstance, and who's blog entries are linked right beside Kawakami's on RaiderNews.com, and yet I'll bet the Calico Jack hasn't directly received one press release or an invitation to do an interview or anything from the Raiders (CJ can tell me if I'm wrong), while Kawakami is given total access.
Go figure.
Blanda,H,
you both just finish putting on your last piece on to your attire around here, in front of all of us buddies, with that red honking nose that goes with that, red fro hair, paint on your face (silver and black paint optional, with happy smile)one oversize piece outfit, and red vinyl shoes. because after all they do say raider fans like to be dressed in costumes,like its halloween every sunday , but i never thought we had to dress like clowns, just because Mr. Al Davis treats us like one. so go on ahead BOZOROCKED AND H obo (AKA Bert and Ernie) the clowns keep entertaining us, at this point on, your not to be taken serious on any dopey comments you guys make for now on. hey its Cirque de Al Ringmaster at the Coliseum with BOZOROCKED an H OBO the clowns!!!!! oh yeah and enjoy the game lol
Change of subject. We need to open up the passing game a little more IMO.
JaMarcus is obviously not in over his head at this point. I feel like the guy is ready to have a little pressure thrown his way and "lead" us to some wins. That's what "leaders" do right? We make him a team captain, talk up how natural a leader he is, and now we don't even play him hardly.
Oh, and someone please install an audible or two for the guy to get out of bad plays! Really, how much of a learning curve is it to change one play to another in specific situations? Part of a QB's job is to diagnose the defense at the line for crying out loud. Give him the ability to do something about it! No wonder Gannon was so frustrated calling the game.
Still, Russell has yet to throw an interception, has 3 TDs, and has thrown a high percentage with very few mistakes. If you have a young WR who catches everything in his area do you stop throwing to him? If you have a young RB who gets you 5.5 y/per carry and doesn't fumble do you protect him from LB's by not playing him?
It's nice to have a strong running game and everything but it's even nicer to have a ballanced attack that is not so predictable.
I feel like we're baby'ing JaMarcus too much. It seems like every time he gets a chance to finally throw the ball he comes through with something positive. Special even! That under-pressure pass to Higgins is a perfect example of what we can see on a regular basis if we just put more faith in our QB.
And I realize part of it is the questions on the O-line. But seeing how well Henderson & the O-line are playing makes me feel better about it. I think it's about time to take a few chances out there. It's not like Russell has been a statue anyways, when things break down he does a good job of getting out and making smart plays.
OK so we're off to a slow start and it's a mediot's dream at this point. But JaMarcus just might be the spark on the field who gets us turning our losing record into a respectable winning record and shut some of these bastards up.
Kiffin or no Kiffin, Ryan, Lofton, Art Shell III, I don't even give a shit anymore.
Psycho
yeah yeah oh brave "anon" 8:09, and you just keep dancing the dance of the media puppet!! don't getcher strings tangled!! dance anon DANCE!!!
frkyraider
Anon, if you are going to call names have the guts to sign it.
X, I said "Especially late with a lead." That's what he did on Sunday last year, and that's what he did last Sunday.
Tinfoil,
Good points. I've been saying that myself. In fact, the Snowjob was a corner blitz with Berkert coming up the middle.
Blanda,
The problem with the IAADF crowd is they don't like not getting their way. They just want everyone else to shut up and go away. When it doesn't happen they tell you to "blow it out your ass" when they can't come up with a cogent argument. Unlike Take, Scorpio, Nate, NYRaider, Tinfoil, FrkyRaider and sometimes Bama who can (Kidding with you Bama). Also, my drinking buddy Psycho.
Look, if Kiffin is going to be fired, it was never going to be this week. Doesn't make sense. If there is another poor showing this Sunday, someone will go in my opinion.
But, next Monday makes the most sense as the bye week is starting. If Kiffin and Ryan pull one out, there may not be a change. It would most likely be Kiffin since the head coach is normally the one to take the fall, right or wrong. That's just life in the NFL.
By the way Psycho, excellent post. I wanted the training wheels off for sometime now. All last season to work with him plus all offseason and camp. What the hell has Kiffin got to lose.
Kiffin has said we can't win by lining up and throwing it all over the place, well we can't do it by running 90% of the time either.
H
RT, and everyone else commenting about Kiffin "calling" Kawakami. Could it be that Kawakami is such a liar that he answered his play cellphone, and had a fake conversation with the Kiffin of his imagination?
Seriously, he made this conversation sound like Kiffin was humping his leg or something. "Oh Kawakami, I'm sorry you were bullied. I thought we were having a quiet moment together of whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. Then mean ol' Herrera came in and bullied you. I'm sorry, here have a reach around!"
Scorpio said, "nate - alvin is not "part" of the problem. he is "THE" problem."
I think he's a big part of the problem. I don't think Kiffin is an NFL coach. His does not have a good game plan (offensively because he does not involve himself on defense), nor does he have exceptional game management that rallies the troops, or helps steal time off the clock. So I do think that Kiffin is part of the problem. I think Kiffin would make a better General Manager.
