KIFFIN QUESTIONS AL DAVIS’ METHODS
Posted by Tom Mantzouranis on August 18, 2008, 3:02 p.m.
The relationship between coach Lane Kiffin and Al Davis, like most things regarding the Raiders in the last decade, has been awkward and dysfunctional. That’s not exactly a secret.
Most coaches tend to err on the side of secrecy, but Kiffin has been surprisingly transparent this offseason — when getting fired isn’t such a bad thing anymore, you’re more likely to throw caution to the wind, potentially going the Kevin-Spacey-in-American-Beauty route. He’s at it again, lamenting the shackles Davis has put on him with regards to personnel moves.
“There’s not very much competition on this field,” Kiffin told the Contra Costa Times. “Some guys have been released at other places, and people are picking them up. You’d like to pick up some of those guys and bring them in, because they’ve been in other camps, and push some of our guys. Unfortunately, there are some guys right now on our roster that are borderline guys that, as of today, would make it just because we don’t have anybody else.”
“You’ve got to be willing to release people,” he continued. “When guys are in the training room, they’re not out here practicing; you’ve got to be willing to release them and live with it, and pick other people up for more competition.”
Kiffin isn’t the first coach that Davis has hamstrung, but Kiffin might be the first to go public with his dissatisfaction while still under Davis’ employ, probably realizing that winning in this situation will only come with a pink slip.
