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First Down: Driving Mr. Davis

Someone needs to take the keys away from Oakland Raiders' owner Al Davis. According to ESPN.com reports surfacing this weekend, Davis, 78, drafted a letter of resignation for his head coach Lane Kiffen nearly two weeks ago. Kiffen has refused to sign the letter, which would force him to forfeit the estimated $4 million owed to him for the remaining two years of his contract.Oddly enough, Kiffen has dared his boss to fire him. This action would force the Raiders' organization to pay him the remaining sum of his contract. This is likely a statement to the Raiders that he will not leave empty handed.
If Kiffen is fired or chooses to resign, the Raiders will start the 2008 season with a new coach, which has happened in four of the past five seasons. Owner Al Davis has created a revolving door in the head coaching office, making the job one of the most dreaded in the coaching world. One of the keys to a winning program is stability, something the silver and black have dearly lacked.
Davis' actions will most likely come back to bite him in the end. Rumors are swirling already that he is eyeing Dennis Green as Kiffen's replacement. The best way to turn any struggling team is to hire a coach whose defining moment is a post-game meltdown and the subsequent beer commercial made using the footage. That's the kind of resume that commands respect in the locker room.
- Sean

Second Down: Streaking through our minds

It seems as if the sporting world is obsessed with perfection these days. We follow the 18-0 New England Patriots quest or the remarkable run of the 19-0 Memphis Tigers, who are torching some of the best collegiate basketball programs in the nation, with near obsession. However, the quest for "reverse perfection" is equally enticing - to watch the beauty of a team or individual being so inherently flawed that they cannot seem to defeat anyone.
The 2007 Miami Dolphins broke our hearts when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 22-16 in overtime on Dec. 16 to end their streak of 13 straight losses. The NBA had its own impressive losing run when the Miami Heat dropped their 15th straight game on Thursday, 90-89 to San Antonio and fell to 8-33. Despite being plagued with injuries to star players, burdened with an aging roster and poor team chemistry, the Heat managed to rally to a 98-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers Saturday afternoon. Even with a nagging shoulder injury Dwayne Wade managed to drop 35 points in their first win since Dec. 22.
Had the losing continued there would have no doubt be a serious following as the stretch of losses approached the record of 23 held by the 95-96 Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies and the 97-98 Denver Nuggets. For as sporting history has shown us, just like winning the pursuit of imperfection will keep us drawn to our television screens.

- Steve

Third Down: Finding the Franchise

It was only three and a half years ago that the Houston Rockets shipped Stevie "Franchise" Francis to Orlando in seven-player mega-deal that brought Tracy McGrady to Houston. Less we forget, at the time Francis was one of the premier players in the association. In his first five years in the league, the former number two pick out of Maryland co-won Rookie of the Year, was the runner up to Vince Carter in the Slam Dunk Contest that same season, made three All-Star teams, and led the Rockets to the playoffs in 2003-04.
What happened? In the four years since he was traded to the Magic, "The Franchise" has completely disappeared (meaning he went to the New York Knicks). Francis excelled in his first season with the Magic, but his playing time has fallen from 78 games and 38.2 minutes per game to 46 and 37, 24 and 27, and 44 and 28, respectfully from 2005 to 2007. His scoring has steadily declined from over 21 PPG in 2004 to only 11 PPG last season.
Maybe all Francis needed was some home cooking. In July, he signed a two-year $6 million contract with the Rockets. How good do they look for making that trade? The honeymoon hasn't exactly gone as scheduled. Francis was left off the roster following the preseason, and the Rockets announced Jan. 14 that "The Franchise" was out indefinitely with bi-lateral quadriceps tendonitis - another tough blow for what was once a promising career.

- John