Rob Ryan is another part of the problem. He was a Linebacker Coach with the Patriots before he came here, and the only reason why he was aggressive is because Belechick is a defensively aggressive coach, and ran the defense (and a cheater). I don't mind Rob Ryan so much. I think he's a smart guy; but tends to freeze under pressure. Madden used to do the same things as a defensive coach in College and on the Raiders. BR, H, RT, CJ, and others will remember that when Madden was hired as coach; a lot of people were concerned with his age; and the beef against him was that he was too passive on his play calling. As it turned out, Madden was probably the best coach in the League. Why? Because as Head Coach, you make the delegations to coorcinators to help make decisions about the game plan. Rob Ryan did better with the help of someone else. As a Head Coach, he would have the help of his Coordinators to execute the game plan, and all he had to do was manage the game; which is what he excels at; management.
I said it last year before the season when we were looking for a Head Coach, I would like to see Rob Ryan in that position. He's a good manager of the game, players, is built more for delegating responsibilities, and has a good relationship with the owner. He would make an excellent Head Coach. He has John Madden II written all over him. But as a Coordinator who has to make on the spur decisions, he is not as good.
Another part of the problem are some of the players we are over-spending for (Hall, Walker, Kelly). I understand the ideal of using $$ as motivation to play better, but the problem has become laziness. The thought of the player is "I've caught the bus, I don't need to run anymore." It is more than a motivation problem, these guys want to live on easy street, and want it handed to them. It's similar to this proposed Government Bailout. Why reward shady CEO's for bad decisions they made on behalf of their company? It will only make it worse, not better.
All of that to say that Al is a BIG part of the problem, but he's not the only problem. It's not all Al's Fault, but he is not exempt from fault either.
H said, "By the way Psycho, excellent post. I wanted the training wheels off for sometime now. All last season to work with him plus all offseason and camp. What the hell has Kiffin got to lose."
I agree with you both on Russell. You don't develop a QB by handing the ball off. You let him make reads, throw the ball, put him in pressure decision spots, and allow him to make mistakes. Why? Because then you take him aside in the film room, training camp, practices, etc; and help him learn from those mistakes and what he can do to improve. That is how you develop a QB.
To the point of audibles... I have also noticed that there has been one constant with Kiffin... you never see the QB check off of plays.
Last year I thought it was because of the turmoil at QB.. but now that Russell has settled into the job and you still don't see them, it makes me wonder if Kiffin is doing a nice job getting his team ready to play (except for the Monday Night Meltdown) but is still over his head as a NFL coach?
What coach doesn't have audibles in the NFL?
Do the QB's forget them, too afraid to call them, or do they not exist? Those two running plays at the end of the game had to have at least 10 men in the box... we can't audible out of that? There should be an automatic hot route to pass over that. We ran two straight plays into 10 in the box and the entire team was at the RB before we got the ball both plays. Third and long, time for a clock killing incompletion and then punt for a loss. Same as last year.
nancy gay writes the truth!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/24/SPMF1339TN.DTL
blanda / h, whether you like her or not, these are the facts!
nate, psycho and all,
good point in opening up the offense but i still ask - who's he gonna throw the ball to?
Scorpio-Zach Miller, Ashley Lelie, D-McFad, and Bush are all viable targets.
In other news, we have a potential candidate for GM. Matt Millen was fired by the Lions this morning. He's another one of "Al's" favorite guys, and former player that may be headed to Alameda to assume the role of GM. Lucky us! (Re-read that last comment with the thickest sarcasm you can think of).
this article just goes to show you what a slimeball dirtbag alvin really is:
http://www.examiner.com/x-514-Oakland-Raiders-Examiner~y2008m9d24-Coup-detat-forming-in-Oakland-Raiders-ownership
i know it's a snowball's chance in hell but i hope SOMEONE can do SOMETHING to get this son of satan outta here!
more truth from monte poole:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_10540852
scorpio,
In addition to Nate's guys, I'm still not convinced that Walker & Curry are not quality targets. We'll never know unless we chuck a few balls out there.
Psycho
Bama7
H, not sure what to make of your post refering to me as "sometimes" making cogent comments, followed by "kidding" (?)
Thanks for the props... I think?
Maybe Al is "theta clear" now and realizes that his insanity had cropped up yet again and that he f'd up. Maybe, just maybe he'll let Kiff stay and hope the latest storm he created blows into a "the media makes it all up" thing. I guess with Al that'd be about the best we can hope for. We certainly, from past history, can't expect Al to admit he screwed up or needs help. So maybe he'll sulk off and leave Kiff alone?
I just read another article about the silent partners that Al let come on board for cash influx. I'd been wondering what they thought of all this drama. Seems they're none too happy about old Al, but have no decision-making roles.
Gary brings up a good point. Right now the biigest problem with JR is he seems to only zone in on the primary receiver. As we all know this works in college but does not work in the NFL. Checking off your receivers as well as changing the play at the line is a neccessity to be successful. I think Kiffin (who too is also learning the NFL game) needs to give him a little freedom and maybe not baby him so much. Until this happens I think it is hard to judge the true quality of our receivers until we are able to adlib our offense a little.
RaiderMike
psycho,
we know about curry. he's been dropping balls consistently since last year. walker we don't know about because of his supposed sore hammy. its only natural to rake him over the coals because of his contract. but i'll give him the benefit of the doubt - for now. the only one you hear about making any positive news out of this group is lelie. higgins and schilens are still question marks. with miller being doubled-up, the other TE stays in to block, who does russell throw the ball to that can a) get open and b) catch the ball? can russell check down to the RB's all day?
what happened with being patient with russell? that was his 4th nfl start. isn't that why we drafted mcfadden and built a strong running game?
