Pete Carroll and Steve Sarkisian keep in touch with Lane Kiffin, their former colleague who’s now coach of the Oakland Raiders — at least, he was as of this writing, subject to change at any moment.
Kiffin is in the awkward position of coaching the Raiders amid widespread reports that Al Davis is going to fire him — or perhaps already has.
Is Kiffin doing all right?
“No. He’s struggling like crazy,” Carroll said. “They’re all fighting for their life in the NFL. We all are. It’s hard. It’s really hard. He has other circumstances on top of all the strain of trying to put together a winning team. It’s an extraordinary challenge. He’s hanging in there tough.”
Sarkisian was also a finalist for the Raiders job but withdrew himself from consideration.
“I considered it strongly,” Sarkisian said. “It’s one of 32 jobs in the world. We all aspire to get to the pinnacle of our profession. It was obviously a very tough decision.”
Sarkisian did know what it was like to work for Davis, having served as Raiders quarterbacks coach in 2004.
“Unique. Definitely unique,” Sarkisian said of Davis. “He’s got his own way of doing things. It’s just different.”
I would have chosen some different adjectives — such as antiquated, outdated or obsolete — but that’s just me.
Related link:
Open memo to Al Davis:
Leave our Trojan coaches alone. You’re distracting them from their excellent work with a real football organization. Secondly they could never be as successful with the Raiders as long as you are the owner.