Thursday, February 09, 2006

So Freaking What ? Honestly !

Hey Raiderfans, get a freaking grip... Since when do Raiderfans start buying the media BS? Whisenhunt has come and gone, so what? He was not offered the job and frankly after having only a 3-4 hour meeting with Al Davis, I felt something was not right... if anyone cares to remember the truth, Al Davis interviews are just warming up in the third hour...

Gruden's first round of interviews (when he was not offered the job) lasted full days (Yes days-plural)... its clear in my mind that Al Davis cut the interview short, he was not sold on Whisenhunt. Common sense please: Whisenhunt wanted the job, why else would he bring his wife and kids and agent out to Oakland? for a 4 hour interview?? But no, we hear in the media that Whisenhunt has withdrawn, and of course newbie or band wagon Raiderfans and Raider-Haters believe it and panic... give me a break!!!

How tragic !!!, Al Davis let Eric Mangini, Gary Kubiak, Dick Jauron, Ron Marinelli, Mike McCarthy, Al Saunders all slip through his fingers!!!!!

Excuse me, but how does Bobby Petrino withdraw from a search he was never in? Oh thats right, ESPN reported that Petrino turned the Raiders down Wednesday night...Chris Mortensen reported it was the Raiders third overture to Petrino... Dose of reality here please: not only was Petrino not in the race, he was not offered the job, he wasn't interviewed by Al Davis, he was not even in Oakland...

I think Ron Rivera and Mike Sherman turned the Raiders down today too... oh well, if they didn't today, they will tommorow... there's tommorow's scoop Mort....

And finally, now of course we read from many sources that Art Shell will be hired as a last resort... Please, if it is Art Shell, I will thrilled... we would be lucky to have The Great Art Shell back.... refer to my previous article... http://oaklandraiderblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/sorry-i-just-cant-help-myself.html

You Chicken-Little, Media-Following Lemmings need to get a grip...

Update Feb 11/06: OK, after watching the Art Shell Press Conference I admit I was wrong about Petrino as Al Davis said he made Petrino an offer.... that still doesn't mean though that I will EVER take the press/media's word on anything - Al also made that very clear as well... "The Oakland Raiders, the most trusted name in sports" - what a howl....

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel you man. All my friends were telling me Whisenut turned down the Raiders down. I told them, what? You can't turn down a job you weren't offered. Also your right. Turner spent 2 days in Oakland before he got the job. I got the feeling he would not get the job when I watched the link showing the arrival of the Whiz! Did you guys watch that? The reporter asked him simply what he has to offer the Raiders? First words out of his mouth? " i don't know " err end of interview in my mind. I think he was depending more on his new found reputation than on the answers and Big Al saw right through that. I would love Art Shell, he deserves another shot. I will tell you who I don't want and that is Fassel, he is just another Norv turner, what was the Ravens record again? and what kind of numbers did Kyle put up this year? Case closed. Also if he hires Fassel that is a clear indicator that Kerry "I like to stare my recievers down" Collins will be back for another year. Honestly my dark horse in Rick Neuhisel. But that is just me!

"The Tooz" said...

Great point about the TV interview...

Reporter: "what do you offer the Raiders?"
Whisenhunt: "well, ah, I don't know, I think...."

Anonymous said...

Right, sure, and aren't we lucky no other team has snapped up Shell in the mean time.

"The Tooz" said...

after Oakland Shell successfully coached the OL in KC and then coached the Falcons OL to the Superbowl... I believe last year he was interviewed by the Fins... Shell has spent the last number of years as an exec in the NFL HQ... couple of things your shortsightedness cause you to miss... Shell has never publically expressed any interest in any other HC vacancy... Shell has only publically stated that he will "serve if called" by Al Davis... beacuse of his unfailing loyalty to Al Davis and the Raiders his accomplishments and abilities, I believe, has been unfairly devalued... I won't go into the color of his skin issue, but tragically, maybe that plays into it as well... Do you forget that in 1990 Shell was named NFL Coach of the Year?...

Anonymous said...

Petrino was offered the job. You've got to be kidding me. This entire process has turned into a complete abortion.

Anonymous said...

One of these days, we are going to have to all come to grips with the fact that the Raider organization has some serious issues and they stem from Al Davis. I agree that the media most of the time are dead wrong about the Raiders, but in the case of this years coaching search I don't think so this time. Sean Payton started the "bucking" trend two years ago and it seems to be contagious. We can't defend Al Davis forever and although ending up with Art Shell won't be a bad thing it is clear he wasn't the first choice or Davis would have hired him a month ago. Not even Davis can damage control the situation that has played out since Norv Turner was fired. Sadly and in my opinion the Raiders might not start winning again until Al Davis dies.

