scorpio
01-12-2006, 07:15 AM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2288904
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders interviewed their first candidate to replace fired coach Norv Turner when they met with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders on Wednesday.
Senior administrator Artie Gigantino confirmed Saunders had met with owner Al Davis at team headquarters. The interviews won't extend into Thursday.
Davis vowed to take his time finding a replacement for Turner, fired last week on the heels of two straight losing seasons in which Oakland only won one game against the AFC West. The Raiders lost their final six games this season to finish 4-12 and went winless against the division for the first time since Davis came aboard in 1963 to coach and eventually own the team.
Raiders senior personnel chief Michael Lombardi will handle preliminary interviews with candidates, who will then meet with Davis if they meet certain criteria.
Saunders was interviewed by Chiefs president Carl Peterson to replace Dick Vermeil, who retired after the season. But the Chiefs instead hired departed New York Jets coach Herman Edwards.
Saunders could receive interviews with other clubs as well. He seems like a good fit in Davis' franchise, which has flopped with three straight losing seasons since reaching the 2003 Super Bowl and falling to Tampa Bay.
He's also just the kind of offensive-minded coach Davis prefers -- and has experience as an NFL head coach and ties to Northern California. Saunders was an All-American defensive back at San Jose State and also attended Stanford. He served as an assistant head coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at California from 1976-81.
Saunders finished his fifth season as Chiefs offensive coordinator and 15th overall with the organization. He coached the wide receivers under Marty Schottenheimer from 1989-98, when the Chiefs won three division titles and made seven trips to the playoffs. Before that, Saunders coached the San Diego Chargers from the halfway mark of the 1986 season through '88, and the Chargers' 8-7 finish in '87 was the team's first winning season in five years.
Outspoken Raiders safety Jarrod Cooper knows one thing: He wants more discipline from the next coach.
Cooper, who has been camping and fishing in South Carolina and just learned of Turner's firing two days ago, said players showed up late for team meetings and other scheduling issues surfaced at times under Turner.
"Sometimes Norv was a little lenient on some things," Cooper said in a phone interview Wednesday. "Discipline, as much as some people don't like it, sometimes you need it. Being late for meetings, sticking to itinerary if you say going to leave at 2 -- I'm usually in meetings at 6:30 a.m. every day -- I've never been on a team that stood for that one way or other. You can't be late for work. Attention to detail, just the little things. After this year, it's the little things that count."
Fresno State coach Pat Hill may be on the Raiders' radar, too.
The 54-year-old Hill, who just finished his ninth season leading the Bulldogs, worked with Lombardi in Cleveland. Hill joined the Browns in 1992 and stayed five seasons, coaching tight ends and offensive line in addition to working in the personnel department evaluating players.
Hill issued a statement Wednesday saying he is giving teams a 10-day window to complete interviews with him but didn't specify when that window began or when it would end. If progress isn't made during his timeframe, he said he will stay at Fresno State.
"Because of the success we've had at Fresno State, I have been contacted by several NFL teams regarding their head coaching openings," Hill said. "I'm not going to name the teams, out of respect, but only to say there is genuine interest. Since becoming head coach at Fresno State, I have never interviewed for another job, but with so much interest at this time from NFL teams, I owe it to my family to look and listen."
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders interviewed their first candidate to replace fired coach Norv Turner when they met with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders on Wednesday.
Senior administrator Artie Gigantino confirmed Saunders had met with owner Al Davis at team headquarters. The interviews won't extend into Thursday.
Davis vowed to take his time finding a replacement for Turner, fired last week on the heels of two straight losing seasons in which Oakland only won one game against the AFC West. The Raiders lost their final six games this season to finish 4-12 and went winless against the division for the first time since Davis came aboard in 1963 to coach and eventually own the team.
Raiders senior personnel chief Michael Lombardi will handle preliminary interviews with candidates, who will then meet with Davis if they meet certain criteria.
Saunders was interviewed by Chiefs president Carl Peterson to replace Dick Vermeil, who retired after the season. But the Chiefs instead hired departed New York Jets coach Herman Edwards.
Saunders could receive interviews with other clubs as well. He seems like a good fit in Davis' franchise, which has flopped with three straight losing seasons since reaching the 2003 Super Bowl and falling to Tampa Bay.
He's also just the kind of offensive-minded coach Davis prefers -- and has experience as an NFL head coach and ties to Northern California. Saunders was an All-American defensive back at San Jose State and also attended Stanford. He served as an assistant head coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at California from 1976-81.
Saunders finished his fifth season as Chiefs offensive coordinator and 15th overall with the organization. He coached the wide receivers under Marty Schottenheimer from 1989-98, when the Chiefs won three division titles and made seven trips to the playoffs. Before that, Saunders coached the San Diego Chargers from the halfway mark of the 1986 season through '88, and the Chargers' 8-7 finish in '87 was the team's first winning season in five years.
Outspoken Raiders safety Jarrod Cooper knows one thing: He wants more discipline from the next coach.
Cooper, who has been camping and fishing in South Carolina and just learned of Turner's firing two days ago, said players showed up late for team meetings and other scheduling issues surfaced at times under Turner.
"Sometimes Norv was a little lenient on some things," Cooper said in a phone interview Wednesday. "Discipline, as much as some people don't like it, sometimes you need it. Being late for meetings, sticking to itinerary if you say going to leave at 2 -- I'm usually in meetings at 6:30 a.m. every day -- I've never been on a team that stood for that one way or other. You can't be late for work. Attention to detail, just the little things. After this year, it's the little things that count."
Fresno State coach Pat Hill may be on the Raiders' radar, too.
The 54-year-old Hill, who just finished his ninth season leading the Bulldogs, worked with Lombardi in Cleveland. Hill joined the Browns in 1992 and stayed five seasons, coaching tight ends and offensive line in addition to working in the personnel department evaluating players.
Hill issued a statement Wednesday saying he is giving teams a 10-day window to complete interviews with him but didn't specify when that window began or when it would end. If progress isn't made during his timeframe, he said he will stay at Fresno State.
"Because of the success we've had at Fresno State, I have been contacted by several NFL teams regarding their head coaching openings," Hill said. "I'm not going to name the teams, out of respect, but only to say there is genuine interest. Since becoming head coach at Fresno State, I have never interviewed for another job, but with so much interest at this time from NFL teams, I owe it to my family to look and listen."