Just Win Baby!

[kdmajoslin]

Raiders Finally Fire Kiffin

ESPN.com

The inevitable became reality Tuesday when Lane Kiffin was fired by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. In a one-paragraph release, the team said, "Lane Kiffin has been released as head coach of the Oakland Raiders for cause. "

"I reached a point where I felt that the whole staff were fractionalized, that the best thing to do to get this thing back was to make a change," Davis said during a lengthy news conference. "It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy."

Al Davis has not named Kiffin’s replacement yet, although he has let it be known that whoever takes over will inherit the existing coaching staff.

Offensive Line Coach Tom Cobble had this to say, "This is in many ways a strange day. I have a friend who lost a job. That's difficult in this business but, as we know, this is a business. It is time for us to move forward and to put the past behind us. ... We have a good coaching staff here and a good football team here."

The Raiders may have improved under Lane Kiffin -- but they were still among the dregs of the NFL.

The news did not blindside Kiffin, who was informed by a team executive that he would be fired at the end of the 2007 season. Even though Davis didn't act at the end of the 2007 season, as Kiffin was told, the firing came as no surprise.

"I know that I left this team a lot better than when we got here," Kiffin told ESPN's Chris Mortenson. "It was very painful for myself and my family," he said. "A lot of accusations were being made there. A lot of information was put up. A number of lies were very hurtful. It was tough to stomach for myself and my family. But it is what it is. We'll deal with it from here."

Davis hired Kiffin, who was USC's offensive coordinator at the time, as the NFL's youngest coach (at 31 years old) in February 2007. Even though many observers questioned the hiring, Kiffin ultimately gained respect around the league for fielding a significantly more competitive team than the Raiders had displayed before he was hired.

While Oakland was competitive in most of its games, Kiffin and Davis had a falling out on several fronts, starting when Davis believed Kiffin expressed private interest in the head coaching position at the University of Arkansas during the 2007 season.

However, it was well-documented that their relationship disintegrated when Kiffin attempted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. A source said Kiffin suggested to Davis that the owner had reneged on an agreement that the coach would have control over his own staff. Shortly thereafter, Davis sent a letter of resignation for Kiffin to sign, sources said. Kiffin declined.

Davis denied a report that Kiffin was sent a resignation letter in the past but refused to sign it. The owner said that Kiffin was responsible for getting that false claim into the media. On Tuesday, Davis was asked if Kiffin was trying to get fired so that he would receive the remainder of his salary.

"I don't know what he was doing, but he got me to fire him," Davis said.
Kiffin denied any attempt to get fired and said that he has lawyers looking into the Raiders' attempt to avoid paying the coach.

Kiffin had opposed some of Davis' big free-agent signings and draft choices. Kiffin also expressed public frustration that the team was not more aggressive in claiming other teams' released players via the waiver process to strengthen the bottom of the roster.

[kdmajoslin]

Breaking News: Unknown to Coach the Oakland Raiders

After a tumultuous off season, GM Al Davis has fired Head Coach Lane Kiffin. Owner and GM Al Davis shocked the NFL world by announcing the firing of Kiffin and his intention to hire a coaching unknown for the 7-9 Oakland Raiders.

A source inside the Raiders organization had this to say, “Al Davis is crazy!"

Coach Joslin comes from Oklahoma State University where he was an offensive assistant. When reached for comment, OSU Head Coach, Mike Gundy had this to say, "Really? This isn't some kind of joke?"

When pressed about his unorthodox decision, Davis had this to say, "As GM of the Raiders, I've built one of the most talented teams in the league. Talent isn't the problem, coaching is the problem!" "Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin all of those guys were idiots! They didn't know what to do with all the talent I brought in, they always wanted to fight me, they wanted their guys...but they didn't have any idea about what makes a good football player. I know! Mark my words JaMarcus Russell will be a Pro Bowl QB! This time around, I'm doing things right. I'll handle the GM side of things. I'll draft the players, I'll tell the coach who to re-sign, and who to trade for. I know talent, and I'll make sure we have the talent to win. Coach Joslin will focus on winning ball games." "I told him that, I told him, just win, baby...just win!"