***NEWS***
It is being reported that Head Coach Tony Dungy has NOT been fired by the Colts front office as of today.
Psycho
Nate - I’d like to comment on a couple thing your wrote:
“I don't think Kiffin is an NFL coach. His does not have a good game plan (offensively because he does not involve himself on defense), nor does he have exceptional game management that rallies the troops, or helps steal time off the clock.”
I would say Kiffin has been faced with many limitations that stymie his coaching. The two most obvious are his lack of involvement with both personnel and defensive game planning. I’ll give you the clock management issue, but it's still light years ahead of Shell (and Kiffin will get better).
You said, “I don't mind Rob Ryan so much. I think he's a smart guy.”
Evidence to the contrary. Five years and he’s still making the same mistakes. That’s not smart; just the opposite.
I agree that Kiffin might make a better GM than a coach. It would be amazing to see Davis promote him to GM.
IMO, Kiffin would not go after high-priced prima donnas like Walker and Hall, but more blue-collar, team-first types.
Regarding the Herrera thing, score: media one, Raiders zero. The lack of public relations is absolutely astounding.
scorpio,
I'm not saying don't be patient with Russell. I'm not even saying to get away from being a run-first, slam it down their throat team.
All I'm saying is just give the guy more than 3 passes per half. Especially when one of those passes just beat a blitz for like a 60yd TD.
Just mix it up a little so we have some form of balance to work with.
Psycho
Bama,
Yes, it was props. You and I have had many an argument on this site. But, I don't recall you ever saying Blanda and I should blow it out our asses or that we were part of the problem, as if we had any input.
By the way one of your favorite whipping boys, Sabastian Janikowski, is ranked number 3 in the conference, is 100% on field goals including a team record long and is second in touchbacks.
In fact, the special teams is playing better than they have in the last 5 years. Maybe we should just promote Brian Schneider to head coach. Oh yeah, the Chefs tried that with Frank Gantz a few years back and it was a disaster. But anyway, kudos to the special teams.
Scorpio,
Yes, it was his 4th NFL start. But, he's been in the system for over a year. If they keep stacking 8-10 in the box it won't matter what we drafted McFadden and Bush for. They'll both be out with season ending injuries. It's time to expand the playbook. If for no other reason how about a little protecton for Bush and McFadden.
H
this is what's so dang disappointing about alvin's walker signing. i don't remember who mentioned it but there were better choices!
Hell, if all we're going to do is run, use a single wing, full house T, or even the wishbone with two tight ends.
The time has come.
H
What ???? Raiderlosophy was a flop in Detroit.
I'm shocked.
It's working so well in Oakland.
Bama7
H, I think you've missed my point over the years about Old Seabass. I don't care if he's an all-pro... you don't take a kicker in rd 1. I would say that even if I knew all I now know about Vinateri, and he was somehow draftable next year, I still wouldn't draft him on day 1.
Anyone for giving up next year's 1st rounder for Ocho Stinko? I think he'd be worth it.
bama - i'd do a trade. but can we downgrade it a bit? maybe a 2nd and walker?
I'd go with the single wing, H. We could leave Russell off the field completely (that will protect him even better) and go with McFadden at Tail Back, Bush at Half Back.
OOOOOOO O
O
OO
For those of you who have never seen a single wing.
Shoot, it moved everything around. Okay, ignore the dashes...
-OOOOOO---O
O---O
---OO
Oh nooooooo,
Blandarocked is drawing up plays now.
it can get worse !!!!!!!!!
Buzzzzzzzz! Wrong Raider00, that's called a "formation." A play is on of those things with lines and arrows on it, and Xs to represent the defensive players.
Sheesh!
Hey Blanda, i didn't play high school football in the 1930's, so cut me some slack friend. thanks
What I expect to see on Sunday. (Not what I want to see, but what I expect we'll get.) Since we have injuries on both sides of the ball, Kiffin will decide he doesn't have the personnel to play to win, so he'll play SD "not to lose." Both on offense and on defense. SD 31 Raiders 10.
Raider00, I went to high school between 69 and 71. We used this then. We were the last high school in the country to switch to a T formation. But guess what. We won. A lot.
Bama7
Way off the subject, but Blanda I saw a news story that they caught the Zodiac (I saw the movie recently). Do you remember him scaring people back in the day?
Just remember Blanda--"When you least expect it-----" You know how it goes. I feel Kiffen probably can't believe it himself that he didn't get fired. He's playin with house money now I expect some rolling of the dice on offense and defense. Raiders 27-24.
RaiderMike
Bama7, I do remember that. People were afraid. In fact, that's the reason we don't have much in terms of Halloween anymore. Before the Zodiac, parents would pretty much let their kids run free on Halloween night. Kids Trick-or-Treated all over the place.
That particular year, I believe the Zodiac sent a letter to the Chronicle that he was going to go after the kids while they celebrated Halloween. That pretty much killed it, but then rumors of people poisoning candy and putting razor blades in candy apples finished it off.
It was a good movie. I saw it too. As an individual, you didn't spend too much time worrying about it though. That kind of thing, you figure, always happens to somebody else.
Uhh... bama.. I think our point has consistently been it doesn't matter what round anyone is drafted in... it's how he is performing now, and whom his replacement would be to improve.
Asum was prolly drafted two or three rounds too early... how come you are not bitching about him?
Gary: In regards to audibles ... the play to JLH for an 84 yard TD was an audible.
