In his first official day as managing director of the Black Hole,
young Lane Kiffin got the full, unadulterated experience.
The unmatched passion of Raiders fans.
The pent-up fury of Raiders fans.
The bumbling mistakes of Raiders players.
The yellow flags of referees.
The thrill of a quarterback controversy.
And, eventually, the agony of defeat.
The Raiders christened the Kiffin Era with a 36-21 loss to the Detroit
Lions before a sellout crowd at McAfee Coliseum. A sellout crowd that
was, by turns, mutinous, delirious, stunned and quickly gone.
Sunday's loss - the Raiders fifth consecutive opening loss - was a vast
improvement over the 27-0 loss to the Chargers that christened the Art
Shell Era Redux. But that's pretty much the way this season will go:
Everything will be a work of art in contrast to the horror flick known
as Return of Shell.
"We're always going to look better compared to last year," said running
back LaMont Jordan. " 'Cause last year we were awful."
It remains to be seen if Kiffin's Raiders are awful or not. On Sunday,
they were at least entertaining - something the Shell Raiders achieved
only by their complete incompetence. The new Raiders got plays in and
out of the huddle. They fell behind but mounted a quick and gritty
comeback. They had energy and purpose. Kiffin made no rookie mistakes in
terms of timeouts or decision-making. The Raiders resembled a fully
functioning football team.
But, when time had run out, the result was the same. The Raiders had
lost to the lowly Detroit Lions, the second-worst team in the league
last year and one of the few teams that could realistically have offered
up a precious victory.
And indeed, the Lions did seem compliant for a time. In the third
quarter - with 60,000 fans screaming for him to be replaced - Mystery
Date Josh McCown led the team to three quick scores. And the Raiders had
a 21-20 lead.
The Coliseum was rocking. Kiffin gathered his entire team together on
the sideline.
"They felt the moment," he said. "They felt the comeback. They were
trying to capitalize on the moment."
Instead, an unpredictable thing happened. The Raiders vaunted defense
couldn't hold Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna. The Lions drove for a
touchdown. Next, McCown threw an interception that led to a field goal.
And, finally, McCown was sacked and the ball was stripped from him. It
was recovered by Detroit, and suddenly the Lions had scored 16
unanswered points and clinched the ballgame.
"The heart and the strength of this team is defense," said safety Stuart
Schweigert. "And we just didn't finish the game."
The defensive players seemed stunned that they - the saving grace of
last year's debacle - were the culprits.
"It did surprise me that we didn't play as well as I thought we could
defensively," said cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. "That they out-executed
us. But we don't have time to mope around when we're going to Denver."
Kiffin admitted he didn't have time to concentrate on what was happening
defensively; he was so busy trying to keep the offense organized. But
when he looks at the film, he'll see blown coverages and an inability to
contain Kitna.
He'll also see Detroit rookie receiver Calvin Johnson, the No. 2 pick in
the draft, who looked awfully good. Johnson caught four passes for 70
yards and a touchdown.
"He's big, tall, fast physical and can catch the ball," Schweigert said.
"He's going to be a good one."
While Ronald Curry had a breakout game, with 10 catches for 133 yards
and a touchdown, the Raiders definitely could use a playmaker like
Johnson. Instead, Kiffin finds himself in a messy situation, inheriting
a team that desperately needed the draft currency earned by its lousy
season only to see it squandered.
The Raiders had three of the top 65 picks, but - after failing to sign
top pick JaMarcus Russell and cutting defensive end Quentin Moses - now
only have tight end Zach Miller to show for it.
The inability to sign Russell has created a potentially sticky
quarterback controversy for the rookie coach. The Raiders Nation has run
out of patience with experiments, and who can blame them? Several were
wearing Russell jerseys - investing in a player their team has yet to
invest in.
In a standoff with Russell, the Raiders signed Daunte Culpepper. And
when a former Pro Bowl player is standing on the sideline - and the man
behind center is struggling, as McCown did in the first half - it's not
surprising to hear the chants of "Daunte, Daunte."
"The fans have the right to their opinion," Kiffin said. "After the
third touchdown I noticed they weren't chanting for Daunte anymore."
McCown seemed unfazed by the fan reaction. Perhaps because, as Curry put
it, "he's been on bad teams before."
But the crowd response, in the opener, is a sign that patience has worn
thin. The Raiders were booed off the field at halftime, though fans
seemed too stunned or depressed to boo the final outcome. The
presentation was different, but the result was the same.
The Raider Nation is looking for a savior, immediately. Welcome to the
Black Hole, young Lane.