Calico Jack said...

Tooz - I love your writing style and passion. Keep on bringin' it big man.

In my humble opinion Art Shell is a great fit for the Head Coaching vacancy. His commanding presence, leadership abilities, no nonsense personality, HOF career, sucess as a HC in 1989-1994, the mutual respect & trust between him and Al, his intimate knowledge about the Raider organization, is a great overall match for what we need right now.

Bottom line: Art Shell is a proven winner on the field as a player and on the sidelines as a Head Coach. If we are fortunate enough to sign Big Art I will be very hopeful for the 2006 season. Of course if we end up hiring Jim Fassel, that would be another story entirely.

Raise the Black Flag and get ready for 2006!

Anonymous said...

Keep up your great work Tooz!!!
The true die hard fans realize that when reading articles written by anyone in the media that they write what they perceive, because there is no other choice. Anyone connected to the raiders knows that if you were to open your mouth to the media about anything, you will no longer be connected. If I'm not mistaken, last year a certain prospect for the HC position went back to Texas and ran his mouth! That and only that cost him the HC position, that is how serious Al is about leaking info. to the media.

Anonymous said...

Anyone reading this that is not a loyal Raider fan, either read it and learn......or if you can't do that stop saying your a Raider and get the hell off the bandwagon. Even when we are down as a team we still have bandwagon followers. Ok, now pay attention loser bandwagon fans......This is how it works. Just because Al does not hire some watered down head coach in the first week of hirings that have had 3 or 4 head coaching jobs and failed every time, that does not mean he has lost his touch. Just because the media likes to report that this is the worst job in the league and spit out lies about who has turned down the job does not mean Al is past his prime. Just because "The Wiz" who appears to be a good coordinator, (keep in mind there is a great head coach running the show in Pitt, that helps) is not offered the job, don't say Al cannot evaluate talent anymore. In the next 3 years keep track of the nine head coaches that were hired this year so quickly to just fill a spot and see how many have a job. It does not work to just hire someone becuase you need to fill a spot so you can start looking ahead to the draft. You have to hire a good coach. According to the media we have everyone from Petrino, (can someone tell me the big deal with this guy, how many national title games has he coached in?) to Wiz, to I am sure soon it be Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson contacted, offered, and rejecting the job. Come on. Al is a legend. Maybe not to some media or half witted fans, but you talk to players, coaches, GM's and you soon learn he has not only made the Raiders but changed the NFL as a league. When Al finds who he thinks is right the job will be offered and accepted. The only time I felt like Al had to "settle" was with Norv. He never did that before and he will never do it again. Al does not get burned twice. Wiz seems like he knows what he is doing but take into consideration this is a franchise (Pittsburgh) with great tradition, a great head coach, and very solid tough nosed players. He has done well and the system does not deserve all the credit, but the Steelers as a whole deserve some of the credit for his success. If this really is the next Bill Walsh and with the severity of the situation in Oakland, don't you think Al would have broke the mold and made him an offer he could not have refused. Instead after a day he did not even get an offer. If you think you are a better judge of talent than Al because you watched 3 playoff games with this guy, you are an idiot. Al has given this team and its fans legends. Not good players, not even great players.....but legends. He has given the Raiders more wins, conference titles, playoff wins, and yes superbowl titles combined than 95% of the teams in the NFL. If you do not have the kind of loyalty to the team that a former player who was fired as their head coach has......who is now willing to come back for the team and for Al, than why don't you jump on the Seattle bandwagon, maybe the Ravens or better yet the Chargers or Chiefs. Just get the hell away from our team. See how many titles you win with your new team over the next 10 years. There are 32 teams in this league all with unbelievable athletes. There is a reason there are teams that have never won a superbowl, it is harder than you think to get to the top. There is also a reason we have 3, his name is Al.

Anonymous said...

Every time someone points out that not all is right in Raiderland they get the "bandwagon fan treatment", well I have been a huge fan ever since I watched them beat the Eagles in Superbowl XV. A lot of you really need to take off the rose colored glasses and admit that this is the worst funk in the history of the franchise. It has been a real pain watching this team for the past 3 seasons but like the blind leading the blind we all fall for that same outdated rhetoric that Al Davis spouts out every time the team either searches for or hires a new head coach. Al himself still wants a winner but the way he goes about it has been a big flop for the better part of 20 years. Other than a nice run under the Gruden regime and limited success under Shell who will be just another mediocre retread if he lands his 2nd stint as head coach. If anyone is happy with the state of this team since Gruden headed to the Bucs then you really need to look a little deeper at the major problems effecting this team. Bad drafts, bad personnel moves, poor attitudes, poor coaching, outdated philosophy, and a total lack of focus on improving the defense have been just a few of the reasons this team has sunk to bottom of the standings since the Superbowl XXXVII debacle. I will never lose my love for the Raiders, but until I see a spark of real progress that could turn this moribund team around I am just going to call a spade a spade.

