Commitment to Excellence? Don’t Make Me Laugh
Al Davis finally made good on his promise to relieve Lane Kiffin of his coaching duties. So, the luckiest man in the Bay Area today is probably Lane Kiffin. Not only does he get to exit this mess, but he does so looking quite well.
Kiffin leaves the Raiders at a time when they were at their most competitive. He gets credit for that since his predecessors can’t say the same. Not since Jon Gruden coached the team have they been this tough opponent on opposing team’s schedules. Chances are they won’t be for the rest of this season either (any of the coaching options currently rumored aren’t ready to lead this group).
I feel both good and bad for Kiffin. He should have been given a legitimate shot in this his first NFL coaching gig. On the bright side, he walks away as a very hot coaching prospect. Additionally, he gets to exit the laughingstock of the NFL. Anywhere will be better than Oakland.
As for Al Davis, he continues to be the punch line to so many jokes. He lost reality so long ago that we aren’t surprised when he does something like this. I personally hope Kiffin follows in Mike Shanahan’s footsteps and utilizes every opportunity to embarrass Davis on the field. I don’t know what else would be more effective against Awful Al. He doesn’t care about how the product he puts of the field performs. The fans won’t send a message by not attending games. The players won’t revolt because they don’t have to be accountable (the blame always falls on the coach). As long as Awful Al gets to keep making every decision, nothing will change.
Maybe it’s time to become a 49er fan. It can’t be worse than this.
Kiffin to Syracuse! Help resurrect my Orangemen!
September 30th, 2008 at 8:26 pm[...] The Crowe over at Just Blog Baby is about ready to trade in his Raiders allegiance and join the 49ers. Not a bad move in my opinion. Al Davis is a joke. He fired coach Lane Kiffin and also is not going to honor the contract and pay Kiffin for the rest of the season. I hope Kiffin sues for every penny Davis owns. Someone needs to tell Al the nursing home is calling. [...]
September 30th, 2008 at 10:13 pmThe news conference with Awful Al was an even bigger joke than I expected. I figured he’d try to paint Kiffin in the worst possible light. But, he kept referring to the fact that Kiffin’s conduct was detrimental to the team. THIS IS THE BEST THE TEAM HAS BEEN IN YEARS! I guess the detrimental part was that Kiffin was showing he knows football better than Awful Al does.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:54 am[...] The lies? The propaganda? For how long? Will I get paid? Oh my God this guy is completely out of his mind. Folks, meet the one and only, Al Davis. [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 11:23 amKiffin to Syracuse!!!! I hear that is where he will go!
October 1st, 2008 at 11:30 amSyracuse…from one major rebuilding project to another. At least it’s a good overall program that would respect a coach like Kiffin. Who knows, it could happen.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:46 amLove this bumper sticker I just saw; it reads “Just WHEN Baby?” … a parody on the Raiders tag line:
October 7th, 2008 at 1:32 pmhttp://www.zazzle.com/just_when_baby_bumpersticker-128556591587410690