So Fred Biletnikoff has ridden off into the sunset, with all the proper bouquets thrown his way from the organization that made him synonomous with stickem-fingered wide receivers.

Fred loves the Raiders. The Raiders love Fred.

Things are never that simple with the Raiders, however, and a few points should be made regarding the departure of one of the true legends of the franchise:

– Biletnikoff was not happy about the way Art Shell was shown the door by Al Davis. Reasonable people can agree Shell’s return was a disaster, but the word is Davis was positively brutal to Shell upon his exit.

There was a glimpse of that at the press conference announcing the hiring of Lane Kiffin when Davis essentially blamed Shell for his own decision not to draft Matt Leinart and instead take safety Michael Huff.

Davis seemed to wash his hands of Shell about the same time Tom Walsh was dumped as offensive coordinator. And when Davis goes silent, it means you’re out the door. He did it to Norv Turner as well, but I’m guessing an old Raider such as Biletnikoff thought Shell deserved better.

– How many 60-something coaches who have a Hall of Fame on their resume could stomach having to deal with Randy Moss and Jerry Porter on a daily basis? Anyone who holds Biletnikoff even partially responsible for two veteran playmakers essentially taking themselves out of the mix has no sense of honor or right and wrong.

It appears Porter will stay. Moss? He’s trying much harder to get out than he ever did on the field last year, and if Davis doesn’t get top dollar, he could return.

That alone could send Biletnikoff running for cover.

It wasn’t that long ago that Biletnikoff got to work with Tim Brown and Jerry Rice at the same time. There was no doubting the egos of Brown and Rice, but also no doubting their dedication to the craft of receiving.

I envision Biletnikoff watching the last few weeks of the playoffs, seeing all the dropped routine passes, and swilling Maalox like he did as a player. Wide receivers aren’t what they used to be.

– There’s a perception that Biletnikoff has survived this long because he was labeled as untouchable by Davis as an ex-Raider. In some cases, that may even be true.

But I also remember a conversation with Jon Gruden regarding Davis’ policy of approving and sometimes outright hiring assistant coaches, and how he never had a problem with Biletnikoff and Willie Brown.

“Fred and Willie, I love those guys,” Gruden said.

When the Raiders hammered the Bucs in Week 3 of the 2004 season, Biletnikoff and Brown were the first two Raiders coaches to greet Gruden warmly at the middle of the field.

– Biletnikoff has picked up a perspective on life since the death of his daugher Tracey in 1999. He has outside interests related to raising money for domestic violence and has dealt with a serious tragedy that must seem to make dealing with spoiled athletes that much more difficult.

Biletnikoff, according to the statement sent out by the Raiders, will remain a member of the Raider faimily.

A quote attributed to Lane Kiffin (not quite 2 years old when Biletnikoff was MVP of Super Bowl XI) states, “I look forward to his valuable insight as we move forward to an exciting future with our football team.”

Pardon me for being skeptical, but I don’t see Kiffin consulting Biletnikoff about the best way to get Moss to hold his arms outstretched rather than pull them in a split-second before contact.

Maybe he’ll be a part of the Raider family, or maybe he’ll be like Shell _ on the outside, looking in.

In any event, like Shell, Biletnikoff exits with his dignity intact, even if the organization which defined so much of his life is struggling to find some dignity of its own.

At some point after the last file which mentioned Ted Daisher still listed as the Raiders special teams coach on Raiders.com, his name was removed from the “coaching staff” link.

Also missing from earlier Tuesday were tight ends coach Tom Walsh, co-offensive line coach Jackie Slater and defensive backs/special teams coach Lorenzo Ward.

Walsh became a popular punching bag for both fans and media when put in charge of the Raiders offense after serving the last several years running a bed and breakfast inn and serving as the mayor of Swan Valley, Idaho.

Slater, a Hall of Fame left tackle, had never coached before. The Raiders offensive line surrended an NFL-high 72 sacks, _ a franchise record _ and finished 29th in rushing.

Offensive quality control coach Robert Ford is also no longer listed on the coaching roster.