As far as Russell goes, I would agree with most of you about beginning the process of taking off the training wheels.
Giving Russell more audible options and opportunities to unleash his cannon is valuable playing experience that will do more good than harm to his overall career development.
What I have really appreciated about Russell since day 1 of his contract signing is his attitude. This 22 year old phenom is wise beyond his years and above all, a team first champion.
When was the last time you ever heard Russell complain? Show outward frustration? Lose his cool? Say anthing negative about his teammates? Hint at wanting more passing attempts?
This young man has handled himself with poise and dignity in spite of all the drama, controvery, and dysfunction swirling around the franchise he is employed by.
Russell has supreme confidence in his abilities yet a very even keeled perspective and approach to his profession.
I also like the way Run DMc has handled himself. He didn't make excuses for a subpar performance vs. the Bills and he has a genuine love for playing football.
As fans, it will be a big relief when we squash the drama hanging over Alameda and focus on Raider football.
Watching Russell & Run DMc blossom before our eyes will bring joy to all of our hearts. These 2 have all the earmarks of becoming outstanding, special players in the league.
Calico Jack, amen... can't wait til we're talking about football again instead of the multiple current dramas surrounding this team.
...watching Russell and RUN (dmc) develop... didn't we already see that happen in the '80s? I don't know about you, but "my addidas" still brings a tear to my eye.
hey BOZOROCKED heres a formation for you...
.............../´¯/)
............,/¯../ /
.........../..../ /
...../´¯/'...'/´¯¯.`·¸
../'/.../..../.....:^.¨¯\
('(...´...´.... ¯_/'...'/
.\.................'...../
..'\'...\.......... _.·´
....\..............(
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I call it the upside down T formation.....
CJ,
Hell yeah man we have a strong foundation with Russell & McFadden. Plus you throw in guys like Morrison, Howard, Nnamdi & Miller.
Now if we can just get our front office/coaching sh*t together, throw together some quality depth, we should be contenders for a long time. I just hope all this potential doesn't go down the toilet with all the BS going on around them. I don't wanna' see another Tim Brown suffer through years of BS only to have one last shot and fail. I want to see these young guys get good soon and have many opportunities.
Psycho
CJ, add Michael Bush to that mix as well. Now we need to accompany that with a talented WR in this year's draft, like Darius Passmore, Detron Lewis, or Jeremy Maclin.
I wouldn't trade for Ocho Cinco, especially with Roy Williams and TJ Houshmandzadeh becoming Free Agents at the end of this year. I'd go for one of them, not lose anyone, and draft one of the above WR, or wait until 2010 to draft Crabtree out of TX Tech. I don't think Michael Crabtree will be eligible this draft; because I think he's a sophmore; pity!
CJ: If Russell audibled out of a running play and he got rewarded with a long TD, hopefully that was a learning experince for both him and the coaching staff because with everyone putting so many in the box knowing the Raiders are going to run, it's going to be one man to beat and off to the races the rest of the year.
I picked Russell up on my fantasy just for this reason... Russell should be looking for keys to send people on hot routes.
This is NFL 101 that hasn't been happening the last two years. I have hope!
I wouldn't have a problem drafting a sure thing WR first and then linemen on both sides of the ball the rest of the way out next year. We need to work on our depth on the line so we can hold leads in the fourth quarter.
Very good, Jones. Now wash your finger paints off the wall before mommy gives you a spanking.
Gary, especially the d-line. Those guys are getting gassed fairly easily, and we need depth to spell them.
Part of the problem I'm having with Kiffin is his refusal to use the tools we've got. You can't just say we don't have the talent at WR and then refuse to even attempt to throw a pass. You can't self-eliminate portions of your game. If you are going to be shut down in certain portions of your game, let the other team shut it down, don't shut it down yourself.
And here's something "old school" that you don't see much anymore, especially from the Raiders. When a WR drops a pass that he should have caught, go right back to him on the next play. Something that started with Gruden was shutting player down who make a mistake. That's the wrong approach. Going right back to the receiver accomplishes two things. It lets your receiver know that you still have faith in him, and it gets his mind immediately back into the game so he can't dwell on his mistake.
Right now I'm thinking that because Curry has dropped two passes, we won't see him again for the rest of the season.
Blanda,
You're catching up to me. When you were in high school I was already divorced once and preping for Southeast Asia. It was a short marriage, but I made up for that with the current Mrs. H.
Now, this is how old we are. Son-in-law of H was at the house on Sunday watching the game with me and assisting in the consumption of my beer.
As a complaint about Kiffin's choice of plays, I said I wished they would go back to the quarterback calling the plays. He was surprised at my statement. He only remembers coaches calling the plays. Plunkett was one of the last, and that was about when he was born.
H
H, I remember the switch well. And I think the Raiders were the last team to employ a QB who called his own plays. They tried letting Wilson call his own plays for about a half a season, but he couldn't do it, and Flores started calling them.
The Cowboys were the first team, under Landry, to have the HC call all of the offensive plays.
What's kind of funny, and relevant to the arguments we have here, is that I think that's the point that you could identify as where the Raiders were no longer competing in the playoffs every year.
Gannon could call his own plays, even though he usually didn't.
Doesn't Peyton Manning call his own plays, and most QBs have numerous audible options.
One of the big criticisms of Russell when we drafted him was his age and inexperience (drafted as a Jr). Add his holdout to that list and we are probably feeling the effects of all the above.
