What's next for the Raiders?
The Shadow
By Mark Purdy
San Jose Mercury News
(MCT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Let's play a fun little game. Which of these sports
headlines do you think we will see first?
_Barry Bonds Signs 2007 Contract With Giants!
_New 49ers Stadium Breaks Ground In Santa Clara!
_Warriors, Pacers Reach NBA Finals!
_Barbaro Races Again!
_Fidel Castro Throws Out First Pitch At A's New Ballpark!
_Michelle Wie Retires After Lengthy, Successful Career!
_Raiders Finally Hire New Head Coach!
You must admit one thing: Al Davis knows how to milk the suspense.
Alfred Hitchcock, the great film director, used to do that in his movies
with a device he called "The MacGuffin." The "MacGuffin" was an item -
an object or a piece of information - that the film's characters were
desperate to obtain. As Hitchcock explained, it did not really matter
what the "MacGuffin" was, just that it kept viewers captivated and drove
the plot.
So you could probably say that last week, as Davis continued to search
for Art Shell's replacement, the Raiders kept interviewing a series of
Coach MacGuffins. Maybe they were real candidates. Maybe they weren't.
But the process has kept the interest in a job.
Throughout last week, young USC assistant coach Steve Sarkisian appeared
to be the frontrunner - except for the 36-hour period when San Diego
assistant James Lofton was apparently convinced he was Davis' top
choice. And then, by Friday afternoon, Sarkisian and Lofton had both
withdrawn their names. The Raiders issued a statement denying that
anyone had been offered the job. They also added a puzzling note about
USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, saying that he had made "no
commitment" to joining Sarkisian on the Raiders coaching staff that
Sarkisian had never supposedly been asked to lead in the first place.
Confused? That's the idea. Unlike some teams that parade candidates
through the media, the Raiders prefer to keep the blinds even more
tightly drawn over their hiring process. But after watching the Raiders
go through six previous head-coaching searches since they moved back to
Oakland in 1995, it is easy enough to figure out the pattern and predict
the next development.
Which is to say, you might want to keep a careful eye on the New England
coaches booth during Sunday's AFC championship game. Because the next
hot candidate for the Raiders' job will be sitting there, whispering
sweet X's and O's into Tom Brady's helmet earpiece.
Josh McDaniels, the 30-year-old prodigy in his first season as the
Patriots' offensive coordinator, will almost certainly be getting the
next interview for the Raiders' head-coach opening. If New England loses
Sunday, McDaniels will probably be on a plane Monday to the Bay Area.
And if New England wins? The NFL allows a small window for the assistant
coaches on Super Bowl teams to be interviewed - but almost always, that
happens back in the team's home city. So that means Davis or one of his
minions would fly to New England, or perhaps a designated halfway point
in the Midwest, to check out McDaniels' interest. He has been a part of
all three Super Bowl titles in New England and helped the Patriots score
the third-most points in the NFL this season.
It is easy to figure out Davis' plan. After attempting to fill the
Raiders' job with NFL coordinators - Bill Callahan and Norv Turner - and
then making a stab at the past with Art Shell, it seems clear that Davis
is returning to the formula that often served him well. He is looking
for a bright and sassy coach in his 30s who is willing to give up any
control over the roster for a chance to become a head coach. Sarkisian
is 32. McDaniels is two years younger.
In other words, although Davis would never admit it, he is trying to
recreate the Jon Gruden scenario. Gruden was 34 when the Raiders hired
him in 1998. It took him a few years to get the team realigned, but the
hiring was easily Davis' best of the past six.
How about these eerie similarities? McDaniels is the son of a coach. So
is Gruden. McDaniels played college football for a Division III school
in Ohio. So did Gruden. McDaniels was an eager kid who, two years out of
college, talked himself into a flunkie job with the Patriots just to
study how an immensely successful NFL organization works. Gruden did the
same thing with the 49ers during the 1990s.
If McDaniels is offered and takes the Raiders job, it would surely be
just as fascinating as the Gruden reign. McDaniels is just a year older
than Randy Moss - and four years younger than Warren Sapp. But somehow,
Gruden made his youth work for him.
Of course, McDaniels could take a close look in Oakland and flee back to
Foxboro. In that case, Davis has in his back pocket a more veteran
candidate who has also been interviewed - Jim Fassel - and who would
almost surely take the job. But the hunch here is, all of the Coach
MacGuffins will eventually lead to Coach McDaniels. And it might even
happen before Barbaro wins the Breeders' Cup.