Offensive coaches who remain listed on Raiders.com include wide receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff, co-offensive line coach Irv Eatman, running backs coach Skip Peete and quarterbacks coach Jim McElwain.

It is not known whether Walsh, Slater and Ward were fired or re-assigned within the organization.

Ward, a college coach at Virginia Tech before comign to the Raiders, could have found another position. Walsh, the Raiders offensive coordinator for the first 11 games before swapping positions with tight ends coach John Shoop, reportedly had another year on his contract at $500,000.

It’s possible he was offered a buyout at considerably less than that amount.

Walsh last coached in the NFL in 1994, when he was fired along with Art Shell by Davis when Mike White took over.

Shell promised Walsh he would bring him back should he ever get another job, and Davis approved the hire and even told the media at a pre-Hall of Fame press conference of Walsh’s coaching acumen.

The only new name on the coaching roster, other than head coach Lane Kiffin, is offensive coordiantor Greg Knapp.

There is still no word on whether Tom Cable has accepted the Raiders offer to become their offensive line coach.

Special teams coach Ted Daisher accepted the position of special teams coordinator with the Cleveland Browns.

Daisher’s one-year tenure with the Raiders was a forgettable one. He actually seemed to tighten things up on Oakland’s special teams initially, but the Raiders seemed to get worse in all phases as the season went along.

He was never popular with the players, in particular punter Shane Lechler and place kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

He had several sideline blowups, including one in which he got into a yelling match with defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

In a 23-14 loss to the Houston Texans, Daisher openly challenged players to fight on the sideline and yelled at fellow assistants, according to a story in the San Francisco Chroncle.

Special teams inconsistency has been an issue with the Raiders in virtually ever season since they returned to Oakland in 1995 under coaches Rusty Tillman, Frank Gansz Jr., Bob Casullo, Joe Avezzano and Daisher.

The only assistant coach the Raiders have announced on Lane Kiffin’s staff is offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. The Los Angeles Times reported Yogi Roth, a 25-year-old graduate assistant at USC last season, joined the club as a wide receivers assistant.

The Raiders often announce several hires at the same time and don’t announce when coaches are re-assigned or terminated.

Daisher is still listed as the Raiders special teams coach at Raiders.com, even as his picture was displayed on the Browns Web site.

The story making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is that Lane Kiffin’s first attempt at establishing a rapport with Randy Moss didn’t go too well.

Think Shell vs. Porter.

That confrontation, in the office of the head coach some 10 or 11 months ago, was the first crack in the foundation of the Shell regime.

Kiffin, by contrast, supposedly had trouble reaching Moss by phone. When he finally did, as the story goes, Moss told him in a pointed, profane terms he wasn’t interested in talking.

It’s been reported on a pair of ESPN radio interviews, and a source at the Senior Bowl confirms Kiffin vs. Moss was indeed a topic of discussion among coaches, scouts and personnel men in Mobile, Ala.

It’s worth noting that no one has gone on the record with this story as of yet. Like the party game in which a story is whispered in the ear of one and passed down the line until it ends up being something completely different or exaggerated, maybe it’s not as serious as it sounds.

But considering the way Moss acted last season, it certainly sounds possible.

The history of the Raiders new coach is that he addresses situations decisively, choosing a course of action then moving ahead, confident in his convictions. That he can sell an idea and is confident enough (some call it arrogant) to make it work.

I’ve spent the last few days researching and writing a profile on Kiffin, attempting to chart his path from a football savvy youth to, well, an NFL coaching youth. It will run in Monday’s ANG Newspapers.

(That’s at least part of my excuse for not filing blogs the past few days _ although it should be noted that with Kiffin hired, I won’t be filing every day in this forum. Your own thoughts, however, are always welcome).

Family members, as well as friends and colleagues, have the utmost confidence Kiffin is up to handling even the most difficult veteran players.

David Watson, a USC assistant coach who went to high school with Kiffin, said his friend has dealt with all manner of personalities with the Trojans.

John Reaves, a former Florida quarterback who played nine years in the NFL and happens to be Kiffin’s father-in-law, said Kiffin will have no problem taking a problem player “to the woodshed.”

