Davis still has his fastball
I've watched a lot of press conferences, but Al Davis' anti-Kiffin Tuesday jaw-dropper was easily my favorite. I was wrapping up our Season Pass rankings and just couldn't take my attention away. Al Davis is perhaps the important living member of football's history: A Hall of Famer, former AFL commisioner, coach of the year, and longtime owner/GM. He's become a punchline in recent years, but I echo Mike Florio's thoughts: Davis certainly hasn't lost his fastball, and he still deserves respect.
A few thoughts:
1. Tom Cable is a commanding presence. He is going to join Joe Vitt in the interim head coach presser Hall of Fame.
2. Davis made fun of Kiffin for treating JaMarcus Russell with kid gloves, accusing him of running a Woody Hayes offense. Davis hinted that the team threw more against the Chargers because Greg Knapp was calling half the plays. Knapp ran a run-heavy offense in Atlanta and it was balanced, but also run-heavy, in San Francisco. Still, it doesn't seem like a bad thing for Russell to get rid of a head coach that never wanted him in the first place.
3. Kiffin did well throughout this whole fiasco, but his lying about wanting the Arkansas job and suspending a coach earlier this year, then telling him to go to a doctor to lie about the reason for his absence, hurts his image. I also wonder how the Bucs feel that Monte Kiffin tried to leave this offseason.
4. Jerry McDonald and Tim Kawakami have a lot more good stuff, like Davis trashing Mike Lombardi, talking Randy Moss, and not letting go of his venom about Mike Shanahan. Davis also had some contrition and regret over his role in Oakland's demise the last few years.
5. I admit I'm pulling for the Raiders to pull themselves out of their current morass, although I have my doubts. The NFL is more interesting with the Raiders relevant. And it will be worse off when Davis is gone.
Update via Aaron Gleeman: You can find the whole presser here
Comments
What is wrong with you and Florio?
Why does he deserve respect? For running the team into the ground? Or at 87 yrs old, he's still capable of reading from a script and not dirtying his diaper? He clearly isn't capable of leading a team to any success at this stage in his life.
"What have you don for me lately?" Yes, he was once a positive force in the league and achieved great success. But those days are long past.
Posted by: Snoop | October 1, 2008 08:24 PM
hahaha Greg, you have no idea of what has happened with the Raiders. Please keep silent about real NFL news and stick to your Fantasy Football
Posted by: TarHeel | October 1, 2008 10:50 PM
c'mon tfram - go to the rotoworld forums, and post your bench coach questions there...you'll get plenty of help there.
and don't be a d-bag because someone called you out for hijacking a blog post. pancake was right - this isn't the right place to ask your lineup question, and we really don't care.
Posted by: Tom | October 2, 2008 11:00 AM
Thanks Tom. With an attitude like that, you may be called upon to join the Police Force one day.
P.S. Extra points that you managed to work in a "d-bag."
Your friend,
Pancake Police
Posted by: Pancake Police | October 2, 2008 01:49 PM
Ummm, maybe more like a knuckleball...
Posted by: b roo | October 2, 2008 05:01 PM
I'm not saying he's a good owner now. Of course he's not doing an effective job. But of course he's worthy of our respect, no matter how you disagree with him. And it's still a treat to listen to him, someone that doesn't speak in tongues.
I expected to not have any sympathy for Davis in this situation, but the presser was enlightening. It hurt Kiffin, which was the point. Is that productive for the Raiders? Of course not. But I know a little something closer to the truth of what happened and that's what I like.
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