Chiefs Take On the Game by the Oakland Tribune

**gblowfish** · 09-15-2008, 10:05 AM

Here's one of the stories in the Oakland Paper this AM. Always interesting to get the other side slant on a game like this:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_1046...ce=most_viewed

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Long flight. Noisy crowd. Sagging confidence. Acrimony between coach Lane Kiffin and managing general partner Al Davis. A midweek spat between Kiffin and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. You name it, the Raiders had myriad built-in excuses at the ready.

Then, a funny thing happened on the way to 0-2. Raiders defenders did the things Ryan said they are capable of doing, Kiffin's three-headed rushing attack wore down the Chiefs defense, and the special teams play was more than ordinary.

Lo and behold, the Raiders found the ingredients for success, mixed them together and produced a convincing 23-8 victory against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in front of a disinterested audience.

That provided Kiffin and his players something more enjoyable to speak about and a respite from the drama that has enveloped the franchise only eight days into the season.

A prime topic of conversation was the revelation Saturday night that Davis is prepared to fire Kiffin at any time. The news came from numerous people in the front office and was reaffirmed Sunday.

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said he and his teammates aren't up to speed on all the nuances involved in the sticky situation. Just the same, firing Kiffin isn't the answer.

"It would be crippling at this point of the season since we've only played two games," Asomugha said. "It would hurt us a lot. We're just starting to jell and starting to do things well, so that would kind of mess things up."

It remains to be seen whether Davis will pull the plug on Kiffin after only 18 games, ride it out two more weeks until the bye week or take a wait-and-see approach.

The people in the front office, who requested anonymity, said Davis' mind-set wasn't formed off Oakland's 41-14 regular-season loss and won't be swayed by Sunday's stirring victory.

Either way, quarterback JaMarcus Russell said he and his teammates were fueled by all the events of the past week.

"The coach, he's a part of the team," Russell said. "(Those things were) blown out of proportion. A lot of the players don't know anything about it. At the same time, that was another way (people) were trying to knock us down. We always find a way, and need to find a way, to stick together as a team. And we did."

Kiffin jogged onto the field before the game dressed in Raiders gear from head to toe and showed no outward appearance of being concerned about his job status.

"I don't worry about it," Kiffin said. "I don't worry about things I can't control. That's not my decision whether I'll be here. So why waste time on it?"

Defensive tackle Gerard Warren said he and his teammates have enough to worry about without taking on the added burden of Kiffin's job security.

"We got a job to do, man," Warren said. "We can't worry about who the coach is going to be or what's going on upstairs. We've got to do what we've got to do."

On Sunday, that approach worked well. The Raiders held the Chiefs running backs to 2 yards per carry, broke up 12 passes and intercepted two, recorded five sacks, rushed for 300 yards and dominated the Chiefs from the outset.

As Kiffin said, it's nice to get a victory, yet it's important to keep things in perspective.

For that, look no further than the fact the Chiefs are winless this season and in their past 11 games. Coincidentally, the Chiefs' last victory came against the Raiders on Oct. 21, 2007.

"One game will not define who we are," Kiffin said. "And after this game, we're not all of a sudden going to the Super Bowl. We've got to get ready and go back to play a real good team."

The undefeated Buffalo Bills can wait until Sunday. For now, the Raiders want to revel in their first victory this season, put behind them the bitterness of their showing against the Broncos and find a way to bottle the concoction they brewed up against the Chiefs.

"We knew how good we were," Asomugha said. "This is still just one game, but we knew that we were better than we were against Denver. We figured we had something to prove and we came out and we showed it."

And how. They came close to notching their first road shutout against the Chiefs in the 49-year history of the rivalry.

They did so executing the things Kiffin has preached since he arrived 20 months ago. Run the ball well, contain the run defensively and outperform the team on special teams.

"We know it's (on) us in this room," left guard Robert Gallery said. "Everybody had a bad game last (Monday). A lot of people were selling us out, but this is the National Football League. It's 16 games, and we've got to take one at a time."

Gallery meant games. Kiffin is at the point where each day he is employed by the Raiders is a bonus.

"That's not my decision," Kiffin said. "So, I'm excited about the way our staff and our players prepared (last) week. If I'm here, we'll do the same (this) week."