Kiffin has two choices with Moss. He can either keep working to make nice, or tell Al Davis that the highest-salaried player on the team threatens to undermine his program before it starts.

If Moss indeed cursed Kiffin right off the bat, he may be doing the Raiders a favor. It’s better for Moss to create an impossible situation and attempt to force at trade early than for him to show up, pretend to care, then turn off the spigot at his leisure.

It’s possible that to have Moss insubordinate and uncooperative from Day 1 could be the first big break of the Kiffin regime becuase it could spur Davis to get rid of him.

The problem is Davis wants top dollar for top talent, and Moss has been so indifferent his value is at an all-time low.

If Kiffin didn’t yet understand what it meant to be head coach of the Raiders at his press conference, he surely does now.

Many of you have apparently noticed I’m not a big fan of Raiders press conferences, being that I’ve been at six of them which were virtually identical and had no bearing on what actually transpired later.

Which doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to what happens after the company line goes away and we get an idea what kind of product may hit the field.

As stated several times since the search began, this is not an impossible situation, and hiring Lane Kiffin, inexperience and all, is far more appealing than going the Jim Fassel route.

Some of the things I’ll look forward to seeing between now and the start of training camp:

– Kiffin sold Al Davis on his coaching ability at the greaseboard in all phases, not just offense. That is no small feat. He obviously knows his stuff.

Now comes the more difficult task of filling out his coaching staff with people who will carry out his vision of offense. There was reference to putting the ball into the hands of the highest-paid guys and expecting big things.

Can Kiffin reinvigorate Randy Moss? It’s pretty clear Kiffin and Davis think Jerry Porter is back on board now that Shell is out of the way.

– Kiffin promised the Raiders would practice hard. One of the biggest complaints about Shell among the players _ Moss among them _ was that they worked too hard. If he can bring enough energy to the table to make the practices more fun _ Kiffin said he wanted them to play “happy” _ maybe it won’t seem so dreary.

– Besides being a little stiff, no doubt due to nervousness, Kiffin came off as cocky and arrogant. He also dropped the formalities regarding Davis and called him “Al” instead of the more popular “Mr. Davis.”

This is not necessarily a bad thing. If it means he is willing to make his case for what he wants, clearly and with confidence, he’ll get Davis’ support.

This is a huge factor. Once the players know the coach doesn’t have the confidence of Davis, they act accordingly. He has to be a forceful, coach-like figure without being intractable or weak.

Shell’s mini-war with Mike Lombardi, as well as his dealings with Porter helped undermine his position with the boss, and therefore the team.

– Kiffin has leaped into this job head first, not worrying about all the supposed drawbacks. That alone makes him a better choice over Steve Sarkisian, who worried too much about what could go wrong rather than how he could be successful.

Sarkisian didn’t think he could win. Kiffin feels differently.

– My guess is the Raiders will keep things pretty closed up on the field through the initital minicamps and the like, but I’ll be interested to see the crispness and level of intensity on the field among the players.

It was a problem with Shell right off the bat. They’d fumble through formations, break a huddle, then go back and try again.

It is crucial for Kiffin’s credibility that he set a fast pace, and also sell them on the idea of how it can work.

– What are they going to do about a quarterback? There were no answers at the press conference, of course, but the belief here is a new head coach/offensive quarterback needs someone who was not associated with last season behind center this season.

The tone needs to be entirely different. If the Raiders draft a quarterback No. 1, such as JaMarcus Russell, that means finding a free agent, but it’s doubtful Russell would be ready to play that quickly.

– How well will the Raiders run, and will Kiffin commit to it? It’s been a huge problem the past few years. Davis loves Kiffin’s play-calling, but it’s important to remember he drew big-time criticism at USC following a loss to UCLA.

When the Trojans smoked Michigan in the Rose Bowl, it happened when Kiffin, at the behest of Pete Carroll, abandoned the run entirely in the second half.

– How well will Kiffin do when talent is spread out more evenly?

Let’s face it, USC Had a huge talent advantage over everyone it played. There were no salary caps and no drafts. The Trojans had reserve players who would have been Pac-10 stars elsewhere.

