There was an interesting article inthis weeks Sports Illustrated about Lane Kiffin the very young headcoach for the Oakland Raiders. I read the article with great intereston two levels: One was how proud his father must be (Father is longtimeNFL assistant) and second is, what are his fathers contemporaries arethinking about this – What has this young whipper snapper done todeserve being a head a head coach at age 31? Iknow I have been pretty outspoken about paying your dues, but this guyhas paid some dues and he will pay some dues big time if he does notproduce. It took some guts and calculation on his part to accept thejob, also knowing that he would be working with a toxic owner in AlDavis. He has also made some interesting picks in assistant coaches. Inresponse to a reporters question about that he said: ?Sometimes youhave an assistant coach teaching the same thing for 10, 12 years in arow, almost going through the motions. I?ve got guys whose livelihoodsdepend on how they coach and how we play.? Myquestion is how many doors were opened for him because he was laneKiffin?s son that would not have opened for him. It will be interestingto watch his growth and progress.
