LFR Sports

YOUTHFUL, GOATEED COACH IS THE BEST AMONGST FEW CHOICES

This entire flitation Al Davis has had with Southern Cal coaching staff continues to sound like one school yard soap opera. First, Steve Sarkisian shuns Big Al and basically dumps him and then consoles him by saying there's other fish in the sea.

Now, with the hiring of USC'S Lane Kiffin it's a case of the Trojan taking sloppy seconds.

By most accounts, Sarkisian turned down the Raiders offer. It's not known how Kiffin, who was reportedly interviewed for the offensive coordinator position suddenly became the favorite other than the fact few in America wanted the job.

In the end, by just perusing the Kiffin's resume the Raiders got the better prospect. Not only has he been more actively involved with USC's pro-style offense than Sarkisian and seen a large quantity of high quality future NFL stars pass through the program, but he also has a very esteemed coaching pedigree.

Being Tampa Bay's highly-respected defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin's son, the new Raider coach's youth probably wasn't much of a concern to Big Al.

All in all, the hiring of Kiffin seems like the very best the Raiders can do considering the state of the team and its reputation around the league. They get an offensive mind who may not be noted as a offensive genius just yet, but at least, he's been in the midst of a high-powered offense living in the present rather than circa 1976.

Oh, and he also looks young and tough. Somehow, this is something that seems very important to the Raider Nation.

Labels: Al Davis, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, Raiders, Steve Sarkisian

COULD A HIGH SCHOOL COACH BE NEXT?

It's happening all over again. Just like last year when the Raiders settled for Art Shell--the only human willing to coach the Raiders--the bottom of barrel looks like Raider territory.

Two days after it seemed like USC coordinator, Steve Sarkisian, was set to be the next coach in Oakland, the Jimmy Kimmel-looking assistant told the Raiders, "no thanks".
No thanks?

What has Sarkisian done to tell a NFL team "no thanks"? What's worse is the mocking tone of his statement Friday.

I strongly believe that the Raiders' job is a great opportunity for whomever their next head coach is going to be."

Translation: You're not attractive enough to me, but don't be so down on yourself, there's other fish in the sea.

It's come to this in RaiderNation we can't even attract a coach who wasn't even the offense coordinator at USC, but the co-coordinator. He didn't even make the offensive calls, but signaled them to the quarterback from the sideline.

Does anybody want this job?

Labels: Raiders, Steve Sarkisian

2ND INTERVIEW FOR USC COACH HEIGHTENS RUMORS IN OAKLAND

Despite James Lofton's believe that terms were discussed regarding the Raiders perpetual search for a head coach, it looks like former BYU QB Steve Sarkisian might be Big Al's guy.

Why not? I guess.

The San Jose Mercury's Tim Kawakami agreed in his column this morning and did a fine job of sorting out the Raiders self-imposed dilemma with regards to the dearth of desirable coaching candidates. Basically, we're looking at the bottom of the barrel, but that doesn't mean Sarkisian can't revive the Raiders.

Kawakami is correct that the Raiders cannot attract a sane man willing to wear a silly headset while roaming the sidelines of McAfee Coliseum. It's the worst job in the NFL for many reasons luborious detailed in this blog. The meddling of Davis, the rundown and neglicated state of the organization and a relentless zeal to keep the calendars stuck at 1967 is a large part of the demise of this club. The "greatness of da Raidahs" and "commitment to excellence" clearly refer to a place much more ballyhooed in Davis' memory. It's called the past.

Despite the limited credentials of the Raiders coaching candidates and the inexperience of Sarkisian, we are once again left to believe in Big Al's golden touch. There is no doubt that he's an NFL visionary who is noted for his ability to salvage once-promising careers. He's led the way in hiring black coaches and hired the first female executive in the NFL. Most importantly, when Big Al chooses a young coach to just win baby, his credentials are nearly flawless.

John Madden, Tom Flores, Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden. All with Super Bowl rings (although all not with the Raiders and one against). Davis nearly hired the surefire coach of the year Sean Payton and was turned down by Atlanta's Bobby Petrino.

It's a matter of faith with Big Al. His eye for young coaching is still intact and if Sarkisian is his man success will follow if history is our guide.

Labels: Al Davis, Raiders, Steve Sarkisian