Kiffin may have information about players he recruited while at USC, but it goes beyond that. He’s got to first get them to the Raiders, then make sure they’re coached to realize their potential to compete on a relatively even playing field.

USC won many of its games on sheer ability before it stepped on the field. It worked for the 1970s Raiders but it won’t work now.

ALAMEDA_ Another year, another press conference, another year where all is right with Al Davis and Raider Nation.

In 2004, Davis told us Norval Turner (he uses full names whenever possible) didn’t wear the famed colors silver and black, but if he had, he’d have worn them with pride.

Two years later, Turner was out of a job, unable to generate the running game he promised with all the talent Davis had bestowed upon him.

In 2006, Arthur Shell was just the man to lead the Raiders out of the wildnerness and into their rightful place atop the NFL.

Less than a year later, Shell was unemployed, and Davis was talking about problems with “rust” and relationships with star wide receivers that one of his favorite former players was simply unable to overcome.

Lane Kiffin was coronated Tuesday as the latest savior of the Raiders. Kiffin may be only 31 years old, but he was targeted by Davis early on. Steve Sarkisian? Came for an interview, and wanted Kiffin for his coordinator.

Only someone as sage as Davis could possibly realize Kiffin was the man he wanted all along, and he perfectly maneuvered his way to anoint the next great Raiders coach.

Word of warning to Kiffin _ who fell in line and talked about how he was “extremely excited to be Al Davis’ first choice as football coach.”

It all sounds good at the press conference. Davis is behind you 100 percent. You’re the man. The top dog. Charged with carrying the honor of the silver and black.

Three years ago, Davis talked about how much he loved Turner’s philosophy and coaching ability.

He said all that talk about Oakland really wanting to hire Sean Payton was nonsense. Payton was never offered the job, with Davis looking at the audience as if they were daft for thinking for a minute that could ever happen.

Last year, Shell was the answer. Nostaligia was thicker than maple syrup mixed with flour. A glorious day.

But it’s funny how Davis seems to let the truth slip after the fact.

Talking with the media afterward Tuesday, Davis said that, well, actually Payton had been offered the job in 2004. He didn’t take it because Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones doubled his salary and demanded he stay.

Wonder if Davis would have said the same thing if the Saints had gone 5-11 this year. I’m guessing not. Davis greatest strength used to be in making the Raiders a great team. Now his greatest strength is making himself sound good.

Davis said he could have possibly had Bobby Petrino last year, except that Petrino’s wife would have threatened him with divorce. If true, putting the personal business of Petrino in public view was unconscionable. If a lie, it’s even worse. If said as a joke, he Davis might try a smile or a disclaimer next time.

It’s a lesson for Kiffin. If he doesn’t cut it, Davis will admit at a press conference within the next couple of years that, oh, by the way, I wanted Sarkisian all along, but Pete Carroll talked me out of it.

If you walked into the Raiders press conference Tuesday with no knowledge of the situation, you’d swear 2006 was an aberration.

“It was a debacle,” Davis said. “It could not continue no matter what.”

Then you look at the record. Twelve years in Oakland, three good teams. In baseball, that’s a .250 hitter. Below average. And long enough to be a trend.

In comes Kiffin to change all that.

He came across as stiff and a little arrogant, not particularly likeable. And it may not mean anything. Bill Belichick is not exactly Mr. Personality and he does just fine.

If the process is the same as in past years, Raiders coaches are subjected to a mock press conference with those in the front office in which they are urged to push tradition and the company line. It’s a lot to absorb and more than a little awkward.

Every coach the Raiders have ever had seems much more like a real person coming off after practice and in a quick aside than they do the day they were hired.

The Raider rhetoric was all there. They were going to attack. Playmakers were going to be counted upon to make plays. They would practice hard and everyone starts with a clean slate.

Blah, blah, blah.

Kiffin made a point about talking about all the talent the Raiders had on offense.

Translation: Davis likes his players, Shell screwed them up. Nothing goes under a bus as easily as a former Raiders coach. Davis even hinted it was Shell’s fault for drafting safety Michael Huff instead of quarterback Matt Leinart.

