Kiffin shouldn't have to put up with Raiders

According to multiple sources, Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin could be fired by the time you finish reading this post. And while this is "business as usual" out in Oakland, especially with AL Davis still running the show, its something that neither Kiffin nor anyone else should have to put up with.

These rumors have been swirling around for almost the entirety of Kiffin's tenure, and its unfortunate because Kiffin has not had a fair chance to turn this team around. The problems the Raiders are experiencing are not a matter of X's and O's. The culture of the team - the defeatist attitude, the nonchalant approach to practice and meetings, and a number of other variables - contribute more to the Raider's woes than anything that Kiffin has or hasn't done.

In fact, save for a Week 1 blowout at the hands of the Broncos (who are 3-0, and looking more and more like a legitimate threat to win the AFC West), the Raiders are more competitive this year then they were last season. Their offensive line, which was very suspect last year and into their first game this season, has seemed to come together a bit in the last two weeks; allowing for them to run the ball very effectively. They have a young team, but are very skilled at the right positions and have the potential, under the right tutelage, to be a very good team in the years to come.

Whether or not Kiffin was the right man for the job when he was initially hired is still up for debate, but the game of head coach Russian roulette that Al Davis seems to play every week only weakens the power and respect that Kiffin has over his team. Kiffin may not be the coach for the long term, but for right now he appears to be doing a decent job of getting the little off-the-field things turned in the right direction. In terms of dealing with the young talent and uniting the team for the purpose of playing hard every Sunday, Kiffin appears to be establishing a right base for the organization to operate upon.

The problem in Oakland is that patience is a virtue that is in short supply; Al Davis doesn't want to wait to see his team be successful again. And the problem with that is it takes more than one year to rebuild a franchise, Kiffin needs more time to implement his system and establish himself around the locker room as the man that the Raiders look up to. And with Davis constantly sticking his nose in the middle of the team's business, rendering Kiffin's authority mute with the constant threats of his firing, Kiffin hardly has a leg to stand on or a voice to lead the team.

All said, Kiffin has done a good job in realizing that a good team, and organization, is built from the ground up and not through innovative offensive schemes or big free agent signings. But no matter what he has done it has not resulted in wins, and for that his job is in jeopardy. Davis is not looking at the whole picture and is about to put a dent into the resume of a very young coach that has the potential to have a long and successful career (see: Mike Shanahan). It's safe to assume that Kiffin wont last until the end of the season, and its sad to say because Kiffin deserves better than what he has been presented with.