Posted 09-24-2008 at 11:43 PM by Attyla
There is more cyber print going around about Al Davis of late than I can remember in recent history. From the collapse of the once proud franchise to repeated articles and blogs about the rift between Davis and his young head coach, Lane Kiffin. Much of it revolves around a "win now" owner who has seen his beloved franchise fall into disarray that now resembles the traditional redheaded step child, and former brunt of every AFC West joke...the San Diego Chargers. I have read all of the articles I can find, and I have argued both ways on the Davis issues. And then the proverbial light went off inside my head...Al Davis is the victim of a self inflicted wound.
Right now, nothing being done in Oakland follows his pattern of success. An article that called into question hiring a "personnel coach vs a system coach" came close to getting to the heart of the issue. It drew into focus what I believe is the real issue with regards to Al Davis. And it makes me see a reality that I have failed to see for years as I have tried to understand the Raider mystique.
Many writers over the years have commented about Al Davis and his demand of loyalty from everyone who works with him. Evidence of that is apparent both with how he deals with the media, and his quick trigger to hire or fire those he perceives to be at odds with him publicly. Even now, years after Jon Gruden was traded to the Buccaneers, very little has ever come from his mouth that could be perceived as disloyal from a man that has no reason to be loyal. Mike Shanahan has rarely commented on the man that, in the eyes of Shanahan owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars. Shanahan has for the most part just taken it out on his former boss right where it hurts Davis most...on the playing field.
But Shanahan was an outsider when he was hired. So was Gruden. Davis' history shows us that if you want a longer career as a head coach in Oakland, you must fall into two categories. First, you must be able to win, and you must be able to do that quickly. Second, you really should be a homegrown commodity. Madden was a defensive position coach when a much younger Davis hired him to become one of the youngest and most successful coaches of his era. Madden groomed a slightly older version of himself to take over when Madden retired. Flores would immediately take on the challenge, and is one of only three coaches (four if you include Kiffin) who was not fired by the organization. The third homegrown coach of the Raiders was Art Shell. Shell enjoyed a 5+ year run as the head coach of the Raiders, enduring only one losing season during that time. When Shell was brought back, he was woefully out of date with the state of the league and released after one season that stands as the worst single season during the Al Davis era.
So, where is the wound, one might ask? Davis, in recent years, has surrounded himself with a very select group of people, and has allowed the head coaches since Gruden to bring in outsiders to manage the team. Slowly but surely, many of his loyal on the field former Raiders have retired, been released, or have been replaced. The home grown Raiders are all but gone, and the few who are left, are either inadequate to do the job, or have no desire to do the job. Davis, in his own way, has removed the key to his success. By shielding himself from the thing that created his legend, he has forced himself to do things he would rarely have done even 15 years ago. He has pushed his players and former players away, and now he is at a loss to do the thing that he has always done, reward loyalty.
There is the reason he tried to hire Steve Sarkissian and ultimately hired Lane Kiffin. By reaching into his history with USC, he believed he could rekindle the glory that is well within his comfort zone, and is in step with his views of loyalty.
Which brings us to Kiffin and the Raiders. Kiffin has demonstrated his lack of loyalty to the boss on several occasions. This is the one thing that someone who had been brought up in the system would never have done, and has created one of the most dysfunctional working relationships between an owner and head coach in recent history. Kiffin wants to do things his way, and Davis would perceive that also as a loyalty issue. Since Kiffin is not a part of the family, but rather just a hired hand, his trust factor with the boss is extremely limited.
So, there in lies the reason that Kiffin will soon be shown the door. It is also interesting to note that there are only two names repeatedly mentioned as a replacement. Rob Ryan may not be a home grown option, but has demonstrated a loyalty to the team and the man himself. He is the typical Raider type in that he is a bit of the maverick that Davis has always seen in himself, and defensively the two operate much the same. The other option is a former Raider who came home this year to work for Davis, in the person of James Lofton. All reports indicate that both of these men, unlike other members of the staff, were hired directly by Davis. In the case of Ryan, he was resigned to an extension before the Kiffin hire even took place, which is extremely rare in the NFL.
You hear the phrases that shroud the Raider legend. You know the now famous poem the Autumn Wind. You know the history of a once proud franchise who has fallen by the wayside. But, when one digs into the real history of the franchise, two things stand out. Davis demands a level of loyalty rare in the business world, and he will stop at nothing to find it once again.
In the end, the only thing that will satisfy Al Davis is a return to glory. Glory in his eyes means nothing less than a fourth world championship. And, in the eyes of Davis, the price of that championship will be another Raider head coach hire in the not too distant future. And this time, he is trying to go back to the formula that got him the first three.
|
Banned
|
