MVN: Most Valuable Network

Before the offseason even began, the coaching staff became a hot topic among the members of the Raider Nation. The reports trickled out defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired, then the Raiders' front office said he wasn't. This touched off a firestorm (Howie Long would promote his movie of that name here as he did on the Fox Pregame Show) of rumors that Lane Kiffin wasn't happy and wanted out. As it stands, the Raiders coaching staff will be coaching the Senior Bowl in its current configuration. Today, Thoughts from the Dark Side takes a look at the coaching staff one by one.

Head Coach: Lane Kiffin- Kiffin took over a moribund Oakland Raider franchise and breathed new life into Oakland. He has shown that he is willing to take risks, as he often went for fourth and short plays and sent Sebastian Janikowski out for a potential record breaking field goal. He has the respect of his players and kept the team together throughout a season that would normally see an epic implosion.

OFFENSIVE COACHES:

Offensive Coordinator: Greg Knapp Knapp was known in Atlanta for his conservative game plans. Whilst Kiffin is the play caller in Oakland, Knapp likely had a lot of input as the rookie head coach put together his game plans. The Raiders offense was not explosive, but it was light years ahead of the disaster that was 2006. Continuity here would be great for the Raiders as it would keep things steady as top pick JaMarcus Russell looks to take the reigns in 2008.

Offensive Line Coach: Tom Cable Cable was easily the Most Valuable Coach in the NFL this season. It was under his tutelage that the Raiders rushing offense went from doormat to top flight. Another year or two with Robert Gallery, he could be a pro bowl guard.

Asst Offensive Line Coach: James Cregg Everyone involved with the turnaround of that offensive line did a heck of a job.

Quarterback Coach: John DeFilippo DeFilippo has his work cut out for him over this offseason as he has to get Russell ready to be a starter by the beginning of the season. Russell's performances were up and down over the course of the 2007 season often looking like a rookie who missed all of training camp.

Wide Receivers Coach: Charles Coe Did the Raiders have wide receivers in 2007? The biggest problem at wide receiver for the Raiders was the lack of speed, and he gets a pass for this because as the saying goes, "you can't coach speed." It would be interesting to know if he had done some work with Ronald Curry about getting off the line faster, if that was the case he should not have given Curry The Barry Sims Guide to the Snap Count to go by, as Curry had an obscene number of false starts. The jury is out on Coe.

Tight Ends Coach: Kelly Skipper If he works with a lot of the girls I see with their jeans tucked into their Uggs boots, then... oh wait wrong kind of tight end. Sorry my mind wandered for a second. Zach Miller got better as the season went on. There was a knock on his blocking coming out of Arizona State, but his blocking dramatically improved as the season went on. This one goes to the Skipper.

Running Backs Coach: Tom Rathman The Raider running game was grossly improved. Rathman was a great fullback in his time, and has really brought out the best in Justin Fargas.

Quality Control-Offense: Sanjay Lal & Adam Henry If the job of the QC guy is to eliminate penalties then he didn't do so well. Overall, the offense showed a quality run game but was weak in the passing game. But that could also be due to the receivers not having great speed and the quarterbacking carousel.

DEFENSIVE COACHES:

Defensive Coordinator:  Rob Ryan After last season, Rob Ryan was thought to be the hero of the Raiders and many in the nation wanted to see him ascend into the head coaching job after Art Shell was given the bum's rush. After the disappointing season the defense had in 2007 they want Ryan given the Dave Mustaine treatment and shipped out of town on a greyhound bus. The question hanging over the defense is: Was it the Scheme, the players or some combination thereof that led to the meltdown? Rob Ryan seems like a great guy and looks like he belongs on the Raider sideline, but some fresh blood is likely needed to shake things up.

Quality Control Defense: George Martinez The only QC Raiders' defense would have passed last year was a paid off Chinese export company that would have later been recalled for lead paint.

Defensive Line: Kieth Millard Defensive line is one of the biggest needs on the Raiders this offseason. Is it Millard's fault that Terdell Sands has not lived up to his contract? Probably not. When a position stunk up the joint as uniformly as the D-Line did last season, that is a position coach to be looked at closely.

Assistant Defensive Line Coach: Don Johnson Maybe him having the players yelling, "Freeze, Miami Vice!" as they were coming off the line slowed down the attack of the defensive line. The defensive line underperformed, and those position coaches should be looked at.

Linebackers Coach: Don Martindale Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard are both young dynamic linebackers who are getting better. Martindale has obviously done a good job with them.

Defensive Backs Coach(es): Willie Brown & Darren Perry Nnamdi Asomugha took some time to develop, but has become one of the top corners in the game. He is by far the bright spot of the secondary. This was Darren Perry's first year with the Raiders as a DB coach, so he can't be blamed for Stuart Schweigart. Willie Brown is an old Raiders warrior, who has a history of helping defensive backs develop.

Assistant Defensive Back Coach: Randy Hansen Didn't the Raiders learn from last year that sometimes you can have too many position coaches? Maybe Hansen has just been too busy filming segments of Dateline:To Catch a Predator to get the Raiders' D-backs in shape.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Special Teams Coordinator: Brian Schneider It was the best of times and it was the worst of times for the Raiders special teams in 2007. They neutralized Devin Hester completely. Then Later in the year got torched on returns in three or four games in a row. Schneider's best move would be to bring back Jerrod Cooper. When he had Coop, the Raiders special teams were special.

Special Teams Quality Control: Curtis Fuller Maybe next season he could be Coop's personal valet.

OTHER:

Strength and Conditioning: Jeff Fish Games are won and lost in the fourth quarter. For the 2007 Raiders, mostly lost. The Raiders lost seven games where they had the lead in the fourth. One of the biggest keys to success in the fourth quarter is conditioning. FIsh is a coach that should be looked at, and fresh blood here could not hurt.

Thoughts from the Dark Side will continue to keep you appraised of any developments with the Raiders and the Raider Nation, so stay tuned.