Limit Russell's PT

Jamarcus Russell

So the notion of playing Jamarcus Russell this weekend against the Denver Broncos isn’t the worst idea in the world, granted Lane Kiffin doesn’t get greedy and play the kid significant reps, or worse on a continuing basis the remainder of the season. Here’s why I say that. The Raiders are banged up everywhere, but most notably on the offensive line. Sticking Russell out there for the wolves to devour makes no sense if the intent is to simply get his feet wet.

Kiffin needs to limit Russell’s stint to 10-15 plays from scrimmage this weekend, preferably with the game out of reach (one way or the other). I think Mike Shanahan would like nothing more than to knock around the Raiders future, regardless of his own job status in Denver. Don’t give Shanahan the opportunity to muddy the waters by either injuring the kid or making his first taste of NFL caliber ball a thumping.

The fact that the Raiders decided to do this at home is smart. Russell won’t be playing in a hostile environment, and the Coliseum has no shortage of his supporters.

I’d love nothing more than to see Russell tear up the Broncos secondary with laser beam passes being delivered all over the place, but the Raiders need to be patient. Let him get a taste of the pace, before extending him against hostile defenders.

Of the teams remaining on the Raiders schedule, this is probably the weakest opponent remaining. Jacksonville is ranked 28th in passing defense, so let him air things out in week 16 against the Jags. The Raiders face the Colts and Charges at home, but both of those teams are embroiled in division chases.

Forget about giving Russell any lengthy time over center next week at Lambeau. The weather will most likely be bad and the Packers will still be battling for some semblance of home field in the playoffs. Brett Favre’s injury on Thursday night may make that game more interesting from Green Bay’s perspective, but the Packers pass defense has been one of their strong suits this season.

Let Russell build confidence against teams he’ll have any opportunity to succeed against. Yes, Jacksonville is in the playoff hunt, but that secondary is just what Dr Kiffin ordered. Yes, I’ve heard that the Raiders are a “running team” (or at least until Big Al reminds Kiffin that he isn’t shelling out $80 million to someone so they can hand off the ball), but Russell needs to cut his teeth in the air.

Limit his reps against Denver, extend them against Jacksonville, then wait and see if San Diego is playing for anything on December 30th. If they’re not, turn him loose then.

Then start scouting offensive lineman that you can build an offense around. Russell won’t do squat laying on his back 5-10 times a game or on the IR.

Camp Musings - Day 7

• Lane Kiffin continues to impress when it comes to dealing with the media. He’s as cool as a cucumber in front of the press. His responses are forthright and to the point. No beating around the bush, or dodging questions.

• As for Kiffin on the field, preparation and fundamentals continue to be the focus of his workouts.

• Continuing a storied tradition of innovation, the Raiders have invited kicker Li Chaoran of China to training camp for a week. With the league always looking to expand and China being the country with the largest population in the world, it was only a matter of time before some figured out to start marketing the game by inviting a national to camp.

• On the national theme, the Raiders have Alfredo Flores of Mexico and Larry Lishey of Sweden in camp as guest coaches. Both promote football in the coaching ranks abroad.

• RB ReShard Lee was waived after injuring a knee earlier in the week.

• Daunte Culpepper showed no signs of the injury that hampered him last season in the afternoon practice. Culpepper hit Will Buchanon for a 50-yard TD pass.

• Practices are being spaced out farther than last year, which has received rave reviews from players. Down time between practices has given the team more down time to recover.

• Al Davis’ proposal to create a quarterback award in honor of Bill Walsh was timely and yet another reminder of Davis’ brand of loyalty. Davis and Walsh maintained a friendship that sadly ended on Monday with Walsh’s passing. Too bad for Walsh that his own team couldn’t think up the idea on their own.

A bad week to be Mike Taylor

It’s been a hum-dinger of a week for the Raiders. It’s certainly been no picnic for team spokesman Mike Taylor. First the team gets rejected in the California Supreme Court on a long standing dispute with the league, then newly signed running back Dominic Rhodes is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

It can’t be much fun for Taylor, who has to deal with the questions that arise when things like this happen.

