Silver and Black Report

Darrius Heyward-Bey takes aim at the Cowboys secondary

• Mike Mitchell will not see action tonight versus the Dallas Cowboys. The rookie safety is out with an injured hamstring, the same that kept him out a month during the off-season. “Disappointing,” Raiders coach Tom Cable declared yesterday at Napa. “It is a strain so it’s going to be a little while. How long, we don’t know. You’ve just got to deal with it, rehab and get him back.”
• At strong side linebacker, Jon Alston is questionable with a foot injury. Ricky Brown will start at that spot along with Thomas Howard on the weak side and Kirk Morrison in the middle.
• Speedster Darrius Heyward Bey saw limited action this week in practice, but Cable stated that the first round draft choice will be ready to go and possibly play a half on Thursday night.
• Chris Morris will play in place of Robert Gallery, who is still recovering from his appendectomy.
• Wide receiver Louis Murphy is having a solid camp along with Chaz Schilens, and both will be depended on to revitalize a passing attack that ranked 32^nd (148.1 yards per) in 2008. Nick Miller has a good character, solid work ethic and refuses to let up also during camp. So in every pre-season game, focus on the receiving corps, as there are a few battles for a couple of spots.
• Quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett has been a solid presence in camp this summer. He is constantly quizzing his unit, grading the game plan for that session up or down and really utilizing each passer’s abilities to fit what they are trying to accomplish. With Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye battling for the third string job, Hackett will focus on how each moves their unit tonight, how they are composed and whether or not they are absorbing what he is preaching during camp. JaMarcus Russell will only play a quarter, and Jeff Garcia will sit out due to a calf injury.
• The three-headed monster of Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush will see action in the opening half. Coach Cable wants to incorporate all three this season and use their best attributes seamlessly in the game plan. Louis Rankin, a strong performer last pre-season, will have to duplicate his output from last year if he plans to stick around. The fullback battle has been a quiet one, but if Lorenzo Neal stays healthy and strong, show some vitality and longevity, it will be hard to unseat his presence and the return of the bulky Oren O’Neal. Luke Lawton figures to be the odd man out at this point.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

SBReport.net was in attendance when Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis opened up to talk about varying topics at the team’s facility in Alameda. Here are some quotes from the session:

Davis talking about the team going younger:

[Kiffin] wouldn’t do it. Yeah, he wouldn’t do it. That’s why he got fired.

Tom [Cable] tried to start breaking it in. But there was resistance from certain assistants, and their not here.

The idea was to go young, because we were young.

Someone the other day said we had to go get a receiver. We should’ve drafted Calvin Johnson instead of JaMarcus Russell. He continued, “But their record was 0-16 last year with Calvin Johnson.”

Then [someone said] we should’ve drafted Larry Fitzgerald. But the year we didn’t draft Fitzgerald, we drafted a guy that was considered the best offensive lineman in the draft. We had as I said, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Jerry Porter; who everyone had thought had greatness in his future.

What kind of effort you made in trying to keep Rob Ryan around?

I like Rob Ryan a lot, but it was time to make a change.

It was time for him to move on.

What about Brian Schneider (special teams coach)?

Well, Brian did well. John Fassel did real well and you have to remember, one of the things that hurt us on special teams for a short period in the middle of the season was when we lost probably the best special teamer we’ve had in a long while [Tyvon] Branch.

We were good on returns, no question about it. But [the opponents returns], against us, we were not great.

[Schneider] wanted to go, and young Fassell is a young talent that we think is pretty good.

On Tom Rathman

The only coach that left, that really we probably would’ve kept at his position was Tom Rathman. And he wanted to go over there, we understood that, that’s where his history was made…

Whether Davis’ old offense works in this new era of football:

They certainly don’t say it now.

When we started 2000, 2001, 2002; I thought we had chance to run this decade. We didn’t do it. It slipped away from us. And we became mediocre.

In every decade, as I told you before, in every decade that started since the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, we’ve played in the championship game at the start of the decade. And the vertical game, you got to throw the ball deep. There’s no one around who can win without doing it, Whether it will be Arizona, or Pittsburgh.

If a coaching change at the start of the 2008 season would’ve made a difference:

I tried to reason with the guy [Kiffin]. I thought we could get something out of him. And I wanted to push it through to see if I could push it through. I guess it was my stubbornness too. But he was bad, He was a liar – flat out. Which I told you. I’m never broken away from it. They know it. The players know it.

All he wanted to do is get out of here and get his money.

Greatest needs in terms of player personnel:

We’ll let you know in a little while. I’m interested to hear how they evaluate our players and what they think of them.

