Raiders fans are hoping familiarity breeds a little healthy contempt at Nashville this Sunday.The game against the 4-2 Titans ” which looms as a pretty tough matchup for the struggling 2-4 Raiders ” will feature a couple interesting reunions. Foremost will be the competition between Oakland coach Lane Kiffin and Tennessee offensive coordinator Norm Chow. When people discuss Kiffin’s mentors, the names most often tossed around are Monte Kiffin (his dad), Jeff Tedford (his college O.C.) and Pete Carroll (the… Read More »

I’m not down in Alameda daily during the week anymore, but I’m still ringside for all the Raiders’ games and I can’t resist weighing in on the team from time to time. So I will.This week’s theme: The shifting view of the NFL schedule. Before the 2007 season began, the conventional wisdom said that the first four games of the season ” those before the bye ” represented the “winnable” quarter of the Raiders’ schedule. Yeah, that trip to Denver… Read More »