The Lane Train… in Las Vegas?
The Las Vegas Raiders appear to be on thin ice.
Sunday’s 24-22 loss to the Tennessee Titans dropped the Silver and Black to 0-3 overall this season. This is not the start the NFL world expected after the offseason pickup of Devante Adams.
The Raiders have now lost to the Chargers, Cardinals and Titans. All three teams are 1-2.
After Sunday’s loss, first-year head coach Josh McDaniels reportedly had a lengthy closed-door meeting with Raiders owner Mark Davis. McDaniels is in his second stint as an NFL coach after two years with the Broncos in the late 2000s.
Who was on his last legs in Oakland right before McDaniels first started coaching Denver?
Ole Miss head coach and former Alabama offensive mastermind Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin’s unhappy tenure in the NFL was marred with losing, as he posted a 5-15 record. More than a decade down the line, though, could one of the prized names in coaching carousels be enticed to return to the pros?
The NFL landscape is vastly different. Heck, the Raiders landscape is vastly different. When Kiffin was leading Oakland, the thought of the NFL in Las Vegas was a pipe dream.
The offenses in today’s NFL would be better for Kiffin, who’s honed his craft with stints as head coach at four schools since 2008. His three years as offensive coordinator under Nick Saban helped shape contemporary offensive scheming and made his name a coveted one when it came time for programs to name their next leader.
Could that extend to the NFL?
Kiffin won’t coach at Ole Miss forever.
If Josh McDaniels gets the boot after just a season, Mark Davis should at least make a phone call. McDaniels is 11-20 as an NFL head coach. Davis might think it may be worth revving up the Lane Train to revitalize the Raiders and finally entrench them as regular competitors in the loaded AFC West.