Watchdog

SIRIUS host, Adam Schein: “Before we get into the big games, as always, obviously we have to start with the Oakland Raiders situation and I just want to get your take on what transpired yesterday with Lane Kiffin getting fired and the press conference Al Davis had in Oakland.”

John Madden: “Well, it was one of those things that you could just see coming. The Raiders weren’t winning and, of course, when that happens that kind of talk of the coach getting fired is always going to be there. I think this thing started over a year ago where Al Davis and Lane Kiffin didn’t get along. You didn’t know exactly when the end was going to come but you were pretty sure it was just right around the corner. I’ve felt that since the end of last season.”

Schein: “What’s next for the Oakland Raiders in your opinion?”

Madden: “Well, I think it’ll depend on how this coach does. Al Davis, as he said, he thinks that they really do have a good team and he thinks that this team can win. I think if they win from now on - I’m not talking, obviously, about winning all the games but if they win half of them or a little more than half of them - I think they’ll probably stay in the direction that they’re going. If they lose a bunch of them and just win two or three more games the rest of the season I think he’ll make a change and try and start all over again next year. He doesn’t want to do that either. He put a lot of money in this team and a #1 draft choice in Jamarcus Russell, the quarterback, and he wants them to do well. He wants to win now. He’s not in that building mode where we’ll build a team and we’ll be pretty good in five years. He wants to be good right now so he’s going to do everything that he can to get good right now.”

Schein: “What would you tell a potential coach about working for Al Davis?”

Madden: “Just communicate with him. I think that’s the thing. For some reason barriers have been built between the coaches and Al Davis. It was a totally different story when I was there, Adam. When I was there we just had five or six coaches and Ron Wolf was in the personnel department and Al Davis. So there were really less than ten of us and there were no barriers. I mean, everyone was right there together [and] we kind of did everything so we didn’t have any of these problems. And then as the game grew and the organization grew and you have more and more people and more and more assistants, I think instead of being closer and being part of each other, it looks to me like they just grew apart. And this is a situation that came to a head and Al Davis had to do something. People say, ‘Why did he have that press conference and why did he go through everything?’ I think that he just heard so many things that he wanted to just straighten them out. And it was one of things, he was going to be damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. If he didn’t have a press conference they were going to say, ‘Why didn’t you come out? Why didn’t you talk to the media? Why didn’t you show yourself?’ And then if he does [have a press conference], ‘Why do you have to air all of your laundry in public?’ In that situation there was probably no right way to do it and if you want to criticize him and the Raiders, then either way that he chose he’s going to be criticized anyway.”

Schein: “What did you think of Al at the press conference?”

Madden: “Well, I thought two things. One, he was making a coaching change and that announcement and that was one part of it. And then I think all the things that he’s been living with the last maybe six months and hearing and not reacting to, he reacted to. That’s what I think. So I think it was a double agenda. One, a coaching change and, one, let’s get some things straight that have been said the last six months that I’ve been completely quiet about.”

Schein: “Final question about the Raiders. You talk about barriers. Do you see the situation as fixable for the Oakland Raiders?”

Madden: “I think it is fixable. Anytime you have an organization and an owner that wants to win as badly as Al Davis wants to win, and will spend the money to win, I don’t think you have as many barriers as you think. Those are easy. The ones that would be tough is where you didn’t have any good players and you had an owner or an organization that didn’t want to spend any money to get good players.”

HERE'S LANE:

Lane Kiffin: “It was a difficult day [yesterday], starting with the night before, watching Monday Night Football and finding out that coaches are being interviewed, I guess, while you’re still the head coach and then coming in in the morning and going to work and receiving a phone call [saying] that you’ve been let go. And you go through the emotions of a bunch of relationships that have been developed there. It was tough. I went through the building and said thanks and goodbye to everybody in the building. Went down to the weight room and some of the players were around because it was their day off. It was pretty emotional to see those guys but I’m real proud of them. They’re going to win a bunch of games. We’re very close to getting it turned. We’re doing a bunch of good things and I know that they’re going to continue to go in that direction. And I was very thankful for the opportunity.”

On speaking with some of his former players after being fired:

Kiffin: “I was able to talk to JaMarcus [Russell] over the phone later yesterday. To see a guy like Justin Fargas, that one really got me, to see him and what he’s battled through and all the injuries. He kinda came out of nowhere last year after four years of really doing nothing and having a 1,000 yard season. He’s going to have a great season now that he’s getting healthy during this bye. It was tough.”

On watching Al Davis’ press conference yesterday:

Kiffin: “To come home and see Al’s press conference and for him to go up there and say all the things that he said was very hard for me and my family. But like I said yesterday, I’m very appreciative of the opportunity and I’m not going to stoop to his level and start firing back.”

Kiffin: “As crazy as it sounds, I felt bad for Al. I was embarrassed watching him up there. It was sad to see. But you have a real bad feeling in your stomach when things are being said like that about you, especially a number of false things being said. So it was very tough but a lot of support from people around the country came immediately after that. I think you guys figured it out pretty well by watching it and I don’t really need to comment on it.”

On what he’s most proud of from his time in Oakland:

Kiffin: “We are a way better team than when we got there a year and a half ago. It’s not even close. Way more competitive. We set high standards for ourselves and we expected to win a lot more games than we did but we were playing really good ball. We just couldn’t finish those last two games. We couldn’t finish the fourth quarter otherwise we’re on a three-game winning streak. San Diego is a really good team. I wish for the players there we could have pulled that one off because they deserved to win with how hard they played. They hadn’t beat them in five years so it would have been a really neat deal.”

On his future plans:

SIRIUS host, Tim Ryan: “Where do you go from here in your coaching [career]?”

Kiffin: “Well, my wife is making me do chores around the house right now. That’s a little bit new to me. (laughs) This is a little bit different than the staff meetings. You guys think it was bad getting ordered around by Al Davis, you should see my wife today.”

Kiffin: “I think the college route definitely could be a route we may end up going here. We’ll see what comes available. Unfortunately, being fired, there’s a lot of emotion that goes into it and we’re not pleased by any means but it’s made me a lot better and it’s prepared me a lot better for the next job. It will make getting a college job easier from the standpoint of being able to interview and not continuing, in November and December, continuing to have to play games and coach at the Raiders.”

On Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell:

Kiffin: “He has a great future and I had a great talk with him last night. He’s going to do great things as they continue to develop their receiver group around him. There’s been a lot of shakeup in that group from injuries and different people coming in and out. He’s going to continue to improve and have a great future.”

On Raiders OL Robert Gallery:

Kiffin: “So much better. We’ve kept him at one position the whole time and haven’t been moving him around. He’s playing a lot lower than he ever has. He was playing high when we got there. Robert really has made a name for himself by the way he’s played the last year and a half.”

On hearing from other former Raiders coaches since being fired:

Pat Kirwan: “You’re just one of them now on the list of people who have been shown the door at the Raiders. Have you heard from any of the other guys that basically left the way you did?”

Kiffin: “Yeah, I’ve heard from a number of them but I’m not going to get into the specifics. They definitely don’t want me to repeat the conversation that they had so I won’t get into that. But a lot of support.”