It's definitely time to take off the training wheels. SD will kill us with the game plan we used against Buffalo, i.e., get a narrow lead and sit on it. It's time for Russell to carry over his LSU charm to the Raiders.
blandarocked....
I would have bet that the first HC to call his own plays would have been Paul Brown with his rotating offensive lineman.
N E W S U B J E C T
I'd like to propose a GM - Floyd Reese, late of the Oilers/Titans.
Several reasons:
1. If he can get along with Bud Adams, he should be able to tolerate Al Davis.
2. I think he had competitive teams with the Titans, especially since the salary cap impacted the way teams draft/develop/retain talent.
3. And he sure knows how to hire a coach - Jeff Fisher has done a pretty good job since he's been there.
4. Seems to me he has a higher stick rate with his draft choices than most teams - certainly better than the Raiders, whose drafts have been mediocre since Bruce Allen left.
5. I'd bet hs's a proponent of smash mouth football - you know, like the Raiders used to play.
6. I know, he lost a power struggle with Fisher. So? Haven't we all lost power struggles?
7. Davis has bottomed out our team and needs somebody with the chops to stand-up to him and do it the right way.
8. If I was him, I'd want back in the game instead of sitting next to the ESPN loudmouths every week.
nyraider, I've often said that QB Payton Manning is likely the only current NFL QB who would florish in those days.
What they do with Manning, from what I'm told, is they give him five plays - two passing and three running. He evaluates the defensive alignment and picks the best of those five. At the same time, he is completely capable of audiblizing to a play outside of the original five.
I don't think I've ever seen any QB analyse a defense as fast as Manning.
Blanda
Another scum move to try and discredit me? Sorry, I didn't do the one finger salute picture to you. You are truly pathetic, your mantra of disinfo and false accusations shows you are mentally very weak. You are a brainwashed zombie that will NEVER KNOW THE TRUTH about anything. Hope all is well in your fantasyworld because if you ever step into the real world, you wouldn't be able to handle it. Maybe this is why you continue in your fantasyworld, you CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.
JONES
You see, Jones, that's what happens when you get in the habit of posting as anonymous. Sometimes you have to start taking credit for what other anonymouses say.
But I'm glad to see that sweet temperament of yours is still intact. ;-)
Oh, and why "Jones?"
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"
Why not, "Jack Nickolson?"
Blanda, I leave my name, you know that. There probably is someone else in this world that wants to flip you, YA THINK?
JONES
i'd hate to be between you guys in the stands.....
If there is one moment when these players turn things around it will be the moment that JaMarcus Russell completes several deep passes in a single game. And I'm talking about a couple of TDs worth.
No matter how much opposing defenses will hate to do it, that is the moment when they will be forced to back off the line and play us honestly. That is also the moment when our running backs will truly begin to run free, and our defense begins to shut offenses completely down.
That is the whole key to what we are doing right now. We're holding back because of the lack of faith in our offensive line and the ability of our WRs to get open and come down with the ball.
Walker, Curry, Lelie and Higgins have to step up soon, and Kiffin needs to develop just a little faith in Russell's ability to escape trouble.
It will be interesting to see how Kiffin calls the plays in this game, because I have a feeling another blow out at the hands of an AFCW rival will be his last NFL coaching game for awhile, if ever.
SD, for the most part has had our number lately. We have never been able to stop LT, and we have never gotten any offense going.
Right now SD is ranked 31st against the pass and 18th vs the run... so there should be some opportunities to air the ball out... let's hope we see it!
It would also be a refreshing change of pace to see SOB do some actual game planning according to the AFCW team we are playing... ya think LT is going to throw some HB options again SOB??? MAYBE? Ya know, like Denver runs the bootleg???
I'm sick and tired of our defense acting completely surprised by the same ol' tactics that are used by teams we see twice a year.
It signals to me that you don't know WTF you are doing.
Well Jerry Mac said that Al Davis was at the Raiders HQ at noon and watched the entire practice today, no less in his privat golf cart.
You'd think Kiffin would go say hello right? Wrong.
Mr. Duva
Although I'm not pleased with our WR Corps as it is currently comprised ...
Both Higgins and Lelie can create separation in single coverage and stretch the field for big play opportunities.
Both Walker and Curry are experienced professioinals who have a track record of production when healthy. I haven't given up on either guy. Both are too talented to not make significant and reliable contributions to the passing attack. At the very least, Walker and Curry should be established to attempt to get a more balanced run/pass ratio, moving the chains, and winning the time of possesion battle.
Z. Miller is probably our best receiver. Kiffin will need to find creative ways to utilize Miller in spite of double teams. One way is the deep seam route. Another way is to use him as a valuable decoy to clear a swath of the playing field out for another WR to make a play.
Going into the game vs. the Chargers ...
Kiffin needs to come up with a game plan to make the Chargers pay for sticking 8+ men in the box. How do you do that?
A good start at going against tendencies on 1st down by passing more on 1st down. There should be a half dozen "safe" pass plays used such as quick slants, delayed screens, quick 7 yard comeback routes, drag routes. These 1st down plays should be 3 step drops to get the ball out of Russell's hand and let the intended target make some YAC.
If and when we have some 2nd and short situations, that is the time to play action to some big plays down the field.
There should be a major emphasis in the offensive game plan to get the ball to Run DMc in space where he is matched up with a LB. If nothing else, these plays have a way of slowing down the Charger pass rush plus everytime Run DMc touches the ball he is capable of making a big play.
