Silver and Black Report

Danny Clark targeting LaDainian Tomlinson during the 2004 season

Danny Clark, LB

In March of 2004, the Oakland Raiders lost Eric Barton via free agency and a week earlier they had released Bill Romanowski, leaving them with major gaps at linebacker. They quickly filled one of those voids signing Danny Clark away from the Jacksonville Jaguars with a two-year $3 million contract. Known as ‘Hammerhead’ to teammates, Clark finally was able to play every down in Silver & Black and he started all 16-games in 2004, leading the club with 129-tackles. “I appreciate where I am. I bleed silver and black now,” said Clark in 2005.

Verdict: A solid player on bad defenses, Clark always played with a good motor and gave the Raiders good value with that signing. He was released prior to the 2006 season after Oakland decided to go with their younger crop of linebackers.

Ray Buchanan, DB/S

The Raiders added Buchanan in April of 2004 with a five-year $12 million contract. The ostentatious defensive back was 32-years old when the Falcons released him due to his declining coverage skills, but the Raiders used him all over the secondary during his one-year stint. “I give them a lot of flexibility because I can play safety, but if they need me, I can go out on the edge and play corner, too, Buchanan stated upon his arrival. “They can use me in the slot to cover. My hands are not tied.”

Verdict: His lone season in Silver & Black was disastrous. Buchanan did not have anything left in the tank and his career was over after the 2004 campaign.

Desmond Howard, WR/ST

The year subsequent to signing Larry Brown after his MVP performance in a Super Bowl, the Raiders inked Desmond Howard to a four year contract worth $6 million after the Green Bay Packer became the first special teams player ever to win MVP honors in the big game. Howard’s 10-returns for 244-yards and a score in Super Bowl XXXI led him to Oakland. “This is totally amazing,” Howard said when he arrived. “To sign a contract and become an Oakland Raider, it’s an emotional roller-coaster … because I’m leaving a team I helped to win a world championship and a lot of close friends.” Then Raider coach Joe Bugel stated, “We’ve added yet another explosive, impact player to our football team.” In his first year in Oakland, he led the league with 61 kickoff returns, ending with 1,318 yards, but no scores. In 1998, he scored twice on punts, but his impact was never significant enough to justify the money he received.

Verdict: Howard was useless on offense. He never lived up to the hype he established as a collegiate and the Raiders continued to collect players with trophies rather than productive talents that impact the ball club in a positive way.

Kerry Collins, QB

In May of 2004, Collins signed a three-year $12 million deal. “I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Raider Nation,” Collins stated in a statement. The Giants released the former first rounder after drafting Eli Manning and Oakland picked him up as insurance after Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo ended their season on injured reserve in 2003. “Kerry is a highly productive performer who will add to what is already a talented position,” said coach Norv Turner. Collins took over as a full-time starter after Gannon sustained a neck injury early in 2004. He tallied a 7-21 record as a Raider, passing for 7,254 yards with 41 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

Verdict: Collins had some streaky stretches with the Raiders, piling up passing yards with receivers Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry and leading Oakland to one of their most memorable victories the last 7-seasons during a snow storm at Denver on a nationally televised game. A cap casualty, Collins was not viewed as a long-term solution for the struggling Raiders.

Stay tuned for upcoming installments, looking back at the Raiders history during the free-agency period. Part-five coming soon…

Since Jon Gruden compiled a 40-28 record with the Oakland Raiders, the revolving door at head coach for the Silver & Black has been kept busy with constant change. SBReport will take a look back at the dreadful track record along the sidelines since his trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Bill Callahan (2002-2003)

He became just the fourth rookie head coach in league history to lead a team to a Super Bowl in his first year with the Raiders. A 15-17 overall record in two-seasons was unbalanced toward the loss column when Oakland piled up 12-defeats in 2003. What started as a joyous time for Callahan, ended with misery when his own team openly stated their dislike towards him. “I don’t think he was happy there, and I don’t think everybody was happy with him,” said Callahan’s starting left guard Frank Middleton at the time. “I felt like something had to be done, either with the players or with the coach.

“We’ve had that before on great teams”, commented Davis about locker room distractions during the 2003 season. “The thing with the coach [Callahan], and the players, that’s something that I don’t think we’ve ever had here, really to the extent that it went this year”.

His demise was a post-game rant in which he critiqued his team for being dumb.

“We’ve got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game!” Callahan yelled to reporters. “I’m highly critical because of the way we give games away — we give ‘em away! Period. It’s embarrassing, and I represent that. And I apologize for that. If that’s the best we can do, it’s a sad product.”

Norv Turner (2004-2005)

Turner tallied a 9-23 record during his two-year stint. Al Davis fired him with a year remaining on his three-year deal worth about $1.75 million. “I belong here,” stated Turner, upon his arrival. “When I got off the plane the other night, I felt like I was coming home. I feel like I’m home now.”

Oakland traded for Randy Moss and inked LaMont Jordan during his stay. But the crafty offensive mind was not able to ignite the offense for prolonged periods and his one-win against divisional rivals was his downfall. “I just thought it was the right fit,” said Davis, when he hired Turner. “Everything that we need at this particular time, we will rely on Norv to help us with.”

