The Fall of Raider Nation, Part II

(Continued from Part I - Beginning of the End)

Raiders managing general partner Al Davis had coach Lane Kiffin at hello. Or, at least he should have.

See, few call Davis, 79, by his first name. The short list of those who does includes his wife, Carole, peers such as San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos and a handful of others.

You won't catch Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Otto referring to Davis as anything other than Mr. Davis. Same goes for John Madden, Rich Gannon and anyone else steeped in Raiders tradition or who appreciates Davis' stature in the league.

Given that, Davis should have been tipped off by the then-31-year-old Kiffin calling him "Al" during Kiffin's introductory news conference in January 2007 that he was dealing with a different beast.

Sure, it sounded cute hearing an NFL neophyte referring to the legendary Davis by his first name, but the underlying significance spoke volumes. It portended an uneasy marriage between two people with little in common except a deep-rooted passion for football. That doesn't mean the relationship was doomed from the outset. It just points out that Davis had to be aware of the fact he was entering into a relationship with someone who cared about little else other than career advancement.

In other words, it's all about Kiffin. It always was, as it turns out. That's the rub when it comes to Kiffin.

He has a high football I.Q., by all accounts. However, it comes at the expense of his social skills, interpersonal workings and context within the scheme of every-day life. Kiffin's brother, Chris, and a coaching colleague sounded the warning bells soon after Davis hired Kiffin.

The colleague described Kiffin as, "One of the most brilliant young minds in all of football ... and one of the biggest (jerks) you'll ever meet."

Chris Kiffin said his brother was well aware of his reputation as being curt, condescending and disdainful toward those who aren't as quick to grasp something. "There's a notion out there that he comes off as a jerk sometimes," Chris Kiffin said. "That's something he needs to work on, and he knows that. But being around my dad and Pete Carroll so much is paying off."

Having long-time defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin as his father, Carroll as his boss at USC and possessing a sharp football mind no doubt enabled Lane Kiffin to land marquee jobs sooner than most his age. Yet, ultimately, Kiffin was exposed for being calculated, manipulative and driven to succeed by whatever means necessary.

Everything he said was scripted and uttered with the express intent of achieving a desired goal, sort of a verbal game plan.

He lied about suspending assistant defensive backs coach Randy Hanson after the regular-season opener Sept. 8 for questioning Kiffin's preparedness for a Denver Broncos team that whacked the Raiders 41-14. Kiffin told a reporter that Hanson was dealing with "personal issues." Hanson refuted that assertion. Worse, Kiffin suspended Hanson without Davis' consent, and he ordered Hanson to undergo a complete physical to see if he had any underlying issues.

He also swept aside Oakland's defensive lapses in the opener by saying defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and Davis conspired on the defensive scheme and game plans. Ryan called Kiffin's portrayal of things "B.S."

Through it all, however, the Raiders were making progress. Sure, they were only 1-3, but quarterback JaMarcus Russell's improvement was obvious, the defense went from a liability to an asset seemingly overnight, and blowout losses no longer were the norm.

All of that was lost in the sea of criticism and potshots Kiffin leveled against Davis on a regular basis. Davis filed it away, built a case against Kiffin and fired him on Sept. 30 "for cause" and "without pay."

Davis and Kiffin share the blame for their failed marriage. However, it bears noting that Kiffin knew full well what he was taking on when he signed a three-year contract. He doesn't get a pass on this one.

He had his father, Carroll, former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and numerous other close ties at his disposal. They no doubt filled his head with stories about what working for Davis would be like. To that end, Kiffin arrived in Oakland with a mistrust of everyone within the organization except for Mark Jackson, a low-level assistant whom Kiffin brought along from USC.

By comparison, during his tenure, Gruden befriended everyone within the organization, made them feel a part of the process and enlisted their support in working toward a common goal. Gruden fought the same battles with Davis that Kiffin and numerous coaches between and before them did, yet he didn't let them detract from the task at hand.

Kiffin was hell-bent upon doing things his way, even if he hadn't earned the right to have the autonomy he desired, lacked the impressive resume and rubbed Davis the wrong way. Before long, Kiffin alienated himself from everyone within the organization who wasn't in a uniform except for Jackson.

Davis said, "He wasn't the guy I hired." That much should have been apparent when Kiffin referred to Davis as "Al" in his opening remarks.

If ever there was a time for a prenuptial agreement.