If and when we get some red zone opportunities on O, line up Run DMc behind center and give him a run/pass option. Even better, have him throw the ball to Russell in the end zone. Tell me that wouldn't electrify the home fans! How about some 2 TE sets where Miller stays into block and the other TE is a primary receiver? What about calling Russell's number by having him drop back to pass but take off in a controlled QB run in space?
Bottom Line: For us to have a fighting chance to win, the Charger game must be the time to one and for all take off the training wheels on Russell and trust his abilities and instints to shine. ;) CJ
I think the consensus is that Kiffin needs to gameplan this like his hair is on fire... this is the first obviously superior team we have faced this year in that they made it to the AFC championship game last year, and they have dominated us lately. If Kiffin comes out with "same ol same ol" I honestly have to start wondering how far over his head he is in the NFL.
This isn't a game where running the ball in running situations, and passing the ball in passing situations will work. They have way too much talent.
I am anxious for some creative play calling... it's been 19 games of conservatism. Enough already.
...added. How about some no-huddle? The gadget plays that CJ mentioned? Keep the defense guessing, and not just with the token long pass to nobody.
This isn't USC where your talent can dictate the action. Kiffin needs to start figuring this stuff out. We need POINTS at all costs. The D is not going to win it for us.
Calico,
what's up with not using zach miller more ?
he had no receptions last week vs bills.
i just do not get it.
look at dallas. everyone knows romo is looking for jason whitten, but still, whitten grabs around ten passes a game.
whitten is released into the passing game on every pass play. he only stays to block on running plays.
it reminds me of how raiders used to use chester, casper, chrsitenson, back in the day.
miller, who has great talent, is being wasted right now, and i don't know why.
raider00,
its called double-coverage when he does go out and staying in to block when he doesn't.
I agree with others who say conventional playcalling will not work against the Chargers.
As for the WRs, I'm quickly losing faith in Curry. He's dropped too many balls already. I say we keep him on a short leash and consider Chaz Schilens as a possible sub.
I don't think Higgins is an every down WR, although he has tremendous speed. Even after he slowed down on the 84-yard TD play in Buffalo, the defender still couldn’t catch him. I'm just afraid the next time he goes over the middle like that, he'll get crushed.
Teams know Miller is our best receiver, and have the luxury of doubling him, because nobody else will step up.
If we're taking the training wheels off of Russell, Walker is the one who should step up his game. He's a proven WR, who's being paid beaucoup dollars. It’s time to stop babying this guy.
the fact the Raiders lost Warren at DT last week and did nothing to backfill this loss (cept plan to use a TE at DT against LT/PR/and the Chargers) says it all.......
Al/the Raiders are simply too caught up in the off the field BS (not sure if you catorgize the Kiffin/Davis fued as off-field, too deal with player/personnel needs.
How freeking sad is that!!!
Ok, I think it's settled then... we need more creativity on play calling, and more emphasis on Russell's arm (sink or swim.)
Now all we need is Kiffin to read this forum! lol
I'm guessing we are going to need at least 30 points to even be in this game... Rivers has got to be licking his chops reviewing tape of Hall playing off of his receiver by 10 yards every play.
Blanda,
Tinfoil is correct on Paul Brown. Landry was a protege of Browns.
Also, I think Jones doesn't have a since of humor. You can't spend your entire life griping and moaning. If I did I'd probably be more insane than I am now. I might actually start listening to those voices in my head.
I'm in on the playcalling too.
H
Calico, the reason I love arguing with you is you make so much damn sense most of the time. In fact, I completely agree with your take above.
Regarding Miller, I grant you he's the best receiver on the team. That's another reason I'm currently pissed at Kiffin. We picked up Troup as an additional TE, NOT (apparently) to free Miller to catch passes, but so Miller can continue to block and Troup can catch passes.
You can't continually use the excuse that you don't have the personnel to do something! You have to at least attempt it so you will later be able to say that with conviction.
I ran Al Davis through the Wikipedia database just to check out what info is on the legend and turned out to be an interesting read. However this last part may interest some of you. Couldn't imagine his wife running the team. She's had some heatlh concerns as well, but you never know.
"Recently, Davis has been attempting to sell the 31 percent ownership stake in the team he obtained from the McGah family. He has been unsuccessful in this effort, reportedly because the sale would not give the purchaser any control of the Raiders, even in the event of Davis's death. Full control of the team will be assumed by Davis's wife, Carol, upon his death."
Mr. Duva
Then, I believe that Wiki entry would be incorrect. At the very least, not updated. Davis didn't sell the entire 31%, but he sold a portion of it to an undisclosed group. That's where he got a lot of his money for bonuses this year.
I believe the part about his wife is incorrect also. It was recently reported that the heir is his son, Mark. However, it's very likely that in the event Davis dies before his wife, it will be held in trust until she dies, then be transferred to Mark - but Mark would still likely control the team publicly, or at least hire people to run it.
this is EXACTLY the reason why alvin shouldn't fire kiffin:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?id=3610593
now blanda wouldn't that be a novel idea... hmmm, a GM? wow, what a concept!
wow, look who's coming into the family!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/26/sports/s141647D59.DTL
BR:
The feeling is mutual. I enjoy our 'back and forth' discussions.
You are wrong about Kiffin not trying to get the ball to Miller. The problem is two fold.
