Raidersblog.com

Wow. I am stunned. I don't think anybody knew how bad this was. You know what. I believe Al Davis. People called me crazy for siding with Al Davis in this whole mess a few weeks ago. USC didn't throw Kiffin a going away party, we did. Ours wasn't such a nice party. It says a lot that Cable was willing to take this job, even though he was brought in by Kiffin. No one can really defend Kiffin here, except Kiffin himself. We will see what kind of words he has tomorrow. What I can say is that a few things are most likely true and not my opinion: -Kiffin went after the job at Arkansas (Jerry Jones helped Al with this one) -Kiffin was never sent a resignation letter (Confirmed by multiple sources) -Kiffin lied about not talking to Davis (Why Kiffin would say that he hadn't talked to Davis is a stupid mistake). -Kiffin didn't want JaMarcus Russell -Kiffin tried to fire Ryan, and Davis didn't let him. Kiffin lacked a couple things: Tact and Diplomacy. It tur...

Kirk Morrison is coming on with Monty, in mere moments. Sporting News Radio has the interview. It can also be accessed via AOL Radio. Tune in NOW to catch the interview.

Because of an application update, my mobile blogging solution is no longer functioning. I've come up with another solution, and I'll be using that. I'll try to re hash my comments of those posts in future posts, but the majority of them had to to with the developments over the past couple hours in regards to Kiffin firing. I'm trying to see if I can get a source to get me audio access to the press conference. Stay tuned...

I've got to say, this reminds me of the Shannahan Shell situation, even down to the fact that Davis is going to try and stiff Kiffin. I do think Cable is one of the better choices Davis could have made considering he was hell bent of firing Kiffin. Cable has worked miracles with the offensive line. I suppose Knapp will call the plays now. Cable and Knapp interviewed for the head coaching job even before Kiffin was officially fired.They were hired on recommendation of Kiffin, but perhaps the offensive coaching staff wasn't that thrilled with Kiffin, or why would they agree to interview for his job? Why would they agree to replace him? This must not be the case where Cable and Knapp are Kiffn's guys, but rather that Kiffin was handicapped with them by Al Davis. Al Davis surrounded Kiffin with great coaching talent including Lofton. After all Kiffin didn't get to fire Ryan, so why would we give him credit for Cable and Knapp? Obviously Davis is the hire/fire guy. I...

Multiple news sites are reporting Al Davis has interviewed Cable, Knapp, and Hackett to be the next Head Coach. Obviously Knapp and Cable told Kiffin. Those two were probably who Kiffin had to persuade into coming. I have to go with my gut here and say that Cable and Knapp were not interviewed for the coaching job but rather asked if they would stay on under Hackett or wished to be released with Kiffin. That is my gut instinct. I think it is the wrong move for this franchise, especially if Cable is lost in the process. Perhaps Davis decides against the move if he loses Knapp and Cable, but maybe he moves forward if they are willing to stay. Logical isn't exactly a word anybody would use to describe Al Davis. This brings me to another observation I had. The reason Gruden worked wasn't because of Gruden. It was because of Bruce Allen. He was the closest thing we had to a GM. As quasi GM he was a perfect mediator between Davis and Gruden. Allen was even able to have success in his...

My reaction to today's loss is quite different than last week. Last week I was enraged by what I believed to be a mismanagement of the game in terms of use of the clock and playcalling on both sides. Today, we just got beat. I know we lead by 15, but when the Chargers defense finally reacted to our offensive playcalling, we couldn't move the ball. It reminds me a lot of last year, because we didn't have any game-changing talent on the offensive side of the ball. We drafted McFadden to be that guy, but I believe his speed and effectiveness is being hampered by his turf toe. We will see what he is like two weeks from now after his toe has time to heal. The defense gets worn down at the end of these games. They play very hard the first three quarters, but when the offense can't get them off the field, they tire. Again, the defense tired and gave up a 12 point fourth quarter lead. We just can't keep on giving the defense leads to protect and expect that will happen with...

Just when we lose Gerrard Warren to injury and need to look places for serviceable DT's, the Chargers gobble one of them up. Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com reports the Chargers have signed Ian Scott. It's too bad, we could have used his beef up the middle.

Jerry McDonald just confirmed via live blog that he did indeed receive a copy of the Kreidler article. He knows of three others that were asked if they wanted a copy. Here is the quote directly from Mr. McDonald after I asked him who received a copy: "I got one. Three others that I know of were asked if they wanted one. It was not "distributed" or "passed out" to anyone who happened to come into the room. I believe that's the area John has a problem with. This being made into a much bigger deal than it actually is, in my opinion. That's what happens when something goes on video." There were some media outlets that took something small and ran with it. They should be ashamed of themselves. I'll let you guys figure out which media outlets to trust.

