Wolv Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Any chance Al dubs himself as the next head coach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTen Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) Not to get off topic, but Al Davis reminds me a lot of the Crypt Keeper: Crypt Keeper Al Davis Edited October 1, 2008 by BigTen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Not to get off topic, but Al Davis reminds me a lot of the Crypt Keeper: Crypt Keeper Al Davis My buddy saw this. I saw this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vatican Hitsquad Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 This press conference is very, very far out of line. He's reading letters he sent to Kiffin in an attempt to justify his decision, and it's just coming off as looking desperate and unprofessional. Not to mention everyone knows he's lying. I'm so disappointed with what came out of his mouth. Sucks to be a Raider fan today. Do the NFL a favor and drop dead. +1 I can take the heat on this board, i have a pretty thick skin. Thick enough to admit that finally, I'm broken. Still a die-hard fan, but this is the first time, very first time ever, that I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Don't believe the guy driving the train is on the right track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 "Fired for cause" strikes me as such a strange phrase. I mean, who would get in front of a microphone and say "He was fired without cause". Isn't every firing the result of SOME cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Kiffin was just interviewed on ESPN. Poor guy. Said it was very hurtful to hear all the lies Al was saying. My favorite quote was "I'm embarrassed to be a part of this mess, and watching Al up on that stage I was kind of embarrassed for him." Then something along the lines of how sad Al was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Davis has had a confrontational nature with the NFL brass for a long time and that included lawsuits. He would pull more tricks if Goodell tried to intervene. Dan Rooney complete rips Al Davis apart in his book about the beginning of the NFL. Davis came across as a complete El Guapo, and there was even a story of Lombardi laying into him in a hallway. The Raiders will not succeed until he is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) "Fired for cause" strikes me as such a strange phrase. I mean, who would get in front of a microphone and say "He was fired without cause". Isn't every firing the result of SOME cause? In my opinion, firing someone doesn't need justification unless he shouldn't have been fired in the first place. Saying things like "Fired for cause" and holding an hour long press conference justifying the decision just screams to me that he shouldn't have been fired, but Al is trying to convince everyone he's not crazy. Edited October 1, 2008 by kpholmes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montster Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Fox Sport's first few minutes wow, he literally looks like death itself. whomever watches the above link, i highly recommend you cleanse your palate with a little "hooters girl in high heels" on that same page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) From InsideBayArea.com Mark Davis has been around the facility more this season but Davis said his son has no plans to get in on the football end of things, although he will some day inherit the team. “Business and stadium. He doesn’t want to get involved in football,” Davis said.He just doesn’t want to get into that part of it. But he will own it some day. That is… if they let me go to my maker.” – Davis said his health is fine “other than the quadriceps and a little trouble with the walking, based on total balance, I’m fine. I’m healthy. You’re going to have to have me around for a while.” Edited October 1, 2008 by kpholmes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffraff Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I just watched the entire 23 minute press conference. It would be pretty hard for Kiffin to counter a lot of the points. Old Al has the certified letter, plus eye witnesses to back up his side of the story. Al may be crazy a lot of the time, but he wasn't totally out of his mind during the conference. I think he'd give his lawyers plenty of evidence. I wouldn't doubt that Kiffin did try his best to get fired with pay. Be interesting to see if he files a lawsuit because he'd be dragging guys like Mortenson into the spotlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 This press conference is very, very far out of line. He's reading letters he sent to Kiffin in an attempt to justify his decision, and it's just coming off as looking desperate and unprofessional. Not to mention everyone knows he's lying. I'm so disappointed with what came out of his mouth. Sucks to be a Raider fan today. Do the NFL a favor and drop dead. I am not a Raider fan, nor am I particularly close to the situation other than following a lot of the crap via newspaper blogs and such, so take my comments with a lot of salt, but if the head coach of my team put the blame for a week 1 shellacking by a division rival on the defensive coordinator's game plan hatched with the owner, I'd be pleased as punch the guy is gone. Kiffin might be the second coming for all I know, he certainly seems to have a good pedigree and track record, and obviously has some skills to get to this level. However, he talked way too much for someone in his position. His press conferences sounded more like therapy sessions than informative dissections, and let's not forget the constant stream of sympathetic stories that began appearing last off-season. They obviously weren't coming from the coaching staff or front office personnel he didn't hire. The Raider job may not be the best in