It remains to be seen exactly how this will work out, but sources around the league speculate that Owner/GM Davis will have exclusive control on who to sign and who to cut. Coach Joslin will be responsible for putting together a Draft Board, but GM Davis will be the one picking the players. GM Davis will handle all the Training Camp Invites. Although some personnel people around the league believe that Davis will allow Coach Joslin some leeway when it comes to bringing in Free Agents and Camp Invites. A source within the Raiders organization, said Davis is planning on allowing Joslin $7M to sign free agents.

When reached for comment, Coach Joslin had this to say, "I'm excited by the opportunity to coach in the NFL. I feel confident that I will be able to work with Owner/GM Davis."

Sources close to Coach Joslin speculated off the record, that Joslin jumped at the chance to coach the Raiders. It's an NFL team, what coach doesn't want to coach at that level...even if it is for Al Davis.

Coaches around the league are skeptical that Coach Joslin is ready.

[kdmajoslin]

Oakland Raiders

House Rules

I'm hoping for a challenge, so I've put together some house rules. In tests, this has shown that every game is pretty hard fought. In sims, my team gets destroyed consistently...so there is an incentive to play the games.

*Custom Sliders
CPU/User
QBA- 60/13
PBK- 50/28
WRC- 60/18
RBA- 80/56
RBK- 65/61

AWR- 50/50
KND- 85/85
INT- 31/31
BRB- 56/56
TAK- 46/46

FGP- 43/43
FGA- 40/40
PTP- 90/90
PTA- 75/75
KOP- 10/10

All penalty sliders were kept the same for CPU and User.

Quarter Length- 15 Minutes
Play Clock- On
CPU Play Downloading- Your Preference
Offside- 60
False Start- 60
Holding- 52
Facemask- 52
Offensive PI- 70
Defensive PI- 70
KR/PR Interference- 100
Clipping- 52
Intentional Grounding- 100
Roughing Passer- 100
Roughing Kicker- 100

*No Custom Plays, New offensive playbook, I've never used.

*Must call 15 different plays on offense and defense in a game.

*$7M cap on Free Agents, I'll try to stay away from the typical guys as well

*Coach sets Draft Board, GM makes selections, once again I'll try to stay away from the usual guys especially in 2008 Draft

*Limited scouting, basically I don’t want to reveal potentials or player comparisons to make drafting more challenging.

*No new Special Skills for HC, GM, or other coaches

*Performance Skill cap of 3 for HC

Playbooks

Offense: Joslin Attack (based off Shottenheimer Attack, with some wishbone plays added)
Defense: Joslin Four Two Five (based off 4-2-5)

Team Philosophy

Coach Hire: Give up no control
Trades: Down, Neutral, Neutral, Aggressive
Draft: Needs, Needs, Big School
Contract: Generous, Hvy, $1M, Talent, Normal, Evenly, Overpay

QB Strong Arm /2
HB Speed /2
FB Balanced /1
WR Tall/Redzone Threat /4
TE Balanced /2
OL Balanced /1 /3 /3
DT Prototype /2
DE Prototype /3
OLB Prototype /3
MLB Prototype /2
CB Prototype /4
FS Prototype /1
SS Prototype /1
K/P Big Foot /1 /1

Team Building: FA/Role- I'm going to be trying to build the team with select budget Free Agents and trades.
Playcall: Blitz Hvy, Man, HC, 46 (4-2-5 really), Aggressive, Hvy, HC, Vertical Passing
Depth Chart: Bench, Bench, Balanced, Balanced, Balanced
Injury: Aggressive

(I basically kept the GM choices as Al likes them)

[kdmajoslin]

Off Season: Franchise Tag

Raiders use Franchise Tag on CB Nnamdi Asomugha


Bears tag WR Bernard Berrian

Cowboys tag LT Flozell Adams

Seahawks hold onto CB Marcus Trufant

Ravens lockdown OLB Terrell Suggs

Patriots franchise WR Randy Moss

Bengals tag pass rushing DE Justin Smith

[kdmajoslin]

Oakland Raiders

Owner/GM Al Davis has laid down the law, letting Coach Joslin know that he expects him to bring in a top flight on the Offensive Line (OVR 85 or better) LT, LG, and RG. Davis let Coach Joslin know that he doesn't care how he does it, trade for them, get them in free agency or draft them, just get them baby!

