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Page 1 of 1 1 Topic Options #145031 - 10/01/08 01:06 AM Kiffin Fired FREAK FREAK 2007 Bad Man Champion Owner Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 45062 Loc: Time to play the Game Offline In a stinging rebuke, mercurial Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis said during a rare press briefing Tuesday that he fired Lane Kiffin because of a variety of problems ranging from lying to insubordination. He named offensive line coach Tom Cable the interim head coach, thus ending months of simmering tension between the owner and Kiffin. Davis, who emphasized that he was dismissing Kiffin "for cause," based the firing on "conduct detrimental to the Raiders," an indication that the team does not plan to pay Kiffin for the balance of his contract, which runs through next season. Such a move would likely prompt a legal fight from Kiffin, about which Davis said, "I wouldn't do it unless I was going to prevail." "I reached a point where I thought the whole staff, we were fractionalized." Davis said. "It hurts, because I picked the guy — I picked the wrong guy." Davis said Kiffin brought "disgrace to the organization," that he unfairly undermined defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and blatantly lied to reporters when saying he rarely talked with the owner. The decision to remove Kiffin was more about his frequent criticisms of 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 Ryan and Davis' control. However, Davis also critiqued several of Kiffin's coaching and personnel decisions and read a scolding letter he sent the coach earlier this month. Among other things, he said Kiffin objected to the Raiders using the first pick in the 2007 draft on quarterback JaMarcus Russell and he questioned why Kiffin decided to attempt a 76-yard field goal in his final game on Sunday. "I didn't think it was any one thing, it was a cumulative thing," Davis said. "The pattern just disturbed me." Kiffin, 33, who was 1-3 this season and 5-15 since taking over last year, initially told reporters he would hold his own press conference Wednesday. His agent, Gary Uberstine, later said he advised his client not to meet with reporters and to plead his case directly to commissioner Roger Goodell. Kiffin, who originally signed a three-year, $6 million deal with Oakland, said on ESPN after Davis' remarks that he asked to address the team after his dismissal but the Raiders refused. "It was very painful for myself and my family," he said of watching Davis. "A lot of accusations being made there, a lot of information being put up there, a number of lies. It was very hurtful and it was tough to stomach." The 79-year-old Davis was front and center for more than 90 minutes during his bizarre news conference, sharing the stage with Cable for some of that time and then sticking around afterward to take more questions. Davis is unable to attend practice as much as he did in the past and uses a walker to get around. But he dismissed questions about his health and said he still wants to win two more Super Bowl titles before handing the franchise over to his son, Mark. "You're going to have to have me around for a while," he said. Dressed in silver and black, his face weathered by years of standing on football sidelines, Davis sat at a podium reading from notes illuminated by a large desk lamp. He seemed angry at times, blaming Kiffin for most of the Raiders' woes, though he also blamed himself for hiring him in the first place. "I think he conned me like he conned all you people," Davis said. Kiffin is the second coach fired in two days after the St. Louis Rams jettisoned Scott Linehan and promoted Jim Haslett on Monday. It marked the first time two coaches have been replaced before game five since the AFL-NFL 1970 merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The firing follows a dispute that stretches as far back as January when Davis and Kiffin feuded over whether the coach could replace Ryan as defensive coordinator. Davis refuted reports that he gave Kiffin a letter of resignation to sign. He did allow that the team worked out a deal that would have allowed Kiffin to leave after last season. "He was after a job in college that he didn't get," the owner said after alleging that Kiffin wanted the job at the University of Arkansas that went to former Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino. Davis said the two sides agreed to a deal that would allow Kiffin to walk away from the Raiders if he didn't seek compensation for the balance of his contract. In return, the Raiders wouldn't block his move to a new job. Since last winter, relations between Kiffin and the Raiders have been acrimonious, and Davis suggested reporters have not been accurately portraying the schism. He lashed out at some (he called ESPN's Chris Mortensen "a professional liar") he said were delivering false information. Asked if he thought Kiffin was goading Davis into firing him, Davis said, "It's a good question. I don't know what he was doing, but he got me to fire him." Cable, who said his first priority as coach is to correct the team's knack for surrendering leads, was cautious when asked about the Kiffin-Davis dispute. "This is in many ways a strange day," Cable said. "I have a friend who lost a job. That's difficult in this business but, as we know, this is a business. It is time for us to move forward and to put the past behind us. ... We have a good coaching staff here and a good football team here." Davis said he started to consider Cable as a head-coaching prospect during training camp. "The more I talked to him," Davis said, "the more I felt there were some things there the Raiders needed." Kiffin garnered respect among Raiders players for his handling of an uncomfortable position, said Oakland cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Traded in the offseason from the Atlanta Falcons (who lost Petrino when he resigned with three games left last season), Hall said Kiffin's status hasn't affected the team negatively. "It's not really been a distraction to me