If we could quickly analogize here, yesterday’s firing of Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin completely mirrors the financial meltdown this country’s going through. You have the utter failure of the main people in charge (all the football games Kiffin lost and all the money the Fed lost); then you had whispers about the system crashing (Kiffin getting fired and the financial situation in ruins); and finally the dénouement, an amazingly strange set of press conferences post-failure that clearly illustrate how everything went downhill so quickly. For the financial bailout, it was the back and forth between Democrats and Republicans about hurt feelings. For the Raiders, it was John Herrera v. Tim Kawakami and yesterday’s amazingly lucid presser given by Al Davis explaining why he did what he did. Sure he scowled a lot, but he didn’t spew blood or turn into a bat. He just showed us why, after everyone—including former players—asked whether he still had what it took to run an NFL franchise, he still does.

Here are the main points from Davis’s press conference, highlighted by Pro Football Talk, and what we think (if these allegations are true).

• Raiders owner Al Davis explained that Kiffin was fired for “propanganda” and “lying” that had gone on for months. Kiffin was “bringing disgrace to the organization,” Davis said, calling Kiffin on multiple times a “flat-out liar.”
Jesus, what is this, an NFL coach firing or Leni Riefenstahl symposium?

• Davis said that Kiffin called every play on offense during his time with the team, and that he split the play-calling duties with an unnamed assistant coach on Sunday against the Chargers.
If Davis is supposedly the Darth Raider in this equation, we wonder who this mysterious Obie-Wan to Kiffin’s Luke is.

• After the Week Three loss to the Bills, Davis said that he asked Kiffin point-blank why he didn’t use his final two time outs. “He takes exception when you question him,” Davis said.
But really, he should’ve used those time outs. They were so close in that game.

• Davis claims that Lane Kiffin wanted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan after the 2007 season. “I can’t win with this guy,” Kiffin supposedly told Davis.
• Davis said that Kiffin didn’t want to draft quarterback JaMarcus Russell, because Kiffin thought he’d be the “overweight guy” and the “uninterested guy.”

Yeah, antagonizing your wife and mistress is always a good way to get ahead in life.
Davis also said that Kiffin wanted his dad—Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin—to take over for Ryan as the defensive coordinator, which makes his accusations all the more credible. But whatever the case, when you try to play “Who’s the bigger weasel,” it’s usually in a lose-lose situation. And the Raiders have been losing a lot lately, so it’s pretty fitting.

DAVIS ACCUSES KIFFIN OF PROPAGANDA, LYING [Pro Football Talk]
Image [SF Gate]