Players sympathized with Turner, as they knew the burden of all the losses and the misery during his tenure should be blamed on all involved. “I think he did what he could,” then starting linebacker Danny Clark stated. “Ultimately, everybody involved didn’t get it done. Unfortunately, this is a production-based business and if you’re not winning the weight falls on someone.”

Oakland at that time was the last of seven teams to fill their coaching vacancy when they inked Turner.

Art Shell (2006)

Oakland only managed two-wins in Shell’s second tenure. Again the Raiders were the last team to fill their coaching void that off-season, when they hired Shell,  after a search that included the courting of Ken Whisenhunt – who decided to remain on Pittsburgh’s staff – and offers to Bobby Petrino who stated he was flattered but wanted to remain in Louisville.

Raider quarterbacks were sacked 72-times that season, as Shell along with Jackie Slater and Irv Eatman attempted to work with the offensive line.

Shell’s feud with Jerry Porter made headlines, his handling of Randy Moss was atrocious and the offense was miserable (fewest points in team history – 168), while the defense played admirably under Rob Ryan.

“Everybody has a way of doing things. The Raiders have a way of doing things. We’re about winning. And we will win,” Shell said at introductory press conference.

Lane Kiffin (2007-2008)

During his 20-game tenure, Kiffin went 5-15. The then 31-year old was the youngest coach in Oakland’s history. Davis chanted to those loyal to his club when introducing Kiffin, “To the Raider fans, players, to the Raider nation, to the organization, that bleed and give their loyalty and skill to the organization…we will come back, and Lane Kiffin will lead us back!”

But a rocky relationship behind the scenes that included Kiffin’s reluctance to draft JaMarcus Russell and the notion that he wanted out and attempted to do so through insubordinate acts marred the marriage.

“I just couldn’t go on much longer with what I would call, propaganda, the lying that had been going on for weeks, and months, and a year, and time. And he had a few questions, he says ‘does that mean I don’t get paid’, I said that’s what I’m saying to you”, Davis said during a memorable press conference.

Kiffin was fired via phone reportedly and the official Raiders web site acknowledge the happening at the time, “Lane Kiffin has been released as head coach of the Oakland Raiders for cause.”

Per Davis, Kiffin complained, as he stated, “[Kiffin] complained he didn’t have this, and didn’t have that.” Remarks that peeved Davis which he in turn he stated to Kiffin, “If you don’t think you can win resign,” per the owner’s remarks in the almost 50-minute session which included an over-head projector.

Tom Cable (2008-current)

Cable joined the Raiders as an offensive line coach in 2007 and was the interim coach when Kiffin was dismissed.

He ended the 2008 campaign with back-to-back wins and all the players lobbied for his hiring. “I want to be the head coach of the Raiders, but it’s not in my hands. But I certainly know I put this team together and got it going in the right direction, and today proved that,” commented Cable after the win to knock Tampa Bay out of the playoffs.

But a tumultuous off the field in 2009 that included an alleged attack on Randy Hanson (Cable was cleared and no charges were pressed by the Napa police) and a story that aired on ESPN which exposed his history of violent behavior could be some of his downfalls this off-season.

Russell’s lack of development and Davis’ insistence that his quarterback is still a part of the team’s future could also lead to Cable’s demise.

Cable did surprise many by keeping his team competitive, pulling out solid victories against the Steelers, Bengals and Broncos in the second half of the season and giving this team some semblance of order after the Kiffin fiasco.

His record as coach: 9-19 and the extension of a NFL worst seven straight seasons with 11 or more losses in a campaign.

What did Davis say in hiring Cable back in February 2009:

Just listen to him. Just the fact what he did with the team at the end.

His excellence with the offensive line was never in doubt. He always did well with them.

He’s good, he really is. He really loves football; he has a passion for the goddamn thing.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS DURING THAT SPAN

“No coach has been hired. There will be a time period before a coach is hired,” stated Davis in January of 2004 when it was rumored that Sean Payton – then Dallas Cowboys assistant – could be a candidate to be the next Raiders coach. “Were this got started, was an assumption and it just carried. It seems like everything carries today, very, very quickly.”

“We have a coach with a very big ego, you know what I mean? He’s not listening to those veterans. And that’s what’s sad about it. When you get to a point, I think, in your life where you can’t listen to guys with the experience that we have on our offense, then I think there’s something very wrong”, Charles Woodson stated about Callahan early in the 2003 season, foreshadowing a lot of what would go wrong that season.

“I expect a whole lot out of myself,” Shell said as the 2006 season wound down. “I expected a whole lot out of this team. And when we don’t meet or come close to those expectations, then it’s disappointing.”

“I’m going for this job 100 percent,” stated Steve Sarkisian back in January of 2007. “I’m solely focused on this job with the Oakland Raiders.” He appeared to be the prohibitive favorite before bowing out. “The Oakland Raiders were not ready to offer the position and wanted to wait until after the weekend as the organization is still doing its due diligence,” the organization said in a press release prior to settling on Kiffin. “I thank them for their interest in me,” Sarkisian then commented. “While the job was never offered to me, at this time in my career, I’ve told them I want to stay at USC. I strongly believe that the Raiders’ job is a great opportunity for whomever their next head coach is going to be.”