Raider Nation devastated by the state of the Oakland Raiders

September 12, 1:54 AMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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Rob Ryan contradicted Lane Kiffin's statements. Photo by Rob Calonge/tfdssports.com

On Wednesday Lane Kiffin made explosive comments that illuminated the depth of the crisis in Oakland Raider headquarters. The breadth of the dysfunction of the Raiders was further exposed by Rob Ryan in a lengthy press conference with Bay Area media. Meanwhile, the Raider Nation has become increasingly agitated as each new tidbit comes out. The Nation is beyond frustrated with the scenario, and wants the team to get its act together.

To recap from Kiffin:

“We talk about it early in the week. Rob and the owner are in communication,” Kiffin said. “For the most part, I let Rob do his thing over there. He has a belief in certain things and he has a conversation with the owner about that. So that wasn’t the way the game plan ended up the other night.”

"I'm not really going to get into, 'If I was the defensive coordinator, what would I do?' because that doesn't really matter," Kiffin said. "I'm the head coach, I oversee everything and I control what I can control. Do I have the exact same belief we do on defense? No, but it'd be hard to have the exact same belief that we do. So, it is what it is."

Rob Ryan, refuted Kiffin's assertions:

Q: And that whatever you do comes from you and not Al Davis?

Ryan: It comes with me and it comes with our assistant coaches. Hell, Don Martindale has been with me for five years. We get paid to make decisions and when it goes astray, just know where to put the blame. Put it on this damned guy in front of you that is just as disappointed as anybody out there and more so. This is my profession. That’s why I was embarrassed by it. That’s why I felt like it was my opportunity to face the music, OK? When we kick ass, that’s cool. I don’t want it. Bu we’re going to get there, guys. We’re going to get there.

Q: Just to be clear, Al Davis doesn’t have a week-to-week say on the game plan?

Ryan: Not on a week-to-week basis, absolutely not.

Q: Occasionally?

Ryan: “When I deal with Al Davis, guys, it’s in the offseason. And here’s the thing: Al Davis knows football. And I’ll have four-hour conversations with him in the offseason about everything in this league. About offenses, about players, about scheme, about everything, but during the week, guys, (bleep), I don’t have time to talk to my wife, OK. If I’m going to make one phone call, it’s going to be her, all right? That’s the truth. I’m just telling you the truth. I literally had one conversation with Mr. Davis last week, and it was about Fred Wakefield.”

This begs the question of exactly what in the world is going on inside the Raiders inner-sanctum. The head coach says that his defensive coordinator meets with Al Davis every week, but Rob Ryan goes on the offensive to deny those reports. This is not an issue of perception, or even a three sides to every story situation, something is rotten in the state of the Raiders. Ryan says that there is good communication between Lane and himself, but these two press conferences seem to tell a much different story.

This type of dysfunction, which has long been rumored and used as a jab against the Raider Nation by the fans of rival teams, being brought to light has torpedoed the morale of the Nation. They see the coming implosion of the team they so passionately follow. Rob Calonge of Thoughts from the Dark Side writes:

While it would happen again and again throughout the season of 2006, it would never be as bad until this past Monday night.  Since the game, I’ve read and heard from many that the Raiders need a defensive coordinator or a new owner.  Some have even brought up the unthinkable and most shocking crime you could imagine, they’ve threatened to defect to another team.

Never have I even considered that an option, nor have I ever understood how someone could change allegiance so easily, until now.  There’s a reason why so many non-Raiders fans and haters call citizens of Raider Nation ‘crazy,’ ‘insane,’ or just plain ’stupid.’  It’s not because you wear black or paint your face.  It’s not because you root for a football team that they don’t like.  It’s not because of the costumes and the unyielding love you have for your team.  It’s because the owner of that team has continued to do things the same way over and over expecting different results, and you have defended him and supported him along the way.

This about covers the sense of despair. The Raider Nation takes pride in its loyalty, with slogans such as "Win, lose, or tie; I'm a Raider until I die." The problem is that they are not seeing the same loyalty for his team. The Raider Nation has been weaned on the Al Davis maxims of "commitment to excellence" and "just win, baby," but have seen the organization seem to almost go out of its way not to live up to those promises.

L Dizzle, who is contributor to Thoughts from the Dark Side, in a recent conversation went as far as using the metaphor of being an abused spouse for the current state of mind of the Raider Nation. He said, its like Al says "I'll buy you these gifts, look I got you DeAngelo Hall, I got you Gibril Wilson, I got you Darren McFadden, give me another chance to show you that I will do right by you." But instead of doing right, the Raiders continue to be a dysfunctional mess behind the scenes that leads to disasters like Monday Night.

The Raider Nation is fed up with not just the losing, but the continual dysfunction which has turned the Raiders into one of the laughing stock teams in the league. Its not just the well known statistic of 19-61, but its the lack of a clear and coherent plan to turn things around. The Raider Nation could endure losing, if they could see the hope of the continual promise of  "The greatness of the Raiders is in the future" coming true. Instead, the Raiders travel to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs in a game where the future of the franchise hangs in the balance.

The Raiders need to come together to play well in Arrowhead, not only to salvage this season, but to give any glimmer of hope for the future as far ahead as 2010. It would seem ridiculous to say that one game will tell the tale of not only the current season, but the next two, but this is one case where one game truly means everything. If the Raiders lose to the Chiefs on Sunday, prepare for things to get worse.

If the Raiders continue on this track, expect the Nation to become more disgruntled. If Kiffin is let go as is becoming expected, the Nation may well enter a state of outright rebellion. In fact, a reader calling himself Nation Collective-Chaos posted on yesterday's story:

We have longed for change, and change there will be, but we have to collectively be interested in change. Hopefully by the end of next week, we will have a new website up and running…..it goes by the name of buytheraiders.com……the wheels are in motion Nation……I have personally made contact with the commissioners office and the NFL Network to let them know that we are serious and we are done with the false hopes that Mr. Davis continues to place in front of us, only to find that he pulls the carpet right out from under our feet.

But I must insist, this is not about the long History of the Raiders. Mr. Davis has been very good to us for a long time and that will not be forgotten. But the time is now and the time is right, for the Nation Collective to make a stand against the continuous rhetoric that is tearing our team apart.

I love the Raiders enough to put my foot forward and I hope you all do too.

If that is the case, from this point forward so that you distinguish yourself from the individuals who would like to continue to live in the dark, let it be known by adding Nation Collective to your name….

Whilst the site listed above currently comes back as "under construction" and is listed on godaddy.com as belonging to Sin City Threads in Queensland, Australia, this is very indicative of the measures to which the Nation is ready to go to restore the Oakland Raider tradition of greatness.

The Raider Nation is known throughout the sports world as one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports, and they don't deserve to have to endure the dysfunction. As of right now, the Raiders' front office is a perfect model of how not to run a successful sports franchise. In these recent days, the Raider Nation has been witness to a team that has begun the season in self destruct mode, and with the recent revelations there does not appear to be an end in sight.