Sources: Raiders coach Kiffin to be fired as early as Monday

Sources: Raiders coach Kiffin to be fired as early as Monday
ESPN.com news services
Updated: September 22, 2008, 2:44 PM ET

Allowing 17 points in the final eight minutes of a 24-23 loss to the Bills might prove the final straw for Al Davis.

Sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Sunday that the Oakland Raiders' owner intends to fire coach Lane Kiffin as early as Monday. Team officials have told the coach of the impending move.

FoxSports.com first reported that Kiffin will be fired.

When asked after Sunday's defeat if he was worried about his job, Kiffin replied: "I don't even think about that."

Reports surfaced in the Contra Costa Times last week that Davis wanted to fire his coach because he was upset about a string of critical comments Davis viewed as a form of insubordination.

"There are certain things I can control, there's certain things I can't," Kiffin said last week. "This happens to be the next one. He has a decision to make. It does me no good to worry about it right now."

The questions about Kiffin's status have been lingering over the organization since January, when the coach and owner were at odds over the defensive coordinator in a dispute that led to Davis sending Kiffin a letter of resignation to sign.

The feud has simmered ever since Davis overruled Kiffin and kept defensive coordinator Rob Ryan on staff. Kiffin has been publicly critical of personnel moves since then, distancing himself from moves he felt were made by the owner. Kiffin admitted last week he probably could have handled his relationship with management better.

He acknowledges it's not easy to do his work amid all the reports about his job security but was proud of how his team has stayed focused.

"I don't think it helps. But like I said, I can't do anything about it," Kiffin said. "So all I can do is try to get our coaching staff to stay together in this type of situation, our players to stay together, and they did it last week [in a win over the Chiefs]. Our players did a great job in not allowing it to be a distraction for them."




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