Silver and Black Report

How dare the Oakland Raiders win a game this weekend?

Facing an 0-2 start, against their divisional rivals on the road, coming of a 41-14 defeat in their home opener, with a coach under fire, a coordinator ranting to the media and a unhappy owner, the Silver & Black had no right to win at Arrowhead.

But they faced a worse team. They also faced news of pending changes on the sideline, but they came away with a win…

OK — Team turmoil is not the worst in the NFL

The Chiefs may claim that title, and Oakland’s road win – their second in a row against Kansas City – may not make believers of many, but at this point they have a win under their belt and a fan base that is a tad bit happier knowing that their beloved club won’t be existing in the bowels of the AFC west.

But news of Lane Kiffin’s demise, which started spreading on Sunday – days after SBReport stated that his days were numbered – is now headline news. He will remain in limbo, and it’s a matter of when will the axe drop, not if, and for Oakland, a sad reminder that they won’t have any continuity in leadership with a club that is currently 20-62 in their last 82-games.

Instead of enjoying the fact that Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Justin Fargas romped through the Chiefs, that JaMarcus Russell, even with his little production, has not thrown an interception and looks to improve every game and with a defense that has a lot of talent and the potential to be a solid unit, the Raiders are mired in off the field coaching coming and goings and front office bickering.

That has taken precedence over what occurs on the field and the win at Kansas City, which is rare for this current crop of Raiders, can’t even be looked at as a silver lining or a sign of better things.

Can it?

As bad as Oakland was last week, and facing a team that may be worse, was that a good litmus test? Or do you chalk it up and count the victory as one of many that you need in a league that emphasis the importance if every win.

The Raiders are a traveling soap opera. With many story lines, plots and twists that can make what happens on the field very inconsequential.

And if Kiffin moves on as expected during the season, where does that leave an organization that has not had any stability at any level of their operation for some time, and a team with a lot of talent looking to get better?

And does it matter at this point?

Al Davis did not spend a king’s ransom this off-season with the intentions of rebuilding. Results are needed now! But with a change looming, those positive results that were expected cannot be expected realistically.

Unless the players are doing cartwheels with Kiffin’s departure.

And that is not likely with the way they have played for the young coach and finally looking like they belong in the NFL since the debacle of Art Shell and co., in 2006.

The owner will appeased and the coach, who may want out just as much as the owner wants him out, may be satisfied. But again, what may suffer is the product on the field.

And that in retrospect is what matters.

Or what I should say has not mattered in Oakland for some time now.