It is classic. This is the National F*****g Football League I thought. However, I'm not going to automatically side with Tim Kawakami just because he was the bigger man. Fact is, there are few people who can confirm Kawakami's story. The one Herrera so boldly protested. I'll be the first to call out Kawakami (Not defending Herrera), although I am seeking to confirm my assumptions. Publishing a story about Herrera passing out Kreidler's article in the press room is a lot different then Herrera giving a single copy of the article to one reporter. This is one instance where a member(s) of media have stretched the boundaries of responsible journalism. Herrera took offense to the story, because he believed it to be untrue. It wasn't untrue, but it was stretched and sensationalized. Herrera being upset is somewhat justified, he just didn't handle it professionally. Kiffin calling Kawakami is a nice gesture. Herrera should have been the one to call. His actions were ...

For reasons still a mystery Al Davis is dragging his feet on the firing of Kiffin. Not very Al Davis like to be so indecisive. My guess all along was that if it happened he would do it on the bye. My guess is still winning cures all qualms when it comes to Al Davis. I thought 2-2 would be enough for Kiffin to survive the bye week. It still might. I would think a decisive home victory against the Chargers would do it. 2-2 at the bye I could see Davis go either way. I think some people miscategorize Davis. He cares about winning first and foremost. If Kiffin wins, Davis' problem with him is pushed to the back burner until that time he stops winning. Right now Kiffin isn't winning, and he is making rookie mistakes. Davis would prefer Kiffin win, so Davis can say, " I told you so," when it comes to personnel. If he wins Davis also isn't forced to fire Kiffin and pay two head coach salaries. Davis just wants winning not whinning. The sooner he gets that the better Kiff...

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports and Espn both are reporting Kiffin will be fired or "removed" from the head coaching position. I don't like the situation. Do I love Kiddin? No. Do I love Davis for making a coaching change every year? No. It feels like a lose lose to me. Some could say it is all Al Davis' fault. Partly they are correct. It is hard to believe Kiffin didn't know exactly what he was getting into. Why would he overstep his bounds and pick a fight with a maverick old bulldog? I think the problem is likely that the two men are more alike then not. Huge egos that never would admit they overstepped their bounds or were the problem. Problem is one has all the power and the other no power. You so the math.

The most unbelievable loss I have seen in years. Two timeouts and you don't ice the kicker. If ever Kiffin played this one not to lose, he did it, and it is going to cost him his job. How you cannot call one of your two timeouts to at least ice the kicker? Absolutely ridiculous! I'm in total shock on this one and I would be amazed if Kiffin lasted another week. Al Davis can't be happy. This is worse than week one loss. Lose a heartbreaker is the same as a blowout, unfortunatley these feel much worse. Today we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I'll post more when I call down, I nearly broke my TV.

It looks like they took my advice and McFadden is running without the need of hard cuts. Defense is looking stellar. I guess Morrison and Howard petitioned Ryan to be more aggresive. Boy has it paid off so far. Offense is playing not to lose, but at some point we are going to have to chew up clock and move the ball.

McFadden is still having trouble cutting. Bush has been far more effective running the ball. Maybe we need to get McFadden going north south. A small let down is settling for three field goals, but the defense has been good so far. Warren continues to anchor the line, but all of them playing well. Field positions has been key and we've dominated all three phases so far minus a big kick return by McKelvin. It remains to be seen if we can make good halftime adjustments and stay in this one in the second half. Stay tuned...

It looks like McFadden is having a tough time cutting on his foot. Perhaps it's just the turf, but he hasn't been seen since. Raiders defense is giving the Bills fits. Can't help but love the returns by JLH. Playcalling lacking creativity has resulted in two field goals and a punt. I do like that they have let Russell throw a more. Hopefully we can keep up this level of play.

Could it be Al Davis loves negative press? Michael Silver's article today highlights the culture that is Al Davis. Is he right? Well, he is if you buy into a lot of the stuff he says. He is if you buy into the notion that Al Davis doesn't care about winning on the football field. I find that laughable. Al Davis remains the ultimate maverick owner with no sign of becoming a backseat owner. Perhaps he takes a back seat when he is buried under six feet of bay sludge. Tim Brown speaking today on Sacramento's KHTK, said Kiffin is making a huge mistake by picking a fight with a pit bull. He said you don't pick a fight with Al Davis and win. "Even if you win, you lose," he said. I couldn't agree more with Tim Brown. I do think the players like Kiffin and I do think he has done a pretty good job, but he is making a mistake going after Al Davis, unless he wants to get fired, which Brown, Kreidler, and myself all agree upon.