Offensive Line is definitely a good place to start, when rebuilding the Raiders as there isn't much talent there:

LT Mario Henderson 72/79 poor impact blocking, poor run blocking, poor pass blocking

LG Robert Gallery 75/75 good impact blocking, poor run blocking, avg pass blocking...big time bust, drafted to play tackle, but never could

C Jake Grove 73/74 good impact blocking, poor run blocking, poor pass blocking

RG Cooper Carlisle 73/73 good impact blocking, poor run blocking, poor pass blocking

RT Mark Wilson 86/89 good impact blocking, good run blocking, average pass blocking- the one bright spot on the OLine

Coach Joslin looked at the options in free agency, and found them to be unavailable or likely too expensive. So that leaves trading for them or drafting them.

Some guys they will check out are:

LG Stacy Andrews

LG Ruben Brown (he's old, but he's got some skills if he's willing to play cheap)

C Jeff Faine (probably stay away just because he's a free agent I usually get.)

C Dan Koppen

RG Jake Scott

RB Ben Noll

RG Jeb Terry (could be a bargain solution, won't be the star Al Davis wants, but a solid player.)

LT Torrin Tucker (I love this guy, but no one else seems to so if he's there, I'll get him)

RT Max Starks

RT Damien Woody (move him back to C, the position he played in college)

Other guys worth a look:

OLB Karlos Dansby

OLB Kawika Mitchell

OLB Michael Boley

(would love a guy to pair with Thomas Howard)

FS Ken Hamlin (I usually go for Eugene Wilson, so if the price is right, I might take a flier on Hamlin.)

QB Daunte Culpepper or QB Byron Leftwich (odds are these guys are out of my price range...or will eat up my entire budget at one go.)

WR DJ Hackett (we need a #1 WR badly, and with me trying to stay away from my favorites in the draft...they could be hard to come by...but I have a feeling he's going to want more than I want to pay.)

[kdmajoslin]

2008 Free Agency Part 1

Raiders make a deal with Dallas for MLB Akin Ayodele, sending the Cowboys their 4th round pick (101) and a 5th in 2009

DT Albert Haynesworth goes to the Tennessee Titans for $10M a year for 5 years.

CB Asante Samuael signs a 5yr deal worth approximately $40M with the Dolphins

OLB Lance Briggs agrees to a deal with the New Orlean Saints for $9.2M a year for 5 years

FS Eugene Wilson will be playing in San Francisco next year, making $4.0M a year for 5 years

LG Alan Faneca signs a 5yr deal with the Broncos for around $39M

Oakland sends one of their 7th round picks (198) to the Browns for backup QB Ken Dorsey

RT Jordan Gross agrees to a deal with the Broncos for $6.6M a year for 5 years.

Oakland Raiders sign FS Ken Hamlin to a 4yr $17M deal with a $2.5M signing bonus ($3.7M cap hit- so $3.3M left in the Free Agent Budget) Analysts predict that Hamlin may be moved to Strong Safety.

HB Shaun Alexander signs a $21M/4yr deal with Buccaneers.

LE Antwan Odom also goes the the Buccaneers for an estimated $30M over 4 years.

The Buffalo Bills sign CB Randall Gay to a $17.2M deal for 4yrs

The Falcons sign HB Michael Turner to a 4yr deal worth almost $18M

OLB Karlos Dansby signs a 4yr $21M deal with the Bengals

OLB Kawika Mitchell goes to the Eagles for $4.1M a year for 4yrs

The aged WR Isaac Bruce shows he can still command a decent salary going to the 49ers for $5.2M for 1 year

LG Stacy Andrews wants more than we have left in the budget to start with, he ends up going to the Carolina Panthers for a 5yr deal worth $26M and a $10M signing bonus

[kdmajoslin]

Free Agency Part 2

CB Ty Law can't get any team to return his agents calls. When the Raiders inquired, Law was looking for a deal around $3.5M meaning he's out of our budget.