The good decisions belong to Davis _ he took credit for Nnamdi Asomugha Tuesday _ but when things don’t go well it’s always the fault of someone else. Damn, if someone could only teach Robert Gallery to block.

Those of you thinking the wisest course of action was to part ways with malcontents Randy Moss and Jerry Porter had better get used to the idea they’re coming back. It’s Kiffin’s job to get them to play.

Oakland’s defense was good because Davis got the talent and Rob Ryan didn’t screw it up. Offense? Shell is outta here, and you’ll know soon enough which other offensive coaches are to blame once they’re dismissed.

In that way, Davis remains the same, year after year. He loves the coaches he picks until he hates them later. He was indignant with Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury News for calling the Raiders a “black hole” for coaches, given they’ve had seven of them in a relatively short period of time.

Davis seemed to think he was making a point because Killion said the seven coaches came within a decade when it was actually 12 whole years. Twelve years? Oh, that’s different. Very different.

Never mind.

There was a bizarre exchange with the Merc’s Tim Kawakami when Davis asked him if he knew who Deng Xioping was.

“You don’t even know your own culture,” Davis said.

Davis was referring to the former leader of Communist China. Kawakami is Japanese-American. Anyone else would be subject to riducule for one of those “guess you all look alike” moments.
Davis will slide, because you dismiss it like he’s your strange uncle.

Davis was asked afterward about the employment status of personnel executive Mike Lombardi. Davis said it was a stupid question. Of course Lombardi was still employed.

Well, sort of.

As the press conference broke up and the media headed back to the work room, Lombardi was spotted jogging, missing the entirety of the press conference. A year before, he’d been sitting at the podium with Davis and Shell.

Davis conceded that yes, he’d have to do something about the well-publicized rift between Lombardi and Shell.

On January 23.

Shell has already been fired and Lombardi is jogging in exile, and now Davis says he’s got to fix things.

The person at the seat with Davis and Kiffin this time was Amy Trask, who must be at least a little uncomfortable.

As for Kiffin, who knows? He had one light moment when asked about his connection to Gruden and remarked that he wanted him to be his offensive coordinator.

Otherwise, Kiffin, although stiffly,talked a good game. Same as White, Bugel, Gruden, Callahan, Turner and Shell.

This is not to say success is impossible. Perhaps Davis is right and Kiffin has what it takes. The Raiders have a decent defense. Some progress seems inevitable. Davis insisted Tuesday Kiffin sees the “whole” of coaching much better than Gruden did when he took over the Raiders in 1998.

Of course, I also remember listening to a colleague ask Davis about Gruden when he was hired. The question had to do with whether Gruden was another Dick Vermeil, because of all the hours he put in.

No, Davis said. Gruden was better than Vermeil. He was brilliant. He could see things others didn’t see.

And that’s what Kiffin faces right now. He is perfect, yet to make a mistake. Just like every other coach Davis has hired. And this Raiders team has nowhere to go but up.

If Kiffin understands that, and has enough confidence in himself to carry out his own plan _ consequences be damned _ he has a chance.

Otherwise, it will be same time, next year.

A week after coming in to talk to the Raiders about being an assistant coach, Lane Kiffin will be announced as the 16th head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Kiffin, 31, interviewed with the Raiders last week as a potential offensive coordinator under Steve Sarkisian. Both men turned down the job, but Kiffin returned late Sunday night and interviewed Monday.

Kiffin ended up accepting the job Sarkisian , rejected, with the Raiders not bothering to wait for Josh McDaniels, the New England Patriots assistant who was reportedly a person of interest for owner Al Davis.

Although the Raiders have not made an official announement, a press conference is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

Would you pay a million dollars to not coach the Oakland Raiders?

Perhaps more?

Steve Sarkisian would.

If you want an idea how far the Raiders reputation has sunk, go straight to economics.

At USC, a knowledgeable source tells me Sarkisian is well paid. He might make as much as $250,000 a year.

With the Raiders, it’s difficult to say what Sarkisian would have made. Contrary to what most people think, Al Davis is pretty fair with what he pays his coaches. He pays the going rate for the guys that have the job.