personally," Hall said. "I've been in situations way worse. Hint, hint — last year in Atlanta." Despite his .250 winning percentage, Kiffin defended his record as Raiders coach when reporters met him in his car on earlier on Tuesday. "I know that we left this team a lot better than when we got here," he said. Hall was optimistic that the coaching change would have a positive effect. "I hope so," Hall said. "You want to have that belief that something will get this team motivated. I'm sorry it had to be Lane getting fired. But hopefully it's the spark we need." Does Hall believe Kiffin has what it takes to resurface as a head coach down the road given a better opportunity? "Oh yeah," Hall said. "I'm sure he'll bounce back. He's definitely capable of doing that. He's built to coach in the NFL. He's built to relate well to the players as one of the guys." Hall said Kiffin addressed the situation with the players late last week prior to their loss against San Diego. "Lane handled the situation great," he said. "He told us, "I'm not quitting. I'm still riding with you and I have total faith in you. "Just control what you can control." _________________________ Be an active member of the community. Make some posts daily. Top #145032 - 10/01/08 01:07 AM Re: Kiffin Fired [Re: FREAK] FREAK FREAK 2007 Bad Man Champion Owner Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 45062 Loc: Time to play the Game Offline Dear Lane: Over the past months, you have made a number of public statements that were highly critical of, and designed to embarrass and discredit, this organization, its players and its coaches. I left you alone during training camp in hopes that you would cease your immature and destructive campaign. However, you continue to make public statements that are critical of the organization, its players as whole as well as individual players. Such statements constitute conduct detrimental to the Raiders and I will no longer stand silently by while you continue to hurt this organization. Further, your contract is quite clear that you work "subject to the direction and supervision of the General Partner" and that the General Partner has "the exclusive right to do all things, which in its sole discretion are necessary to maintain and improve the Club, the football organization and their activities." I realized when I hired you that you were young and inexperienced and that there would be a learning process for you. Your mistakes on player personnel and coaches were overlooked based on our patience with you. But I never dreamt that you would be untruthful in statements to the press as well as on so many other issues. Your actions are those of a coach looking to makes (sic) excuses for not winning, rather than a coach focused on winning. For example, with the exception of Gibril Wilson, you were involved in recruiting all free agents and determining salaries for them and you were explicit about your desire to sign Javon Walker and DeAngelo Hall amongst others. All were a must to sign in your eyes, Hall, in particular, because he played for Greg Knapp in Atlanta and Knapp gave him high grades. Do not run from that now. I do realize that you did not want us to draft JaMarcus Russell. He is a great player. Get over it and coach this team on the field, that is what you were hired to do. We can win with this team! In regards to your recent fabrications about the defense, during the final cuts you made every cut on offense and every cut on defense except for (Fred) Wakefield on defense and (Seth) Wand on offense. Furthermore, during the game Monday night (defensive coordinator) Rob (Ryan) played your Cover-2 defense and we got killed on an approximately 50-yard touchdown pass and an approximately 70-yard gain that led to a field goal. You meet every week with the defensive coaches to go over both the past game and to get a general feel for what will happen during the week in practice. You have the ability and authority to provide your input during those meetings and the preparation of the game plan. I do not have weekly meetings with Rob — you do. During the week no one has ever told you what to do on either offense or defense. In addition, no one has ever told you during a game what to do on either offense or defense and you call every play on offense. During a game if you want to blitz more, all you have to do is let Rob know what blitz you want and he will do it. Although you continue to use the media to express your dissatisfaction with others, no one has publicly pointed out to you that in four preseason games and one regular-season game played this year, your offense has scored one first-half touchdown. That put tremendous pressure on the defense. I know that you wanted to bring your father in to run the defense and that Monte told me that he wanted to come here even though he as (sic) under contract to Tampa. However I did not want to tamper with another team. In any event that was over seven months ago. Do not now also run from the defense and your responsibilities. This letter constitutes notice that if you further violate any term of your contract, in any manner whatsoever, you will be terminated for cause. I trust that this will not occur. _________________________ Be an active member of the community. Make some posts daily. Top #145063 - 10/01/08 04:45 PM Re: Kiffin Fired [Re: FREAK] BOOSHIFIED BOOSHIFIED Sophmore Registered: 11/07/06 Posts: 85 Loc: California Offline this whole thing is a mess. That organization is a horrible place to work. The good thing is that people dont hold it against you if you fail in Oak Town. Top #145099 - 10/01/08 08:49 PM Re: Kiffin Fired [Re: BOOSHIFIED] FREAK FREAK 2007 Bad Man Champion Owner Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 45062 Loc: Time to play the Game Offline As a life long Raider fan, it's time for Al to pass the torch. If he really thinks they are going to win 2 more super bowls with him as boss, he's pipe dreaming for certain. _________________________ Be an active member of the community. Make some posts daily. 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