#1 Miller has been identified by opponents as Russell's favorite target ... he has been double covered the vast majority of times that he releases as a receiver.
#2 Russell (rightly so) is not forcing the ball to a double covered Miller.
As far as the addition of Troupe we also have a philosophical difference. The addition of another pass catching TE helps NOT hurts Miller.
If Troupe has success it will only lead to more opportunities for Miller to face single coverage.
It also serves the purpose of maximizing the 2 TE sets in such a way that the D isn't sure which TE is going to be released and which is going to stay in to block.
Another vital element to free up Miller is the WR corps. If the WR corps has more respectable production it will enhance Miller's opportunities.
In regards to the Wiki entry ... Davis was successful in selling 20% of the team not 31%.
Finally, I totally agree 1000% with Gary's comment about Kiffin's gameplan ... it cannot be the "same old, same ol".
When facing an elite team, the mindset of the HC needs to be 1 step ahead of the opponent ... keep your opponent off guard, keep the opponent guessing, be bold, be aggressive, play to win, be creative, take chances, trust your players, put your players in the position to dictate the terms of the game.
For example, when was the last time the Raiders tried an onside kick or a fake punt play? How about a no huddle offense to start the game? The predictability of our units is killing us. The Chargers have 3 games worth of film of us doing the "same old,same ol".
The willingness and determination to throw caution to the wind liberates the players.
Putting MORE resonsibility on the broad shoulders of Russell is the first step in this journey. Once Russell gets wings to fly, the identity and heartbeat of the team will finally be established.
Win or lose, I believe Kiffin's identity as a head coach will be revealed this weekend. It’s time for Kiffin’s game plan to become more dynamic and for his QB to graduate from NFL 101.
On the other side of the ball, well, which team will show up is anybody’s guess. Ryan will likely make some lame excuse why he didn’t blitz enough, like “they were in max protection.” He must not think our guys are fast enough or strong enough to get by blockers.
The scary thought right now in my mind would see Matt Millen come in as a Al Davis hire to solve our woes.
Kiffin would be gone and Rob Ryan would assume coaching the team.
Davis loves Matt and Matt has always been very, very loyal to Al. But that would just cause more choas here in Oakland. Matt Millen never did anything productive in Detroit, what would compell Davis to hire him? He'd do exactly what Davis likes.
Blanda- Now tell me what do you think of this move if it were to happen?
Mr.Duva
Matt Millen's resume (as an exec) speaks for itself. In other words, he's perfect for the Raiders. Fits right in with our current five-year run. Cause that's how we roll.
Back to the central topic, does anybody know the antonym for Public Relations? Did somebody say Herrera?
When hired by the Kitty Kats, Matt Millen was not qualified to be a GM. The typical GM has experience in at least 2 of the 3 areas;
* management
* scouting/personnel
* coaching
When hired by the Kitty Kats, Millen had no management experience, no scouting/personnel experience, and no coaching experience. He was an outstanding player and an above average NFL t.v. analyst. It is shocking that Millen was hired as a GM but even more shocking how long he lasted with dismal results. On both counts owner Ford failed miserably. More importantly, he failed the fanbase of Detroit.
This is the type of decision that an owner makes that has long term ramifications for the welfare of the franchise. Ford's poor decisonmaking skills and lack of due dilligence before hiring Millen was a ghastly mistake.
I forgot who mentioned Floyd Reece but he is clearly itching to get back into the NFL as a GM. He is very well qualified and seems to have the type of evel keeled personality to act as a bridge, advisor, moderator, sounding board, and personnel evaluator for Al to get things pointed in the right direction.
Calico,
i do not have to be a Gm, or have previous coaching, management, scouting, experience, to know that the best available coach out there is Bill Cowher.
i also know that a coach the caliber of cowher will never roam the raiders sideline under their current circumstances, Gm or not.
in other words, "commitment to excellence", is dead.
if you cannot have the best in your organization, then are you really seeking excellence ???
so on the raiders sinking island, kiffin can never be replaced by cowher, but rather, ryan, or lofton, which is meaningless to it's core.
even a Gm would be just another fall guy in our quest for failure.
swallowed up by a losing culture, strongly festered by the owner.
how can you spot a HC, or GM in oakland ? their the ones with their hands tied behind their backs.
unfortunate, but true.
Kiffin will be fired Monday morning. I've read the about the interview with Hanson today. It also says that Davis is going to speak to the press early this week. If Al Davis is emerging it only means one thing.
While McDonald views the issue of Hanson of one where assistants are more loyal to Davis than the head coach, I'd answer that Hanson was brought aboard by Kiffin, not Davis.
Hanson's objection is that he feels the Raider personnel are being misused by Kiffin (on the defensive side of the ball), and that the Raiders are incorrectly playing the strengths and weaknesses of their oponents. And from what I've seen, I have to agree.
Kiffin's objection to Hanson is that he openly vocalized internal dirty laundry, an objection that Kiffin has no right to make based on his own statements the last several weeks.
Hanson is not an "undisclosed source," he is an assistant coach, previously called brilliant by both Kiffin and Ryan, objecting to elements in the Kiffin regime. It also suggests that Kiffin has more say on the defensive side of the ball than he lets on.
I also expect that the Raiders will likely lose today's game. The Raiders are banged up, and when healthy Kiffin's tendency is to "play not to lose." Unless the players play almost perfectly today under that philosophy, lose they will.