Even on the conservative side, Sarkisian would have made more than a million dollars in the first year. I believe Jon Gruden got paid $800,000 in his first season in 1998. Nine years later, Sarkisian, with even less experience, might double that taking inflation into account.

This is one of 32 jobs in the NFL _ the absolute pinnacle of the profession. You’re going in with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, the No. 3 ranked defense in the league and a rock-bottom status which gives you at least a year’s grace period before anyone judges you too harshly.

Yet this job is considered so horrific, there are promising young coaches who would turn their noses up at more than a million dollars to avoid it.

Some observations about what might have went wrong and why, all things considered, this isn’t the worst thing in the world:

– Davis waits too long. If he offers this job a few days ago, Sarkisian accepts it. The longer it drags on, the more he can let all the “Al” talk seep in, sapping his own resolve.

– On the other hand, if Sarkisian can’t deal with Davis over a two week span, how was he going to deal with him over an entire season?

– I think Sarkisian was told it was his job to get the offense up and running _ without any dramatic changes in personnel. Davis has long been a player’s guy _ he’ll sell out a coach for a player in a second.

I’ve heard he was brutal to Shell at the meeting in which he was fired _ and this is one of his all-time favorite players.

Give a 32-year-old college assistant too much time to think about how he was going to deal with the likes of Randy Moss and Jerry Porter and he’s liable to look a year down the road and covet some college job where he can threaten to revoke a 20-year-old player’s scholarship if he doesn’t produce.

– Yes, I know the Raiders say they didn’t offer the job. And Sarkisian said the Raiders didn’t offer the job.

I also know I spent a week at the Aloha Bowl one year when Dennis Green of Stanford and Bobby Ross of Georgia Tech spent six consecutive days of press conferences denying they were going to the NFL _ and the next week Green was coaching the Vikings and Ross the Chargers.

So, yes, I’m skeptical.

– Hopefully, if the Patriots win Sunday, Josh McDaniels will send signals in Morse code informing Davis he’s not interested, otherwise last year’s Feb. 11 hiring of Art Shell will seem expedient by comparison.

Davis knows nothing about this guy except word of mouth. By the time they get truly acquainted at Al’s snail pace, McDaniels is liable to be like Sarkisian. He’ll think it’s all very flattering, but too strange for his liking.

– The truth is, no one has any idea if Sarkisan would have been a good coach or not. I’d have rather seen him take the job than a retread, but then again, it’s not my team. Maybe the Raiders were saved from a mistake.

– This whole “working for the Raiders” thing has really gotten out of hand. True, there are more drawbacks than other organizations, but if you are confident offensive coach, how can you not think you can rehabilitate a pathetic offense to be medicore?

If Oakland’s defense is as good as Davis thinks it is, 2-14 goes to 7-9, and you’ve immediately enhanced your resume.

If you’re a 30-something offensive coach, why not take the job, do the best to institute your own program and realize you can get another job if it doesn’t work out?

– The Raiders statement which said there was “no commitment from Lane Kiffin, the offensive coordinator at the University of Southern Califronia, that he would join Steve if the job had been offered” leads me to a logical conclusion.

The Raiders offered the job of offenisve coordinator to Kiffin. He also said, “thanks, but no thanks.”

– I hope Rob Ryan marches into Davis’ office, tearing the door off its hinges, and screams, “Let’s stop screwing around! I’m the damn coach! What the hell are you waiting for?”

Maybe Ryan gets hired. Or maybe he gets fired. He’d end up with a good job either way. And you know what? It might just work. It certainly looks like the best option at this point.

– If you actually believe Sarkisian wasn’t offered this job and bolted because he had no chance to get it and can pass a lie dector test to that effect, your season tickets should be renewed for life at no cost because you are a true believer.

Deranged, and probably a little sick, but a true believer.

People a lot smarter than I am are speculating that New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a candidate to become the next coach of the Oakland Raiders.

If that’s true, anyone hoping for a resolution to the Raiders coaching ought to be rooting for the Indianapolis Colts to beat the Patriots Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.