the world, but Kiffin seemed to be butting heads with several different layers of this mess including the ownership, the front office, and his assistant coaches. Consider also that the QB wasn't the guy he wanted, his first two big free agents he recruited were busts, he only won 25% of his games, and go ahead and throw in the fact that he supposedly inquired about the Arkansas job in the latter part of the 2007 season. Davis might be too involved in his team, but Kiffin seems like he has his share of faults in how he conducted himself as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vatican Hitsquad Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Dan Rooney complete rips Al Davis apart in his book about the beginning of the NFL. Davis came across as a complete El Guapo, and there was even a story of Lombardi laying into him in a hallway. The Raiders will not succeed until he is gone. Well, as bad as Davis is now, THAT Al Davis was a mastermind. I will not slam him for that period. Those old NFL guys hated him because he forced/orchestrated the merger of the two leagues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Not to get off topic, but Al Davis reminds me a lot of the Crypt Keeper: Crypt Keeper Al Davis Im glad you said that, because I was trying to think of what he looked like. Dude looks disgusting. He should sell the team, and go live in a retirement home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Well, as bad as Davis is now, THAT Al Davis was a mastermind. I will not slam him for that period. Those old NFL guys hated him because he forced/orchestrated the merger of the two leagues. He was a jackass then, and he is a jackass now. He made the merger difficult, because he went against the other owners on EVERYTHING they wanted just to be an ass. No one liked him because he is a jackass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) "Fired for cause" strikes me as such a strange phrase. I mean, who would get in front of a microphone and say "He was fired without cause". Isn't every firing the result of SOME cause? I would think he used that particular phrase to lay the groundwork for what he expects will be the defense he's going to need in the likely event Kiffin sues for payment of the balance of his contract, which the Raiders do not intend to pay - thus the "fired with cause" statement. I presume "fired with cause", provided they can prove it, would be grounds not to pay, whereas "fired without cause" would mean they still owe. Edited October 1, 2008 by Cunning Runt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrudge Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 "Fired for cause" strikes me as such a strange phrase. I mean, who would get in front of a microphone and say "He was fired without cause". Isn't every firing the result of SOME cause? Fired for cause is just a legal employment term for fired for officially doing something wrong. For most areas, employment is at will meaning you could be fired at any time for any reason that isn't legally protected (age, race, nationality, etc). So basically if you aren't following directions, always late, poor work, etc then you can be fired. From a pure legal standpoint, I don't think it will be hard for Davis to prove that Kiffin wasn't following directions Davis gave and was insubordinate to some degree. However, I'm not sure if Davis ever gave Kiffin enough authority to succeed without being insubordinate. It's hard to be ordered to win by the owner but at the same time having the owner tie your hands behind your back. I think any arbitrator or judge would have to look at the whole picture and see if the insubordination was justified in order for Kiffin to do his job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Pat!!! Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I just watched the entire 23 minute press conference.It would be pretty hard for Kiffin to counter a lot of the points. Old Al has the certified letter, plus eye witnesses to back up his side of the story. Al may be crazy a lot of the time, but he wasn't totally out of his mind during the conference. I think he'd give his lawyers plenty of evidence. I wouldn't doubt that Kiffin did try his best to get fired with pay. Be interesting to see if he files a lawsuit because he'd be dragging guys like Mortenson into the spotlight. As Kiffin allready said yesterday to ESPN, just because you put it on paper doesn't make it any more true. Al has lied in the past, and pulled this in the past with Shannahan not paying a fired coach. I don't think he's got a chance of winning this when it goes in front of Goodell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I'm going to give, send, FedEx a certified letter to Al Davis that says that he promised to give the Oakland Raiders to me. Let's see his fancy lawyers get him out of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 There is no real white hat in this story. Al is a semi-crazy devious old man. Kiffin (from my memory) has been disliked by quite a few people at the college and professional level (wasn't there always animosity with him and Chow at USC among others). I’ve heard Kiffin being referred to as arrogant with a sense of entitlement on more than a few occasions over the years. Basically, Al is who we thought he was. Kiffin looks like the good guy mainly in contrast to an owner who has run every coach out of town after less than two years since (IIRC) 2000. Nobody wins in this situation. The biggest losers are Raider fans. I can’t fathom a coach who will want to go play for an owner like Al. Nobody with a proven track record of NFL success would like to play for a crazy owner who will eventually fire them and then try not to pay them the rest of their contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vatican Hitsquad Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 