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July 30, 2007

Raiders Day 3, afternoon blog

NAPA - Al Davis visited practice.

When that was brought up to Lane Kiffin, it didn't seem like a big deal to him.

That's a good thing.

For Kiffin to do his job well, he has to focus on the team. If players perceive he is worried about Davis, mutiny will be around the corner the first time trouble hits.

Art Shell was loyal to Davis, and it still got him fired and blamed for not drafting a quarterback last year when he was told when he took the job the team planned to draft Michael Huff.

So if Kiffin is going to run the team, he's going to run it his way. Not that he doesn't like Davis or value his opinion, but Kiffin isn't going to be seen going out of his way to please Davis in a public manner.

Nor does he plan to consult with Davis on every decision. That's obvious because Robert Gallery is still playing left guard.

And if it works out with Kiffin, Davis will be glad he hired a head-strong young coach out of USC.

That's what Davis was back in the day, and he's in the Hall of Fame.

--Jason Jones

Posted by Bill Bradley at 7:56 AM | Comments |