Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald Thinks Steve Sarkisian Closer To Head Job; USC's Lane Kiffin At Raiders HQ

USC connection means it's Sark's job
Posted by Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer on Thursday at 2:27 pm
When Steve Sarkisian is officially named the 16th coach of the Oakland Raiders, he may as well ride in on a white horse.

One that goes by the name of Traveler.

If there were any doubts that Sarkisian is the man Al Davis has selected to lead the Raiders in 2007 and hopefully beyond, they were erased Thursday when Lane Kiffin arrived in Alameda.

Kiffin, 31, was the co-offensive coordinator at USC along with Sarkisian. A source confirmed that Kiffin was at the club facility to discuss the possibility of being the Raiders offensive coordinator.

Sarkisian, who met with Raiders late into Wednesday night, remains in town.

The way it works with the Raiders is a newly hired coach gets to make recommendations for positions on his staff. They are brought in and meet with Al Davis, who either approves the coach or makes his own hire.

It doesn't mean Kiffin will be the Raiders offensive coordinator, but it's solid circumstantial evidence that Sarkisian is the head coach.

It's not unusual for the Raiders coach to be in place for a few days while contract details are ironed out and a formal announcement is made.

Kiffin, 31, is considered a riser on the coaching profession. The son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, Lane Kiffin was a finalist for the head coaching job at the University of Minnesota that went to Denver tight ends coach Tim Brewster.

Kiffin was recently contacted by Nick Saban for a spot on his staff at the University of Alabama.

With Sarkisian leaving for the Raiders, Kiffin could stay at USC and presumably become the lone offensive coordinator of the top college football program in the country, which could give him ample opportunities next year as a college head coach.

If Kiffin were to join the Raiders, he and Sarkisian could assume a partnership similiar to the one they had at USC. There, Kiffin called plays from the press box with Sarkisian running the game on the field with the power to overrule a call.

It remains to be seen whether Davis wants to pair his 32-year-old head coach with a 31-year-old offensive coordinator, both of whom were in the Pac-10 in 2006. Marc Trestman, a veteran coordinator with NFL experience, including a stint with the Raiders from 2001 through 2003, has already interviewed and is waiting for a call.

Davis, a line coach at USC from 1957 through 1959 before leaving to join Sid Gillman in 1960 with the San Diego Chargers, has long been enamored with all things USC. He has collected Trojans players whenever possible and even shared the Los Angeles Coliseum with the school when the Raiders were in Los Angeles.

One of my favorite Al Davis stories was told by Jim Harbaugh awhile back on the radio in an interview on The Jim Rome Show.

When Harbaugh told Davis he was going to leave his job as Raiders quarterbacks coach to take over as head coach at University of San Diego, a non-scholarship Division I-AA school, the reaction was negative. Davis told Harbaugh he was making a bad career move.

Harbaugh reminded Davis of his own resume, which included time a college coach.

"Yes, but I coached at USC, not USD,'' Davis said.