Otherwise, if Al Davis intends on speaking to McDaniels, the soonest it can happen is Feb. 5, the day after the Super Bowl.

I’ve checked on this with the NFL in each of the last three days because I’ve seen and heard differing reports. According to league spokesman Steve Alic, McDaniels would be off limits until the Patriots are finished playing.

That includes the so-called “dead week” before the teams travel to Miami. No contact, no exceptions. The Raiders can’t fly to New England and interview him on site, nor can they conduct a phone interview.

“According to NFL policy, no interviews can be requested or granted” until after the Super Bowl,” Alic said.

If McDaniels is indeed someone Davis considers a serious candidate, you wait. Whether McDaniels truly is a serious candidate or someone Davis is simply curious about, I have no idea.

From what I understand, Davis doesn’t know McDaniels, so anything he’s gleaned has been by word of mouth. McDaniels has spent his entire professional career with Bill Belichick. It’s not like he’s an AFC West assistant Davis has been able to watch more closely.

Considering it is often Davis’ M.O. bring a candidate back more than once, particularly someone he has no history with, it’s hard to imagine the 30-year-old whiz kid walking into Al’s office and walking out with the head coaching job.

Steve Sarkisian, on the other hand, has worked for the Raiders, been back for two interviews, and had one of his USC assistants interview for the offensive coordinator position.

He will be named the Raiders next coach, a position that won’t change in this space until Sarkisian lets it be known he’s out of the mix or the Raiders call a press conference and hire someone else. It’s been moving in that direction, slowly but surely, ever since his initial interview.

We’re inching towards the finish line.

I had this great scenario all worked out in my mind where Jim Fassel’s apperance in Alameda today was all part of the eventual announcement of Steve Sarkisian as head coach of the Raiders.

Follow the logic for a minute . . .

Davis wants to hire Sarkisian, but is rightfully worried that the 32-year-old co-offensive coordinator at USC will be overwhelmed at myriad duties coming his way.

The concern? Instead of hiring the next Jon Gruden, he hires the next Mike Shanahan. Shanahan was hired away from the Denver Broncos in 1988 at age 36. Davis’ assessment of Shanahan’s talent was right, but his timing was wrong.

Shanahan wasn’t ready. That was Davis’ version anyway, and even Shanahan has admitted as much in less guarded moments. As columnist Carl Steward pointed out in Thursday’s ANG Newspapers, the responsibilities of the job go far beyond X’s and O’s, and Shanahan wasn’t up to the task in 1988, certainly not under an owner as demanding as Davis.

Davis might be right about Sarkisian. But he needs to be right in 2007, rather than see Sarkisian struggle, the Raiders keep losing, and then have him succeed somewhere else in 2010.

That’s where Fassel comes in. He’s been an NFL head coach and had some success. In New York, no less. He handled the media well, understands how to administer an entire football program, from minicamps through training camps through weight programs.

As an assistant head coach, or perhaps a senior assistant, or senior administrator, or whatever title the Raiders wanted to give him, Fassel would be an excellent choice as a sounding board for Sarkisian.

Alas, multiple sources confirmed Fassel was indeed interviewing for the position of head coach, and indications are that’s what he still wants to do.

But this could present a unique opportunity if Davis truly wants Sarkisian and can sway Fassel. Fassel could help break in a new coach and then assume a management or front office position. He could be influential in personnel, the draft and available to work on the field as well.

When it comes to titles and job descriptions, the Raiders can as creative as they are confusing.

I like the idea of the young coach, provided he has the support. Maybe because it’s the only run of success the organization has enjoyed since returning in 1995 started that way. Reading some of the comments from Wednesday’s blog on “retreads” it seems most of you feel the same way.

Thursday’s note: Reports out of North Carolina indicate the Tar Heels will announce John Shoop as their offenisve coordinator under Butch Davis.

Shoop was essentially put on hold following the season with regard to his status, as Davis initially refused to rule him out as a candidate for head coach or offensive coordinator. Getting five games with the horrid offense wasn’t exactly fair _ the die had been cast in training camp _ but the final decision was the correct one.

All remnants of the offensive design and play-calling from the disaster of 2006 had to be expunged.