GANNON CALLS OAKLAND AN “IMPOSSIBLE PLACE TO WORK”

Rich Gannon, who won a league MVP award while playing quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, spoke about the situation in Oakland during a visit with Bruce Murray and Gil Brandt of Sirius NFL Radio. Echoing recent criticisms of the team, Gannon elaborated on his perceptions of the environment there. “From a guy that has been in the organization, that’s been around it, I know just how difficult a place it can be to work,” Gannon said. “And they have problems, there’s no question. It’s an organization that is going through a very difficult period. It’s an organization, in my opinion, that is dysfunctional. They have a lot of issues. “This is not something that I haven’t discussed publicly and privately before with the owner. I’ve talked to Mr. Davis at great length about our philosophical difference of opinion. I believe that you need to have discipline, structure, a system in place, organization. He is a guy that is not a big believer in having too many rules and that’s one of the reasons why that team, in my opinion, hasn’t had any real leadership and hasn’t had any real direction.” Gannon was then asked by Brandt whether the tendency of owner Al Davis to make strategy suggestions makes it difficult for the coach. “I always said it’s not a tough place to work, it’s an impossible place to work,” Gannon said. “I left there on a high note. I went to four straight Pro Bowls, was league MVP. I don’t have any bad feelings about the place. I just know how difficult it was for me and I just look at the people that have left. Mike Shanahan leaves and wins two Super Bowls. Jon Gruden leaves and wins a Super Bowl. Norv Turner is having success in San Diego. To let people like that leave, particularly a guy like Jon Gruden who really worked and really threw every ounce of energy he had into the place. To let him leave the way he did was just a mistake. “And what happened is, in my opinion, people say, ‘Why have they had the big fall-off since the Super Bowl and stuff?’ I think that it’s about six people who have left the organization that really were the heart and soul of the whole group and really kept it going. Guys like Jon Gruden, Bruce Allen, the general manager, Bill Callahan, who was our offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. You lost quality people and some players and they’ve never been able to recover.” “This guy, Tom Cable, the poor guy, does that he think he is more equipped and better prepared than his predecessors? In other words, if Gruden couldn’t make it there and Bill Callahan couldn’t make it there and then if Norv Turner couldn’t make it there and then Art Shell couldn’t make it there and then Lane Kiffin couldn’t make it there, why does he think, all of a sudden, he’s going to make it there? I don’t understand.” We wish Gannon wouldn’t be so bashful about stating his opinions.