BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
Is there a method to Al Davis' recent madness?
Ray Aspuria/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 03/17/2008 01:27:20 AM PDT
One can't blame the Raiders for trying and apparently they're not done just yet.
As soon as the news came across the media wires on Saturday Oakland would send it's second-round draft pick to Atlanta in exchange for corner back DeAngelo Hall one thing came into mind: Has Al Davis decided to keep his young head coach Lane Kiffin around after all?
It wasn't that long ago when the news filtered around that Davis allegedly concocted a resignation letter for baby face Lane to sign.
Kiffin, allegedly, refused to put his John Hancock on the paper and told big Al to fire him instead.
The drama sent Oakland spiraling down even further than NFL's ladder of respectability.
But now, a few months and millions of dollars later, things aren't so Silver and Bleak in Alameda these days.
In the infancy of the 2007 season, Kiffin bluntly noted Oakland didn't have the talent to be as successful as others in the organization -- a stiff jab to Davis' jaw -- thought they could be.
Indeed.
The Raiders may have been more competitive this year, but the final standings say it all and Oakland was once again in the cellar at 4-12. That's when the whole Kiffin/Davis drama began to rage like a wildfire.
The madness seemingly continued before and after the gates to free agency were opened, embodied by Al opening up his wallet.
Re-signing defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, running back Justin Fargas, franchising corner back Nnamdi Asomugha and signing
safety Gibril Wilson and free agent wide receivers Javon Walker and Drew Carter, Oakland opened the vault and drew the ire of NFL analysts due to questionable mega-deals.
The Raiders not only bought into the concept of continuity, but they also filled some of the holes that hindered the team, even if it was at a supreme price.
But delving deeper into things, is there a method to Davis' madness?
If the players Al brought in are healthy -- Kelly tore his ACL and Walker also has a bum knee -- and can produce like they did for their previous squads, did Davis truly believe his head coach was right and they were in fact in dire need of more talent?
If the Raiders and Falcons can agree on a deal that sends Hall to Oakland, the answer just might be a resounding yes.
Pairing Hall with Asomugha would give the Raiders a corner back tandem that the rest of the league would certainly have to respect. Both can cover and tackle making the signing of Wilson -- a safety willing to get dirty at the line of scrimmage -- even more advantageous.
Now let's flip to the other side of the coin on this one.
Did Davis sign players to exorbitant contracts to not attract them to the mess that is Oakland, or is it a ploy to drive Kiffin to the brink of madness?
Kiffin certainly can't like the fact the Raiders shelled out top dollar to Kelly, Wilson and Walker when the money could have been used on players with equal skills sets and a cheaper price.
And with Kiffin's team-oriented, no-me-guys coaching philosophy, how does Hall fit into the equation?
The feisty corner was in an embattled verbal brawl with former Falcons' coach Bobby Petrino last season which led to several selfish and downright idiotic acts on the field.
In his defense, Hall was right to dump all over a coach who abruptly quit on the team before the season was officially over.
But, Kiffin was the guy that supposedly had the final say in dumping Randy Moss -- another 'me' type guy.
So would he really want Hall on his roster?
The proposed trade has Davis' name all over it, so Lane may not have a choice.
But we do know this: Davis has given Kiffin more tools, even if the Hall deal falls through. And don't forget about the Draft in April.
It appears Lane has no more excuses if the Raiders trot into the 2008 season and once again finish with a below .500 mark.
If that happens, in his mind, Davis will have all the concrete proof he needs, Kiffin wasn't the right choice after all.
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_8600269?source=rss
Ray Aspuria/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 03/17/2008 01:27:20 AM PDT
One can't blame the Raiders for trying and apparently they're not done just yet.
As soon as the news came across the media wires on Saturday Oakland would send it's second-round draft pick to Atlanta in exchange for corner back DeAngelo Hall one thing came into mind: Has Al Davis decided to keep his young head coach Lane Kiffin around after all?
It wasn't that long ago when the news filtered around that Davis allegedly concocted a resignation letter for baby face Lane to sign.
Kiffin, allegedly, refused to put his John Hancock on the paper and told big Al to fire him instead.
The drama sent Oakland spiraling down even further than NFL's ladder of respectability.
But now, a few months and millions of dollars later, things aren't so Silver and Bleak in Alameda these days.
In the infancy of the 2007 season, Kiffin bluntly noted Oakland didn't have the talent to be as successful as others in the organization -- a stiff jab to Davis' jaw -- thought they could be.
Indeed.
The Raiders may have been more competitive this year, but the final standings say it all and Oakland was once again in the cellar at 4-12. That's when the whole Kiffin/Davis drama began to rage like a wildfire.
The madness seemingly continued before and after the gates to free agency were opened, embodied by Al opening up his wallet.
Re-signing defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, running back Justin Fargas, franchising corner back Nnamdi Asomugha and signing
safety Gibril Wilson and free agent wide receivers Javon Walker and Drew Carter, Oakland opened the vault and drew the ire of NFL analysts due to questionable mega-deals.
The Raiders not only bought into the concept of continuity, but they also filled some of the holes that hindered the team, even if it was at a supreme price.
But delving deeper into things, is there a method to Davis' madness?
If the players Al brought in are healthy -- Kelly tore his ACL and Walker also has a bum knee -- and can produce like they did for their previous squads, did Davis truly believe his head coach was right and they were in fact in dire need of more talent?
If the Raiders and Falcons can agree on a deal that sends Hall to Oakland, the answer just might be a resounding yes.
Pairing Hall with Asomugha would give the Raiders a corner back tandem that the rest of the league would certainly have to respect. Both can cover and tackle making the signing of Wilson -- a safety willing to get dirty at the line of scrimmage -- even more advantageous.
Now let's flip to the other side of the coin on this one.
Did Davis sign players to exorbitant contracts to not attract them to the mess that is Oakland, or is it a ploy to drive Kiffin to the brink of madness?
Kiffin certainly can't like the fact the Raiders shelled out top dollar to Kelly, Wilson and Walker when the money could have been used on players with equal skills sets and a cheaper price.
And with Kiffin's team-oriented, no-me-guys coaching philosophy, how does Hall fit into the equation?
The feisty corner was in an embattled verbal brawl with former Falcons' coach Bobby Petrino last season which led to several selfish and downright idiotic acts on the field.
In his defense, Hall was right to dump all over a coach who abruptly quit on the team before the season was officially over.
But, Kiffin was the guy that supposedly had the final say in dumping Randy Moss -- another 'me' type guy.
So would he really want Hall on his roster?
The proposed trade has Davis' name all over it, so Lane may not have a choice.
But we do know this: Davis has given Kiffin more tools, even if the Hall deal falls through. And don't forget about the Draft in April.
It appears Lane has no more excuses if the Raiders trot into the 2008 season and once again finish with a below .500 mark.
If that happens, in his mind, Davis will have all the concrete proof he needs, Kiffin wasn't the right choice after all.
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_8600269?source=rss