He was a jackass then, and he is a jackass now. He made the merger difficult, because he went against the other owners on EVERYTHING they wanted just to be an ass. No one liked him because he is a jackass. He forced a merger between a newer, upstart league and the old school NFL owners who resented the fact that they got beat (not in the championship game, of course). As the AFL commissioner, he made it difficult TO THEM, none of the other owners in the AFL thought he was making it difficult. That part would come later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooGie Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 good god. watching this vid is making me want to jam a screwdriver in my brain and scramble it. I wish i could take all the raiders fans in the world out for some cold beers and let them know it'll be alright. I actually have sorrow for you guys. Stage a revolt...an NFL revolution against this cancer. Al Davis is the Owens of front offices and NFL brass. He makes me want to punch babies. I'm truly sorry Raiders fan. I truly truly am. I am not a Raider fan, nor am I particularly close to the situation other than following a lot of the crap via newspaper blogs and such, so take my comments with a lot of salt, but if the head coach of my team put the blame for a week 1 shellacking by a division rival on the defensive coordinator's game plan hatched with the owner, I'd be pleased as punch the guy is gone. Kiffin might be the second coming for all I know, he certainly seems to have a good pedigree and track record, and obviously has some skills to get to this level. However, he talked way too much for someone in his position. His press conferences sounded more like therapy sessions than informative dissections, and let's not forget the constant stream of sympathetic stories that began appearing last off-season. They obviously weren't coming from the coaching staff or front office personnel he didn't hire. The Raider job may not be the best in the world, but Kiffin seemed to be butting heads with several different layers of this mess including the ownership, the front office, and his assistant coaches. Consider also that the QB wasn't the guy he wanted, his first two big free agents he recruited were busts, he only won 25% of his games, and go ahead and throw in the fact that he supposedly inquired about the Arkansas job in the latter part of the 2007 season. Davis might be too involved in his team, but Kiffin seems like he has his share of faults in how he conducted himself as well. The only thing that Kiffin is guilty of in this situation, is being too young and believing that he could be the coach that would change Al Davis. That he would be one to come in and sweep Al Davis up in whirlwind of man lust and seduction. And then being irritated and headstrong when it didn't happen. I dont know what you would want on your team, but I want a coach that stands up and throws fits when he sees the way things should be, and the way things are going to be as 2 seperate situations, neither of which he has control of. He thought he would be the one to prove himself worthy of Al's total blessing. The joke is on Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Al has lied in the past, and pulled this in the past with Shannahan not paying a fired coach. I don't think he's got a chance of winning this when it goes in front of Goodell. If I were Goodell, I'd damn well make sure that Al pays Kiffin the remainder of his contract. That's completely unacceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slickvick Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I love the fact that Al said he was fired for cause not performance.are you FREAKING kidding me!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) good god. watching this vid is making me want to jam a screwdriver in my brain and scramble it. I wish i could take all the raiders fans in the world out for some cold beers and let them know it'll be alright. I actually have sorrow for you guys. Stage a revolt...an NFL revolution against this cancer. Al Davis is the Owens of front offices and NFL brass. He makes me want to punch babies. I'm truly sorry Raiders fan. I truly truly am. The only thing that Kiffin is guilty of in this situation, is being too young and believing that he could be the coach that would change Al Davis. That he would be one to come in and sweep Al Davis up in whirlwind of man lust and seduction. And then being irritated and headstrong when it didn't happen. I dont know what you would want on your team, but I want a coach that stands up and throws fits when he sees the way things should be, and the way things are going to be as 2 seperate situations, neither of which he has control of. He thought he would be the one to prove himself worthy of Al's total blessing. The joke is on Al. It does appear that Kiffin has a bit of an ego, but I don't think that his actions were completely unreasonable. Working for Al must be a hundred times worse than working for Jerry Jones and I'm going to cut the guy a little slack because of it. My guess is that each of the people in the revolving door known as the HC position in Oakland (5 in the past 7+ years!) all had similar issues with Al, but were more willing to put up with his crap. Gannon reportedly told Mort that the organization was also a complete mess when he and Gruden were there. I'd love to see Al refuse to pay Kiffin the remainder of his contract, and for Goodell and the other owners to use it as grounds to force him out of the league. He's been a thorn in the side of the NFL since (at least) the merger. That's tolerable if he's running a respectable organization, but he's not worth much if he's not even doing that anymore. Edited October 1, 2008 by Bill Swerski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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