09-15-2008, 10:05 AM	Topic Starter
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $17596178 VARSITY	Take On the Game by the Oakland Tribune Here's one of the stories in the Oakland Paper this AM. Always interesting to get the other side slant on a game like this: http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_1046...ce=most_viewed KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Long flight. Noisy crowd. Sagging confidence. Acrimony between coach Lane Kiffin and managing general partner Al Davis. A midweek spat between Kiffin and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. You name it, the Raiders had myriad built-in excuses at the ready. Then, a funny thing happened on the way to 0-2. Raiders defenders did the things Ryan said they are capable of doing, Kiffin's three-headed rushing attack wore down the Chiefs defense, and the special teams play was more than ordinary. Lo and behold, the Raiders found the ingredients for success, mixed them together and produced a convincing 23-8 victory against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in front of a disinterested audience. That provided Kiffin and his players something more enjoyable to speak about and a respite from the drama that has enveloped the franchise only eight days into the season. A prime topic of conversation was the revelation Saturday night that Davis is prepared to fire Kiffin at any time. The news came from numerous people in the front office and was reaffirmed Sunday. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said he and his teammates aren't up to speed on all the nuances involved in the sticky situation. Just the same, firing Kiffin isn't the answer. "It would be crippling at this point of the season since we've only played two games," Asomugha said. "It would hurt us a lot. We're just starting to jell and starting to do things well, so that would kind of mess things up." It remains to be seen whether Davis will pull the plug on Kiffin after only 18 games, ride it out two more weeks until the bye week or take a wait-and-see approach. The people in the front office, who requested anonymity, said Davis' mind-set wasn't formed off Oakland's 41-14 regular-season loss and won't be swayed by Sunday's stirring victory. Either way, quarterback JaMarcus Russell said he and his teammates were fueled by all the events of the past week. "The coach, he's a part of the team," Russell said. "(Those things were) blown out of proportion. A lot of the players don't know anything about it. At the same time, that was another way (people) were trying to knock us down. We always find a way, and need to find a way, to stick together as a team. And we did." Kiffin jogged onto the field before the game dressed in Raiders gear from head to toe and showed no outward appearance of being concerned about his job status. "I don't worry about it," Kiffin said. "I don't worry about things I can't control. That's not my decision whether I'll be here. So why waste time on it?" Defensive tackle Gerard Warren said he and his teammates have enough to worry about without taking on the added burden of Kiffin's job security. "We got a job to do, man," Warren said. "We can't worry about who the coach is going to be or what's going on upstairs. We've got to do what we've got to do." On Sunday, that approach worked well. The Raiders held the Chiefs running backs to 2 yards per carry, broke up 12 passes and intercepted two, recorded five sacks, rushed for 300 yards and dominated the Chiefs from the outset. As Kiffin said, it's nice to get a victory, yet it's important to keep things in perspective. For that, look no further than the fact the Chiefs are winless this season and in their past 11 games. Coincidentally, the Chiefs' last victory came against the Raiders on Oct. 21, 2007. "One game will not define who we are," Kiffin said. "And after this game, we're not all of a sudden going to the Super Bowl. We've got to get ready and go back to play a real good team." The undefeated Buffalo Bills can wait until Sunday. For now, the Raiders want to revel in their first victory this season, put behind them the bitterness of their showing against the Broncos and find a way to bottle the concoction they brewed up against the Chiefs. "We knew how good we were," Asomugha said. "This is still just one game, but we knew that we were better than we were against Denver. We figured we had something to prove and we came out and we showed it." And how. They came close to notching their first road shutout against the Chiefs in the 49-year history of the rivalry. They did so executing the things Kiffin has preached since he arrived 20 months ago. Run the ball well, contain the run defensively and outperform the team on special teams. "We know it's (on) us in this room," left guard Robert Gallery said. "Everybody had a bad game last (Monday). A lot of people were selling us out, but this is the National Football League. It's 16 games, and we've got to take one at a time." Gallery meant games. Kiffin is at the point where each day he is employed by the Raiders is a bonus. "That's not my decision," Kiffin said. "So, I'm excited about the way our staff and our players prepared (last) week. If I'm here, we'll do the same (this) week."
Posts: 40,843