K Jason Elam signs a 2yr deal with the Giants for a reported $5M

K Rob Bironas goes to the Chiefs for $4.8M over 2 years

RG Jake Scott signs with the Broncos for $5M a year for 4 years...would of loved to get him, but too pricey.

RG Ben Noll while cheaper than Scott is still out of our range, he goes to the Texans for $4.3M a year for 4years

LG Ruben Brown is another budget buster, he ends up signing a 1yr deal with the Giants for $4.2M

WR Donte Stallworth goes to the Patriots rival Dolphins for $20M over 4yrs. He's the second former Patriot the Dolphins have signed this year.

39 year old DT Ted Washington gets a $4.8M deal from the Chiefs to play for one more year, but wait the Chiefs can't make the deal and Washington goes back into the Free Agent market and gets his 1yr $4.8M deal with a $1.5M signing bonus from the Bengals.

FS Gibril Wilson goes to the Patriots for $2.3M a year for 4 years

HB Travis Henry gets a $23M/5yr deal from the Texans

K Josh Brown signs with the Falcons for $1.9M a year for 2 years

The Broncos make TE Alge Crumpler a little richer with a 5yr deal worth around $22M

The Raiders almost make a trade for SF WR Arnaz Battle, but in the end SF decided to go for an offer from the Browns.

MLB Jeremiah Trotter signs a 5yr deal with the Bills reportedly worth $19.5M

MLB Odell Thurman gets a 5yr deal worth $15M from the Titans

32yr old RB Warrick Dunn signs a 1yr deal with the Lions for a whopping $6.6M!

C Jeff Faine is looking for and gets a 3yr deal worth $13.5M from the Buccaneers

OLB Rob Morris gets a 1yr $3.2M deal from the Saints

WR DJ Hackett is going to cost too much for the Raiders. He ends up signing a 5yr deal worth $28M with the 49ers

SS Donovin Darius agrees to play for the Denver Broncos next year for $4.8M

QB Trent Green signs a 1yr deal with the Falcons for a reported $7.5M

HB Kevin Jones signs with the Titans for $6.5M over 2 years

The Dolphins overpay for another DT signing Grady Jackson to a 1yr $4.4M deal

HB Michael Pittman can't get any offers, you'd think that someone would pony up a little dough, especially if Matt Millen was willing to shell out $6.6M for Warrick Dunn

WR Darrell Jackson signs with the Vikings for $6.5M over 2yrs

SF signs K Olido Mare to a 1yr deal worth $1.6M

OLB Takeo Spikes has 13 teams interested in him, but in the end agrees to a 2yr deal worth $6.8M with the Giants

[kdmajoslin]

Oakland Kicker Janikowski Arrested After Getting Into a Bar Fight

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. --Oakland Raider kicker Sebastian Janikowski was jailed during the weekend after getting into a fight in a restaurant, police said.

Janikowski was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor vandalism and public drunkenness, Walnut Creek Lt. Loren Cattolico said Monday. Janikowski was also suspected of breaking the mirrors off some cars parked near the restaurant.

Police said they were called when a fight broke out at Slates Supper Club in Walnut Creek. Several people told officers they had been assaulted by Janikowski, who was "very intoxicated," police said.

The football player wasn't very cooperative with officers but didn't resist arrest, Cattolico said. No one had serious injuries.

A team spokesman did not return a call seeking comment. Although, NFL commentator Peter King comments, “This could be it for Janikowski in Oakland. New Head Coach Joslin doesn’t like his guys acting stupid like this.”

This is not Janikowski’s only run in with the law. Janikowski pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and was placed on three years' probation last year. In 2001, Janikowski was acquitted on charges of possessing the "date-rape" drug GHB. And in 2000, he was acquitted on a charge of attempting to bribe a police officer.

Janikowski’s continued trouble with the law could spell an end to his time in Oakland, where he has played since being drafted with the #17 pick in the 2000 draft.