Al Davis’ latest embarrassing episode
Al Davis has, through sheer force of will, carved out a lucrative and influential career as a football executive. While no one can take away his achievements as the operating partner and GM of the Raiders over the last 40-ish years, his more recent actions have bordered on the ridiculous. It wasn’t long ago that Davis tried to revisit the past by naming Art Shell head coach. That worked out well (2-14 in one season back at the helm); and led to Davis doing a complete 180 with his next coaching hire.
Enter Lane Kiffin. Kiffin, the son of famed Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, was plucked away from the USC Trojans and became the youngest NFL head coach since the AFL-NFL merger. Kiffin was the Trojans’ offensive coordinator at the time (replacing Norm Chow) and was considered a bright young mind, but extremely inexperienced.
Kiffin now finds himself 5-14 in 1+ seasons at the helm. Rumors are rampant that he’s going to be fired.
But here’s the thing Al Davis needs to ask himself (not that he will of course)…what does firing Kiffin accomplish?
Assuming Kiffin gets the axe before this weekend, he would have a 0.263 winning percentage. Hardly anything to be proud of, but really any different than the status quo in Oakland?
- 2006 — Art Shell (2-14) = 0.125 percentage
- 2005 — Norv Turner (4-12) = 0.250 percentage
- 2004 — Norv Turner (5-11) = 0.3125 percentage
- 2003 — Bill Callahan (4-12) = 0.250 percentage
You have to go back to the 2002 season (11-5) when Bill Callahan took the Raiders to the Super Bowl, in order to see any ray of light. But let’s not forget that the 2002 team was very much the brainchild of Jon Gruden.
Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Yes, for Kiffin but not for the Raiders. Until Al Davis steps away from the controls, the Raiders are an impaired franchise. With each passing coaching change, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because fewer credible head coaching candidates want to go to work for Davis; knowing they will have little control over football matters. In the meantime, Davis’ unwillingness to invite fresh minds into the scouting process ensures the team will continue to draft poorly and overspend on free agents [How is all that money for Tommy Kelly, Javon Walker, Gibril Wilson and company looking right now?].
But there IS hope for Kiffin.
Kiffin is still extremely young and, by most accounts, a talented offensive mind. I’m sure he’ll have any number of opportunities both in the NFL ranks (perhaps as a position coach) or in college (as an offensive coordinator) and won’t have to do too much in his new role to get another serious look from a more stable NFL franchise.
Kiffin needs to remember two names:
- Jon Gruden
- Mike Shanahan
Gruden was so successful in Oakland that Davis couldn’t stand him, and drove Gruden into the hands of the Bucs (who won a Super Bowl under his watch) rather than provide Gruden with the accolades and compensation befitting his achievements as Raiders coach.
And Mike Shanahan, he of the back-to-back Super Bowl titles in Denver, was fired by Davis in his 2nd season as head coach. At the time? The Raiders were 1-3. The rest, is history.
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