2008 NFL Season Begins August 3!!

[RVR II]

Next Up for a head coach: The Raiders

From FoxNews

Kiffin fired as Raiders coach
Updated: September 30, 2008, 2:31 PM EST

 ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders fired Lane Kiffin on Tuesday just four games into his second season, bringing finality to a situation that had been simmering for eight months.

Kiffin had a 5-15 record since being hired last year, losing his final game 28-18 on Sunday to San Diego.

The decision on Kiffin was as much about his frequent criticisms of owner Al Davis' franchise as it was the team's performance on the field. Those critiques reached a peak when Kiffin distanced himself from the defense after a blowout loss in the season opener, saying that was under coordinator Rob Ryan and Davis' control.

The Raiders said the move was made for cause, meaning they will likely try not to pay Kiffin for the remainder of his contract. He signed a two-year deal worth about $4 million with a team option for 2009 when he took over last year. Kiffin's agent Gary Uberstine had no immediate comment.

The move comes a day after the St. Louis Rams let go of Scott Linehan, marking the second firing at the quarter point of the season. The last time a coach had been fired this early in the season was when Davis got rid of Mike Shanahan after four games in 1989.

The Raiders did not immediately announce a replacement for Kiffin, but there are plenty of candidates on staff, including Ryan and receivers coach James Lofton, who both interviewed for the job when Kiffin got it in 2007. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, running backs coach Tom Rathman, offensive line coach Tom Cable and advance scout Paul Hackett also could be possible choices.


The Raiders have a bye this week so the new coach's first game will be Oct. 12 at New Orleans.

Kiffin's job security was in question as far back as January, when a dispute with Davis over whether he could replace Ryan as defensive coordinator led to the owner sending his coach a letter of resignation to sign.

Kiffin refused to sign it and the feud went on throughout the offseason as Kiffin questioned big-money signings and other personnel moves made by Davis.

The situation grew more heated with Kiffin's comments on Davis' involvement with the defense two days after a season-opening 41-14 loss at home to Denver. Three days after that, reports surfaced that Davis was ready to fire his coach at any time and it dragged out from there.

Kiffin did his best to deflect the controversy and never went to Davis to lobby for his job or a resolution. The team played much better the past three weeks, beating Kansas City and taking leads into the fourth quarter against Buffalo and San Diego before losing.

Davis' once-proud franchise has fallen on hard times of late, with the blame going beyond one coach. Oakland has an NFL-worst 20-64 record since the start of the 2003 season, a stretch spanning the tenures of Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell and Kiffin.


Oakland has lost at least 11 games for five straight seasons, tying the dismal Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the 1980 for the worst stretch in NFL history.

Since returning to Oakland in 1995, the Raiders have had just three winning seasons and will be on their eighth head coach. The success mostly came under Jon Gruden, who led Oakland to division titles in 2000 and '01 before leaving for Tampa Bay. Callahan took the Raiders to the Super Bowl the following season, but nothing positive has happened since that 48-21 loss to Gruden and the Bucs.

The one constant during that period has been Davis, who won three Super Bowl titles in his first 21 years with the Raiders but has had little success over the past quarter-century.

Kiffin, the son of longtime NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, became the latest coach unable to turn the Raiders around.

Kiffin was just a 31-year-old assistant at Southern California when Davis hired him to replace Shell following the 2007 season, becoming the youngest head coach in the NFL's modern era.

Davis said at the time that Kiffin's youth was not an issue, pointing to the success the Raiders had in the past with young coaches like John Madden and Gruden.

Kiffin instead is following the path of Shanahan, who was hired at age 35 in 1988 and then fired four games into his second season. Until this move, Shanahan had been the only coach Davis had fired in the middle of a season since joining the Raiders in 1963.

Shanahan went on to win two Super Bowls with Denver.

Kiffin had some success changing the culture of a team in his first year but was unable to generate consistent wins.

 

[Nick]

What's the name for their stadium? The Black Hole? How fitting...

[RVR II]

Here's a look at other coaches who have reason to worry about their futures just four games into the 2008 season.

From FoxSports

[Bob]

Jim Haslett got quite the promotion with the Rams.

1.   He is their head coach, not interim coach.
2.   He and his buddy, the VP of operations have FULL personnel control and the GM got demoted to salary cap guy.   No coach of the Rams has had that before.
3.   He has unbenched Bulger and put him back as the starting QB.

[RVR II]

Jim Haslett got quite the promotion with the Rams.

1.   He is their head coach, not interim coach.
2.   He and his buddy, the VP of operations have FULL personnel control and the GM got demoted to salary cap guy.   No coach of the Rams has had that before.
3.   He has unbenched Bulger and put him back as the starting QB.

BUT.. Will He Deliver some positive results this season??

[Bob]

Jim Haslett got quite the promotion with the Rams.

1.   He is their head coach, not interim coach.
2.   He and his buddy, the VP of operations have FULL personnel control and the GM got demoted to salary cap guy.   No coach of the Rams has had that before.
3.   He has unbenched Bulger and put him back as the starting QB.

BUT.. Will He Deliver some positive results this season??

Not losing by 20 points would be a positive result!

[RVR II]

Fair enough

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

BTW, you'll notice I'm not saying a word this year.

 

[RVR II]

BTW, you'll notice I'm not saying a word this year.

 

WHAAAaaa...

Your Dolphins Beat The Patriots!!!
Still, No Comments???

[Bob]

I see that the Panthers will be without both their guards on Sunday.

DOH!

[RVR II]

I see that the Panthers will be without both their guards on Sunday.

DOH!

eh.. it's the Chiefs from Kansas City this weekend.. We should be ok...

[Bob]

I see that the Panthers will be without both their guards on Sunday.

DOH!

eh.. it's the Chiefs from Kansas City this weekend.. We should be ok...

Hmmmm, the Chefs did beat the Broncos.............. and almost the Pats.

[RVR II]

I see that the Panthers will be without both their guards on Sunday.

DOH!

eh.. it's the Chiefs from Kansas City this weekend.. We should be ok...

Hmmmm, the Chefs did beat the Broncos.............. and almost the Pats.

Aw Hell

[Blue Raja]

I see that the Panthers will be without both their guards on Sunday.

DOH!

eh.. it's the Chiefs from Kansas City this weekend.. We should be ok...

Hmmmm, the Chefs did beat the Broncos.............. and almost the Pats.

And then again, the Dolphins beat the Pats.  So really, we don't know the identity of any of these teams yet, and I doubt they do either.   Either way, it should prove to be an interesting game, finding out what these teams are really all about.

Fellow Panther fan here, by the way.

[Raven]

Panthers are my pick for the survival pool this week, so count me in as well.