It has come to my attention that a certain keep Kiffin website has garnered national attention. Numerous emails from Raider Nation made it possible to get the exposure from places such as profootballtalk.com. ESPN is likely next. It isn't always the popular thing, but I won't be signing the online petition. Wanting to keep a 5-13 head coach is truly and utterly a commitment to mediocrity. He whines about not having control. Like I've said in the past few days, he wasn't hired to be GM. Has any other coach, including Gruden, been such an open critic of his employer? It's unproffesional behavior. If Al Davis is truly as bad a Kiffin seems to think, why does he sink to Davis' level and also risk losing his pay? Kiffin is acting like a guy that wants to be fired. If he wanted to keep his job he could fight this battle in secret. That way Al Davis shoulders the entire blame. I am getting very tired of the situation. I still estimate it won't be long before it...

David White of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that a team administrator handed out copies of Mark Kreidler's recent ESPN article. Wow! This is getting ugly. Kiffin is gone very soon in my estimation. Not to mention McFadden is wearing a boot and Fargas may miss significant time with a groin injury.

People may be missing my point. I'm not saying we are all the sudden more successful than the teams who haven't been to the Superbowl. We have on fact been the worst. The point of including that was to point out to people that Al Davis was able to lead us to a Superbowl five years ago. People think he has lost it, but Madden didn't seem to think so just last season. People that talk to him don't believe that to my knowledge. The fact is Davis runs HIS team a certain way and his coach, who has yet to prove he can win in the NFL, doesn't get much say. The villian is Davis because people love to make him the bad guy, but Kiffin is no angel. Davis owns the team and has won in the not so distant past. Kiffin has yet to prove he can win on a regular basis and we didn't exactly have to pry him away from USC. They didn't even care. Who is to say we get better if Davis gives more control to Kiffin? No way to know. I'll trust the guy with an NFL track record. Feel...

Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think Lane Kiffin is the saint many people in the Raider Nation think he is. Lane Kiffin hasn't really been a company guy. In any other profession he would have been fired some time ago. It's not like 5-13 performance is enough to justify keeping a non-company guy around. I don't think many unbiased outsiders can admit Lane Kiffin's behavior is justified, even considering the circumstances. We haven't seen a coach do what Kiffin has and its my belief if Davis gets enough evidence against Kiffin to not pay him, we will have another Shannahan situation, only Kiffin wont come back to haunt us. Its hard to argue that we haven't been better since the arrival of Kiffin, but really could we have gotten the same result without the public criticism by the coach? Recently, Kiffin has refused to call Al Davis by his name instead calling him, "the Owner." Similarly, which I am unsure anyone has caught, is his...

Profootballtalk reports that Tommy Kelly was arrested for DUI. I've yet to confirm the story. It's not really a surprise to me that any person is stupid enough to get a dui, but we make far too huge of a deal about it. There is a system for punishment for those of us that choose to put our lives and others on the line. Let that system work. I'll be chatting with Jerry McDonald to see if he can confirm the story.

Davis reported will ask Kiffin to attend a meeting with him tonight, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. As I stated earlier, Davis usually doesn't travel so there must be a reason he made the trip to KC. It isn't as if KC is a nice place to visit either. I don't really care what happens, but I wouldlike the speculation to stop. Hopefully we will hear more on Monday.

It looks like Fargas and McFadden got hurt. We wont know the extent of Fargas' groin injury for sometime, but Lane Kiffin said McFadden had a toe injury that looks like Turf Toe. Turf toe is a three week injury. So for all of you who drafted McFadden and Fargas in Fantasy Football, pick up Michael Bush. Players of the Game: Besides the obvious, my gameball goes to Gerrard Warren on defense and Mario Henderson on Offense. Warren was all over the place and the main reason Larry Johnson had a 1.8 ypc day. Mario played extremely well protecting Russell's blindside and in the run game. It was a tremendous win. After the adrenaline rush of the game clears my system, I'll have a more comprehensive review, but as it is now, we dominated every aspect of the game. A much stiffer challenge awaits us in Buffalo. Buffalo is 2-0 and beat a good Jacksonville team today. I'm not trying to stir up any animosity or anything, but there is something to be said for Al Davis making a road g...