Heck even the practice squad guys are finding a way to make the wrong kind of headlines. On Thursday, backup defensive end Bryant McNeal was arrested on an outstanding warrant for defrauding a pawn broker back in 2005.

Bryant allegedly sold a Ranger Rover to a Florida pawn broker, even though he didn’t actually own the automobile. What I want to know is, why did the Raiders have this guy on the practice squad? They should have had him in the ticket office, hawking all those empty Coliseum seats last season.

While Bryant awaits extradition back to Florida, Rhodes gets to prepare himself for 4 weeks of R&R, while his teammates attempt to claw back to some semblance of respectability.

It’s baffling to think that high profile athletes still think they can get away with stuff like this. Rhodes hasn’t taken a snap in silver & black and he’s already sending the wrong message.

If the Raiders are serious about turning their ship around, then they need to come down hard on Rhodes. At least as hard as the NFLPA will allow (don’t get me started on the protections that they provide).

Lave Kiffin needs to nip this public relations fiasco in the bud by making an example of Rhodes. Would these shenanigans take place if Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick or Mike Shanahan were at the helm? Nobody is bigger then the team, and that’s the environment that Kiffin needs to establish.

Just coach baby!

Coaching turmoil leads to team turmoil! No, that’s not the latest news out of Alameda (for once). That’s news from San Diego, where head coach Marty Schottenheimer was dismissed on Monday after another clash with Chargers GM A.J. Smith.

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy you say? The head of the Oakland Raiders Fan Club, Schottenheimer was not. He did manage to lead his team to a 14-2 record in arguably the toughest division in pro football, so his firing is a bit surprising.

NFL insiders say the writing was on the wall, when Schottenheimer refused to sign a one-year extension to his contract and that his relationship with Smith has been tenuous at best. But the word now on the street is that Schottenheimer was let go over a disagreement with Smith and owner Dean Spanos over a decision to hire Schottenheimer’s brother Kurt, as defensive coordinator.

With the Chargers losing Cam Cameron and Wade Phillips, San Diego was left with two huge holes in its coaching corps. The rumor mill alleges that Schottenheimer demanded control of hiring decisions when it came to his coaches. Smith and Spanos disagreed, and the rest is history.

This leads me to the question of the day in Alameda. How much authority has Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin been extended in the hiring department? Has Al Davis given Kiffin the authority to bring in the people that he feels are best qualified for the job?

How much experience has Kiffin even had in the coaching evaluation department? The early signs suggest that Davis has extended a little latitude. Kiffin courted offensive coordinator Greg Knapp at the Senior Bowl in Mobile back in January.

It’s difficult to say how much influence Kiffin has had in the handful of hires that have taken place over the past month. Kiffin was supposedly responsible for notifying former coaches Tom Walsh and Jackie Slater that they were being let go, but that doesn’t mean he had the ultimate authority to decide on the release those coaches.

Certainly any head coach wants to work with the people he finds most comfortable to be around, but how much influence does a 31-year-old first year coach in the NFL have over a guy like Al Davis? Was hiring control part of the deal? Did he even demand it?

Kiffin certainly had no authority over the defensive coaching alignment. Then again, why would anyone want to tinker with the one bright spot in Alameda?

When Jon Gruden was hired by the Raiders in 1998, sweeping changes followed in the coaching ranks. Gruden was reported to have negotiated some control of personnel decisions, but it was never widely know how much control Gruden really had. After achieving relative success at the helm of the Raiders, Gruden’s eventual “trade” to Tampa Bay was expedited by Gruden’s demands for more control of football operations.

In any case, Kiffin has a mighty big job on his hands, and having a mentor like Al Davis isn't the worst thing in the world. At the very least, he's a month ahead of whomever San Diego fills their vacancy with.

Rumors: Knapp to Join Kiffin's Staff?

Former Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is rumored to have interviewed with new Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin on Friday at the Senior Bowl in Mobil Alabama.