"The Tooz" said...

Somebody show me some evidence, other than ESPN and Chris Mortensen, that Petrino was offered the job? That is complete and utter BS... and if you point to the announcement from the school AD that he chose to stay, what does that prove? It certainly does not prove that Petrino was offered the job... Sheesh, I just can't believe this BS... was Petrino ever in Oakland? Did he goe to Peidmont to Al Davis' home? cuz thats where the serious interviewing and nogotiating goes on, and NO ONE KNOWS a thing about it until after it has happened.... And please with this Sean Payton stuff... again, what proof is there that Al made an offer... Payton never said it, Al denied it and as with Whisenhunt, Payton spent an afternoon with Al Davis... Al Davis will not make a HC job offer in one afternoon... his interviews span days and move locales so that no one knows what is happening... you Al Haters need to move on... you folks thae believe rumours or put ANY weight on info from the press/media are more than naive...

Anonymous said...

The problem with the Raiders is Al Davis.
Almost all the success the Raiders have enjoyed in the past is directly related to Al's decisions as well. Here's the problem. Davis is a genuis at spotting coaching talent, Madden, Shannahan, Gruden, but he won't keep his meddling hands to himself, nor will he pay the going rates. We have become what teams like the Cardnals and the Lions are: Places were coaches go to die. As competitive as the NFL is today, a coach is critical. Why do you think Parcells (a good friend of Davis) has never coached for the Raiders? He knows Al. Let the men you hire do their job! And please Al stop with "the greatness of the Raiders is in the future" speech. The greatness of the Raiders might finally emerge from hibernation once you are worm food, until then...White, Bugel, Callahan, Turner....ect...Comitment to mediocrity.

"The Tooz" said...

Oaktx: with all due repect, what huge leaps in logic and even bigger leaps in speculation you make... when I challenge anyone to give any substantial proof that Al interviewed Petrino, you say you think Al Davis did fly in and interview Petrino and Pat Hill but it was kept quiet in deference to the school programs??? Jeez thats a leap even for ESPN and Mortensen...

Why do you say it "is pretty obvious that Al wanted to hire a young coach"... In his press confereance he never even came close to saying anything of the kind... he did say however there was no timetable, no formula, that he will take his own time, not be pressured...

The Raiders are a place where coaches go to die? Pardon? Where was Gruden before Al Davis tapped him... he was considered a reach by all media pundits... Callahan? would he be leading Nebraska today if not for his time in Oakland? Shanahan? He was too immature as a coach while in Oakland but Al hired him because he saw the potential to be a great coach in him... that Rat has even admitted himself that he grew up alot from his days in Oakland...

What proof do you have that Bruce Allen left because he couldn't work for Al Davis... Bruce Allen has had nothing but glowing praise for Al Davis... have you ever heard about moving on and expanding your career? I believe Ron Wolfe left the Raiders for Tampa as well, to come back to the Raiders...

Come on man, you got to do better than that

Anonymous said...

everyone who ever coached turned down this job at least twice,wake up and smell the crap.no 1 worth 2 cents will ever work for Al again.lets face the fact that we are stuck with the utimate retread in shell.while i loved him as a player he is a JOKE as our coach after the last decade off

"The Tooz" said...

Oaktx: Your wrong, Al Davis could take a crap in the middle of my living room and I would tell you it smelled liked a spring morning!!!!!!!!

All I ask, is please don't sound like the latest report from ESPN when we discuss the Raiders...

Not speculation, Fact: Bruce Allen did not go to Tampa on a lateral move...how could you say that and expect me to take you seriously... if was obviously a promo, he is playing more of Al's role in Tampa as GM... he was not GM here...

Not speculation, Fact(well maybe a little speculation!): If Tampa was in the AFC West, playing the Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers this year they would not have made they playoffs either...their schedule last year, in order: @Minni, Buff, @GB, Det, @NYJ, Mia, @SF, Car, Wash, @Atl, Chi, @NO, @Cr, @NE, atl, NO... they lost @NYJ and @NE as well, they also lost @SF... in 04 they were 5-11, just like us... my opinion, but not a stretch, they would be lucky to be .500 with our schedule....

so pls get off this Gruden stuff... yes perhaps we could have done better with the draft picks for him, but hey Nap Harris and a No1 pick were parlayed for Moss, NO?

You are right about one thing, the writing is on the wall, if its Shell, we are immediately a .500 with no other changes... everyone one would agree that our OL was the biggest disappointment and problem this year... Shell will bring in new OGs and model Gallery into a Probowler...