We have a general idea; we’ve got a tough problem with Nnamdi [Asomugha] and [Shane] Lecher. That’s a tough problem. Both are un-signed and we only have one franchise [tag].

On hiring Cable, finally deciding on him:

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.

On Mario Henderson:

We took a left tackle and didn’t play him the whole season because he was my pick. And then when he got in the goddamn game, in the couple games he played– he dominated the game.

On the stadium situation:

I like this stadium right here, I like this location right here.

Sharing a stadium:

I would have to think about that.

Can the Raiders succeed with the current stadium lease and revenue generated:

It’s very difficult. Yeah, it’s very difficult. Succeed? Yeah, it’s very difficult. Because when you talk to me about free agency and things like that, off-course its difficult. It’s ridiculous not to say. You have to have the finances to compete with other teams.

I’m not used to building stadiums.

Do you expect a playoff run next year?

No.

I do like to win Super Bowls, but I’m also realistic. We can win the division. But winning Super Bowls – No. I don’t think this team is ready to win a Super Bowl. We may be a year away from putting a good group together.

On Paul Hackett:

Number two [JaMarcus Russell] – that is a formidable thing. I really think Hackett can handle him. I really feel good about that.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

After the Oakland Raiders (1-3) agonizing 28-18 home collapse this weekend against the San Diego Chargers, the Lane Kiffin watch is back in full swing, especially with the team entering their bye week and recent reports that Al Davis has begun the process of replacing his young head coach.

According to a report by ESPN, a source close to the situation stated that Davis had scheduled meetings on Monday with staffers Greg Knapp, Tom Cable and Paul Hackett, in which discussions would take place regarding Kiffin’s future, something he has not himself been informed about.

During his press conference on Monday, Kiffin expressed his thoughts in keeping any and all communication he has with the owner private, stating, “I just feel we’re going to open up too many things, and those are conversations that I do or do not have with him that should stay between him and I.”

Just last week, after their breakdown on the road versus the Bills, Kiffin stated, “I’m going to kind of put it this way: Until I am told by Al Davis that I’m not the head coach here anymore, we’re going to keep plugging away the same way we have been. So I have not been told by Al Davis that I am not the head coach. Until he tells me directly, we’ll keep plugging away.”

With the rocky relationship in the front office and back-to-back weeks of heartbreaking play at the end of games, if any moves were to be made, they should come now.

It is apparent that the working rapport between coach and owner has been disintegrated.

The team has played admirably during this mess, but with the obvious change looming, why string out this soap opera any longer?

Why keep the team in limbo not knowing the fate of their coach from week-to-week, especially when all signs are showing that he won’t be here to see another season.

But with the Raiders again facing another losing season, and the team not being able to finish games, who is to blame for this year’s mess?

Kiffin can be critiqued for keeping the offense under wraps, the play calling that has no creativity and a team that looks nothing like the powerhouse he boasted about bringing to the Raiders during his introductory press conference.

JaMarcus Russell is still developing, but he has shown signs of being able to handle more than what the coach is presenting on his plate. They drafted Darren McFadden because of his explosiveness and versatility, but we have yet seen what the rookie can do minus one huge rushing effort in Kansas City partly due to the lack of imagination of those handling the offense. And who would’ve thought prior to the year starting that Johnnie Lee Higgins would be one of the team’s game altering talents?

Javon Walker has been non-existent, Ronald Curry looks nothing like the dependable target has shown to be in the past and Zach Miller, who could be the Raiders best offensive talent can’t be showcased due to the double teams he faces and the need to have him on the edge blocking.

The defense has also contributed to the tough start.

Rob Ryan was toyed with by Mike Shanahan in the first game, before altering his game plan when they faced the Chiefs, demonstrating more aggressiveness which helped the Raiders lock down a mediocre offensive club, but one who has a rusher that has mauled them in the past.

What has been troubling in second half performances for the defense are the blown leads, not being able to react to the opponents adjustments accordingly and the inability to close out games with big plays or stands.

So much blame to go around in only four games.

And now they enter the bye week with a coach still in limbo on a team that obviously has a lot of talent, many young players that need to develop which will influence their future and a disgruntled fan base that is sick of losing.

The owner burns for another winning season. But at this rate, is this situation salvageable?

Even if he promotes Ryan, or other rumored candidates such as James Lofton or surprise entrant, and current consultant Paul Hackett, will it be enough to keep the ship headed in the right direction?

The Raiders are fighting in these games. But internally, the body blows and battles that are occurring could wear down a team that is trying to learn how to win.

And at this point, with the team 1-4, missing out on opportunities to make a splash this season due to a tough start, more dissention and changes, even though it may appear that it will settle what has happened behind the scenes, may not be enough to patch up the leak this ship has.