It looks like the defense has tightened up. Hall sure looks better and Huff is a factor. Warren is dominating in the run D and Burgess is getting pressure. The offense isn't running on all cylinders right now and Fargas looks like he may have pulled his groin so expect to see Mcfadden and Bush. Curry's hands of stone isn't helping Russell. It isn't domination on all ways, but as I expected a much better game. If Higgins runs sideways one more time ok going to go to KC and snap jim like a twig. Tough fumble for McFadden, but it was a tough spot there and didn't look like it will continue to be an issue.

Its been five days since the Raiders 41-14 debacle at McAfee. I've chosen to reflect a lot and listen this week to what fans and the media are saying. Its mostly Armageddon in the media and with fans. Seriously, its just one game. Was it embarrassing? Yes. Was it horrible? Yes. Did we get abused in almost ever area of the game? Yes. HOWEVER I must remind everyone that a loss, is a loss, is a loss. The fact remains that a one point loss it the same as a 50-point loss. We shouldn't go over the top and quit on the Nation. After all, if you quit, you're never allowed back in, at least not completely. I've heard numerous people say that if Lane Kiffin loses this week he will be fired. Do I think that Lane deserves that? Maybe. Do I think that Al Davis will fire him if we go 0-2? Maybe. Nothing would ever surprise me with Al Davis. However, I think Mr. Davis doesn't want to give Lane Kiffin that money to do nothing. That said, I think Kiffin has until the buy week to pro...

This is a test of a new app I have to better execute live mobile blogging. I guess testing 1...2...3 would be appropriate.

Chat with me by clicking on the links to the right. I'll post quarterly updates here. I've had a hard time coming up with the words for how bad we've been. When I cool down I'll write a complete more subjective review. Things probably couldn't have gone much worse. Out coached on both sides of the ball out played on both sides of the ball. McFadden had all of 4 official touches in the first half and Russell threw all of about 6 passes. Kiffin tell me how you expect to win when you don't let our biggest weapons fire? What was up with all the zone coverage we played and how did Shannahan know it? I thought the point of getting Hall was so we could play man-to-man. When we did play man, Wilson and Hall got torched by Eddie Royal. Even Asomugha was victimized although not as severe. Once Kiffin opened it up and the Broncos softened Russell looked good. We rushed at a 4.4 ypc clip in the first half as well even without many touches from our biggest weapon. Clearly th...

Current Odds: -3 Over/Under: 41 ESPN inLine: -1 Accuscore: -2.1 (44% Dog) What happened last season: Record: 1-1 Shannahan calls a timeout to seal the victory in hte first game, but the Broncos get blown out in the second game. Passing/Receiving: Denver: 39 for 65, 483 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT --> Walker: 8 for 101 (Now with Raiders) --> Stokley 6 for 145, 1 TD Oakland: 26 for 44, 270 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Denver: 51 for 248 (4.86 ypc), 2 TD, 2 Fumbles Lost Oakland: 64 for 355 (5.55 ypc), 1 TD, 1 Fumble Lost Turnover Margin: +2 What is different: Broncos: New Defensive Scheme New Starters: WR E. Royal, WR D. Jackson, LT R. Clady, RB S. Young, RT R. Harris, DT M. Thomas, SS M. Manuel, FS M. McCree Significant Losses: J. Walker, J. Lynch, Marshall (Game 1), T. Henry, R. Torrain (Injury) Significant Gains: D. Jackson, M. Pittman Impact Draft Picks: R. Clady, E. Royal Oakland: James Lofton - WR Coach New Starters: J. Russell, K. Harris, J. Grove, R. Brown, G. Warren, T. ...

Lelie is officially a Raider and William Joseph was cut to make room for him. I question how Lelie can help this team. If he could not make the 49ers poor group of WR, how would he help us? The answer to that is basically Martz who no longer needs the field stretching ability of Lelie, but I question if we will be able to use a WR like Lelie either. Russell has the arm, but Lelie doesn't appear to be the kind of guy that can counted on and I don't see us airing it out deep with any kind of frequency. Chad Jackson left Oakland bound for Cincy . It doesn't look like we had a serious interest in signing him, unless we could get him for cheap. Instead Jackson goes to Cincy who is planning for the worst in case Ocho Cinco's shoulder becomes a bigger problem. I'm not sure Jackson was a great option to begin with, because he has an attitude and would likely displace Schilens or Watkins who deserved to make this roster with solid preseasons. It might send the wrong message...

Word is Lelie is on the brink of signing a deal. With the lack of depth at WR I can't blame the team for bringing in a talented WR with questionable history. However he isn't very good and at best a fourth WR. Hope it doesn't cost Schilens or Watkins a spot. Jackson is a troubled talent as well but his youth might still lend a hand to his development and I'd be okay with adding him as well. More analysis on the first game of the season to come later this week.