That sound you hear in the distance is every laser printer in the Raiders organization spitting out a cease and desist letter.
Amazingly, fired Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has been contacting quarterback JaMarcus Russell. With coaching advice.
For example, Kiffin called Russell on Monday night to discuss the Saints’ defense. The Raiders play in New Orleans on Sunday.
“He just called and talked to me about their defense, things he would do if he was here,” Russell said, according to Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times. “So, really, nothing changed.”
And it wasn’t an isolated incident.
“He has got a lot of off time on his hands,” Russell said, “so he would pay attention to the defense I would have to go up against. He leaves me a text message or a voice mail here or there.”
There’s no way that this chapter of the Davis vs. Kiffin feud ends well. The Raiders have coaches in place to tell Russell how to do his job. Kiffin is no longer one of them. Regardless of whether you’re in the pro-Raiders or anti-Raiders camp, Kiffin needs to keep his nose out of the situation.
The same theory applies in any other workplace in the world. Once an employee has been fired — especially when that employee had a key role in the organization — the employee should not be calling up his past subordinates with advice on how to do their jobs.
Though the Raiders are currently as dysfunctional as a pro sports franchise west of Detroit can get, a responsible organization would take swift and decisive action to bring all communication between the current quarterback and former head coach to an end.
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October 9th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I see nothing wrong with this. This is a classy move by Kiffen. Clearly, he still cares about the progress of Russel. How is this any different then a high school or a college coach noticing something and forwarding it along? He’s not making any noise or anything about it. Jamarcus is.
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Rating: 3.75 / 5 with 13 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:09 am
jeez is he trying to get re-fired?
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Rating: 3.45 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:12 am
If said employee and Jamarcus are still friends, then why not offer advice to a friend? I am not sure that would constitute anything too horrible as far as infractions against the team go. I mean if I was a really good chef and I got fired from my job, I would tell one of my buddies still on the job how to make a bomb-ass crab cake.
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Rating: 3.3 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Commitment to excellence at its finest.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:14 am
When Al Davis lawyer trys to say Kiffin wasn’t trying or didn’t care - they will refer to these calls.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Now that’s funny. I think that’s even funnier than that Detroit RB stealing the new guy’s stuff. Imagine, you fire a guy and he keeps coming back. There has to be a Seinfeld episode there somewhere.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:20 am
GO RAIDERS!!
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Al Davis:”Your fired.”
Kosmo Kiffin:”But I don’t even work here.”
Al Davis:”Thats what makes this so hard to do.”
This will help Kiffin in his coaching future. Ecspecially if it’s college. “See how much I care about my players?” Good luck. Win one for the Kiffer lol.
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Rating: 2.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Nothing wrong here, maybe Russel trusts Kiffin’s opinion, especially when it comes to scouting an opposing defense (regardless of the the lack of success at doing so). Maybe Russel vies Kiffen as a mentor of sorts, if that is the case, there is nothing the Raiders can really do to prevent Russel from seeking his advice.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
JaMarcus Russel is a professional liar.
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Rating: 2.85 / 5 with 11 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Al Davis should stay out of this one. If Russell picks up the phone and decides to chat about an upcoming opponent with Kiffin, the Raiders should stay out of it. If these two guys developed some sort of bond in the last year and a half, Davis should respect that and not rock the boat with his high priced draft pick any more than he already has. Talking to a former coach about his perspective on an opponent can’t really do any harm, I suppose.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:26 am
That is just the Kiffins. I once saw Monte in a bar writing notes on a napkin from a college game. Strangely it was the day before the Bucs played the Saints.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:28 am
@DantSnydersPetCeratto . . . .
Getting coaching points from a former coach can do harm if the guy who isn’t the coach is telling the player to do something other than what his current coaches are telling him to do.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:28 am
It REALLY sounds like Al Davis is correct that Kiffen didn’t want Russell and wants to see him fail…
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:31 am
I wonder if Al Davis even consulted with ANY of the players (especially the ones he is personally paying more than $50 million for) to ask for their thoughts on Coach Kiffin. It’s obvious that Jamarcus has a high level of comfortableness with Kiffin that be probably doesn’t have with Greg Knapp (the offensive coordinator that is most remembered for getting chewed out on the sidelines by Terrell Owens in San Francisco after unsuccessful ploys to get him to the ball). Then again… what WRs are getting the ball in Oakland anyway?
This will only be wrong for Kiffin if the Raiders end up losing on Sunday to the Saints… then Al Davis will probably file a tampering charge on Lane Kiffin, saying that he deliberately gave Jamarcus bad advice.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Wasn’t it questioned whether Jamarcus will trust Kiffin or the organization not too long ago? Looks like this is potentially the first phase in a growing rift between the Raiders and thier quarterback.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:31 am
@Mike Florio - thats assuming Cable is actually in charge. Otherwise they are probably running plays from the Al Davis era, you know, like before the forward pass.
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Rating: 1.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I fail to see how (unless there are draconian clauses within Jamarcus Russell’s contract) Al Davis can do one damned thing about who Russell chooses to talk to.
But your the lawyer Florio… so you must know, right? Whats Davis going to do… make Jamarcus file for a restraining order by claiming Kiffin is making threatening phone calls? LOL
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I don’t see how a ‘cease and desist’ against Kiffin would do anything. It would violate his first amendment rights. The Raiders no longer have control over him. If Al Davis wants this to stop, he has to go to JaMarcus Russel.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:39 am
yeah right
his advice to russell sure looked fine so far especially the last game vs san diego
did he tell him plays he knew would not work for sure against the saints defense he must now be an expert on. how would he know? he’s been coaching in oakland for 2 years. saints on other side of country.
russell is messing with the sportswriters mind!
the sportswriter should be ired and davis should demand it, just like the goof writer in dallas wanting to fire a cowboys player
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Funny, I thought Kiffin didn’t want Russell in the first place… for a guy who didn’t want to draft him, he sure seems to be taking interest in improving him. Maybe Al Davis/Mum’Ra The Ever-Living was the one lying?
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Its just advice. People need to relax. He can use it or not. If he gets in the game and starts to see things that Kiffin was mentioning and his own coaches weren’t, it only helps him. Too many people making mountains out of ant hills.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Kiffin is overcompensating for what Davis revealed in his press conference about not desiring to draft him.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:45 am
It’s really simple: being nice is not the same as being ethical or professional.
Kiffen contacting Russell may be “a nice thing to do”, but it is simply not appropriate in any business environment, let alone in an industry where basically all information is a trade secret.
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Rating: 3.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
October 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
“Its just advice. People need to relax. He can use it or not.”
It’s advice from a recently fired coach who had at best a tenuous relationship with the owner and the def. cord. If Russell goes out there and gets picked 2 or 3 times, everyone will say Kiffin sabotaged the Raiders. If he goes out there and throws 2 or 3 TD passes, people will say how come this didn’t happen under Kiffin.
It’s a lose-lose situation.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)