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| | Cary Edmondson/US Presswire |
| | Oakland coach Lane Kiffin's job is on the line more than ever after Sunday's 28-18 loss to San Dieg |
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
OAKLAND -- Lane Kiffin had his face in his hands and he sighed often as he faced the music once again.
So Lane, do you think this is finally it? Did a second straight fourth-quarter collapse seal your fate in Oakland? Has Al Davis finally seen enough?
"I don't know what to expect, Kiffin said after the Raiders lost 28-18 to San Diego. "I will continue to try to get this team ready."
Kiffin, who held his scheduled postgame news conference and then met with media again in a hallway, is marching forward. He spoke of his plans this week to review his 1-3 team at the bye. He talked of his expectations of his team in its next game, Oct. 12 at New Orleans.
Kiffin talked as if he will still be the Raiders' coach Monday and at New Orleans. Of course, he has talked that way the past 15 days during which there have been reports that he will be fired at any time. The Raiders haven't put out any word, either to support the reports, or more telling, to refute them.
If Kiffin is to be shown the door after 20 games -- Mike Shanahan was fired by Al Davis after 20 games in 1989 -- this might be the perfect time. The Raiders are entering their bye week, and most major NFL in-season changes are done during the bye week to allow as smooth a transition as possible.
Also, as far as performance goes, this might be the time for Davis to oust Kiffin. There has been a strong groundswell of support from fans for Kiffin. There is a website imploring Davis to keep the 33-year-old coach, who has shown great confidence and leadership ability during this turbulent time, and fans have been outspoken in their support of Davis finally keeping a coach even through tough times.
But when a team loses back-to-back games in the fourth quarter, the natives start to get restless. Will the Raider Nation still support Kiffin after this?
The Raiders' locker room surely is.
"You hate to see this happen," receiver Ashley Lelie said. "Coach is doing a good job of keeping this thing together. You don't want this loss to cost the head man his job."
Added tight end Zach Miller: "I don't think this should cost coach Kiffin his job."
But there surely will be some kind of punishment for the second straight Oakland collapse.
Oakland had a 15-3 lead after three quarters, but San Diego outscored Oakland 25-3 in the fourth. Last week at Buffalo, Oakland had two leads of nine points and lost 24-23.
"It was the same story line as last week, Kiffin said. "It's tough."
The question in Oakland is, will the Kiffin story line continue or finally conclude?
Here are some other things we learned in the Chargers' victory:
* San Diego can win a tough game: The Chargers fell to 0-2 after losing back-to-back games in the final 30 seconds to Carolina and Denver to open the season. It was the first time that had happened in the NFL.
San Diego's pass defense led to both losses. Sunday, the Chargers won a game late. The Chargers scored 10 points in a 47-second span to break an 18-18 tie at the two-minute warning.
"It's good to win like that, Chargers tailbackLaDainian Tomlinson said. We fought hard to get back. Added quarterback Philip Rivers: "Sometimes you have to win the tough games when you aren't playing very well. This win will serve us well.
* JaMarcus Russell still needs to learn to make the big play: The Raiders' young quarterback played well early but had a difficult time late in the game, when he missed several receivers.
This is indicative of a young quarterback. Russell is making strides and the coaching staff seems to trust him more each week. Kiffin was complimentary of Russell's overall play, but he did say he needs to make the big plays when the team most needs them. That is the next step for this young player.
* LaDainian Tomlinson is still not right: It is clear Tomlinson's turf toe is still bothering him. Until he broke loose for 41-yard touchdown to seal the game, Chargers was laboring, as he has the entire first quarter of the season since getting hurt against the Panthers. Tomlinson had 65 yards on his first 19 carries. I don't buy the theory that Tomlinson is nearing the end. It is clear his injury is limiting his explosion.
Still, Tomlinson and the Chargers will have to work through this. San Diego plays four more games before getting a bye.
"We'll just keep working, Tomlinson said. "Good things will happen if we do.