Raider 00:
I disagree with your basic premise that a GM is a lost cause in Oakland. A GM is vital in Oakland to do some of the heavy lifting of rebuilding the team. Davis doesn't have the time, energy, focus, or strong health to devote to the team. If Davis hires a GM it reduces the day to day level of activity of the owner which at this point is paramount.
I agree that it will be next to impossible to ever hire the best possible candidates for HC (like Cowher). This is even more true without a GM.
A GM is a vital cog in the organizational hierarchy ... A GM helps to source candidates. A GM helps in the hiring of a GM. A GM acts as a bridge, moderator, facilitator, ally, advisor between HC X and the owner.
Wihtout that bridge (GM), no worthy HC candidate will work for Davis besides puppets, retreads, flunkies, current staff, or rare, hidden gems in the college ranks.
Regarding what I believe to be Kiffin's imminent firing, I'd also note that Kiffin has received no words of support from members of the coaching staff Kiffin brought to this team (i.e., Cable and Knapp). As both are reported to already have their 2009 employment lined up, it would seem they have very little to lose by doing so. Yet they have declined. And if the position of Head Coach for the Raiders is viewed as a "black hole," at least according to the press, it would also appear they are not hoping to be named as Kiffin's successor.
Calico,
if you're talking about a Gm with complete autonomy, well, then yes i agree.
but you and i have both been fans long enough,(myself since '74), to know it won't happen under the teams current circunstances.
and for those who bring up bruce allen from time to time.
if you go back and look at the drafts he was involved in, they are very lackluster to say the least.
the raiders did have success while he was there, but the strategy was to sign aging vets with a little juice left in the tank.
it worked for a 3 season sprint, but unfortunately, the NfL is a grueling marathon.
Blandarocked,
maybe we will lose today. but do you think our chances would improve with ryan or lofton as Hc ?
i don't.
Raider00 - maybe? With all our injuries and they're health, this game is nothing more than a mismatch. We will need excellent coaching and lots of luck, two things we've not had in quite some time. Rivers has like 9 TD passes this year, already. LT is usually good for 3 running TDs and 1 passing. I'm on my way to the bar to watch it on satellite, but I'm not feeling real good about this game, nor Kiffin's chances to survive the bye week. Go Raiders!
Shocking News:
KC about 1:00 from beating the Donkeys. Denver's achilles heel is a subpar D.
More Red Zone Blues:
Raiders have a nice drive to open the game after a nice KR by JLH but failed to punch in for 7 and settle for another SeaBass chippy.
Sweet play by G. Wilson causing a safety! Nice, very nice (Borat voice)!
Now that's what I call a TD.
Great job by Jrock and Miller.
Sweet..............
Mr. Duva
The deep seam route to Miller was a beautifully designed play.
The 76 FG attempt by SeaBass with :01 left on the 1st half clock was very dubious.
Russell can easily throw the ball 70+ yards in the air. Why not go for a Hail Mary with Max protection?
Our D has played aggressively and is the reason we are up 15 to 0.
Now is the key time for the Coaching Staff to "play to win" in the 2nd half. No passive D. No prevent D. No "same old, same ol'" as far as offensive playcalling.
Up 15 to 0 ... The foot is firmly planted on SD's throat. Now is NOT the time to ease up on the foot. Now is the time to push harder on the windpipe.
Go Raiders! CJ ;0
calico - al called that one.....
:o)
blanda,
you wanted kiffin fired no matter what anyway. alvin's gonna fire yet another coach. better to get this done. this'll prove that alvin's completely out of his mind.
caloci - i was talking about the field goal attempt that al called down from his box....
Now its on Jamrcus again to put this game away. Because no matter how many time the other teams QB is hurried up, knocked down, sacked, or intercepted......our offense have to kill clock, get first downs, make no mistakes (turnovers)but our general is our QB....and he just fumbled the ball....great!...
you see special teams can put you in the red zone but what good is it if our general doesnt know how to or is capable to punch it in....our defense can only hold up for so long (since they are always on the field) and can spot you points or get positioning after a punt but for what??? we dont have a true QB general who gets these great advantages and do something with it (yes i know that fluky pass for a long TD to Miller) on a consistent fashion, is what iam questioning with Jamarcus... bench him or eles we will keep losing games that we are not suppose to, and lets start Walters already and see what he would do in these situation, I bet you would see better results my friends...Mega PEP Bust...
WTF...................
I am so ashamed right now as a fan. We could have clearly won this one, but yet again we let the other team catch wind and come from behind and win.
Lane its been great and great knowing ya. Onward to the next regime. Not that it will matter cause the next coach will do the same. Lofton, Ryan, Fassel who ever Al can get to commit.
Mr. Duva
D. Hall is clearly worthless.
Great pick up Al. This one is on you buddy.
He Sucks........
Mr. Duva
WOW! I didn't realize just how tuff you fizzler fanatics and fizzler employees were til I saw the "herrera" video of that "ruff tuff creampuff" trying to push a few reporters around! WOW that fizzler exec was BBBBAAAADDDDD!!!!!!, Mkaes you proud to be a choketown fizzler fanatic! You know that guy has a job for life with big al (MR.) davis! Anyone who exhibits that kind of loyalty by surgically having his lips sewn onto (MR.) davis' ass as tight as his are is ass-sured of lifetime work in the proud franchise of the slobber and whack! You go herrera....
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