January 30, 2007 - SPORTS NEWS - SPECIAL EDITION MARCH MADNESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL SPORTS NEWS

FREE COLLEGE   NFL PICKS & NFL FREE PICKS NFL PICKS- (covers.com) superbowl intangibles.  touched on the quarterbacks and how the mismatch heavily favors the Colts but that isn’t all that needs to be looked at when trying to pick the winner of Super Bowl XLI. The signal caller is the most important player on the field but there are other intangibles to be considered. You’re going to get stuffed with media stories throughout the next two weeks to the point of regurgitation and while some of these topics might be covered, they most likely won’t since they don’t have that star appeal. Today: Turnovers Calling turnovers is next to impossible but with a ball-hawking defense like the Bears, it can become more predictable. Chicago was 1st in the NFL in takeaways during the regular season with 44 but it slid off toward the end of the season. The defense forced 3.3 turnovers per game through the first 12 games but that averaged slipped to 1.3 during the last four games. In a nail-biter against Seattle, the defense forced only one turnover while the rout over New Orleans saw four so it’s obvious how those affect the outcome. Saying the Bears are going to win the turnover battle is not a very bold prediction but against the Colts, it’s not as cut and dry. Indianapolis was 4th best during the regular season at holding onto the ball as it gave it up only 19 times including a 2nd best nine interceptions. However, the postseason has seen a reversal of this. The Colts have turned it over six times, all interceptions with two of those being returned for scores. Indianapolis has also fumbled the ball six times but fortunately has not lost any. On the other side, the Colts were able to force only 26 turnovers during the regular season for an average of 1.6 per game. They have grabbed eight during the postseason for an average of 2.7 per game and it’s no coincidence that they are where they are partly due to this increase. None were more important than the Marlin Jackson interception of Tom Brady on the final drive of the AFC Championship, a drive that neither Peyton Manning nor any Colts fan could stomach to watch. While the Bears led the league in takeaways, they were near the top at giving the ball away as well. Chicago was fifth in the league with 36 turnovers, the most of any playoff team. They were in the top 10 in both interceptions and fumbles and 25 of the 36 turnovers were directly by Rex Grossman – 20 interceptions and five fumbles. The Bears have turned it over only twice during the playoffs, both against the Seahawks, so while forcing turnovers is a factor, giving them away plays just as important a role. Both teams are on the plus side in turnover margin during the postseason and if the quarterbacks keep up their respective paces, there should be a clear-cut turnover battle winner. Surprisingly, that would be the Bears as Grossman has been more efficient than Manning in taking care of the ball. It’s difficult to fathom Manning having another bad game. He has tossed six interceptions in three games after going four straight years of having 10 or fewer interceptions the entire regular season. At the same time, it’s hard to fathom Grossman having another mistake-free game. This guy was incredible during the first part of the season then that game at Arizona occurred with that shoddy 10.7 quarterback rating. Grossman tossed 14 interceptions in a span of seven games before coming on strong once again in weeks 14 though 16. A horrendous game against Green Bay closed the year as did questions about his work ethic. He is the only quarterback to have seven ratings above 100 and five below 40. Does this really give us much to go by? It’s hard to say. A determination could easily be made if we knew which Manning and which Grossman shows up but we don’t and that is what makes it both difficult and fun at the same time. The fumbles will likely be a wash as the weather played a huge factor in the three fumbles that New Orleans had on Sunday and it isn’t likely the Colts are going to duplicate that. To claim victory, the Bears need to win the turnover battle which at this point doesn’t seem likely.
NFL PICKS : (associated press):bear dt allowed to travel with team. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson will play in the Super Bowl. Cook County Judge John Moran approved a defense request Tuesday to allow Johnson to leave the state as he awaits trial on gun possession charges. The Bears will play the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl in Miami on Feb. 4. Oddsmakers have the Bears listed as 7-point underdogs with a total of 48 1/2. Johnson was arrested Dec. 14 after police raided his home in Gurnee, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Prosecutors say officers found six weapons and ammunition in Johnson`s home. He faces 10 counts of possession of firearms without a state gun-owner identification card. It was his third arrest in 18 months. Johnson has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Earlier this month, a judge in Lake County, where his home is located, granted a defense request to allow Johnson to travel freely outside the state. But Cook County prosecutors argued that Johnson`s December arrest violated probation from a 2005 gun charge. A Cook County judge previously ordered Johnson to stay at home except to go to work, and he needed Moran`s permission to leave Illinois for the Super Bowl. Johnson`s bodyguard, Willie B. Posey, was arrested on felony drug charges after the raid on Johnson`s home; Posey was shot and killed two days later during an early morning fight while he and Johnson were at a nightclub in Chicago. FREE NFL PICKS. (covers.com):public bettors clean up on afc cahmpionship game. The most amazing comeback in AFC championship history has resulted in spectacular losses at some of the major online sportsbooks. Oddsmakers watched helplessly Sunday night as Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the New England Patriots 38-34, and cover the spread as 3-point home favorites. The majority of offshore sites were flooded with Indianapolis money by the time the game kicked off, with the price of a Colts wager rising as high as -135. Even the heavy juice couldn’t entice New England money and books took it on the chin. “There were no profits for this game. We lost on Sunday and lost a fair amount,” says Belmont.com oddsmaker Peter Childs. “We had written good two-way action up until the weekend, and then saw mostly Colts money.” “The Colts were a big loser for us,” adds BetCRIS.com oddsmaker Shane Catford. “Everyone was on Indy in this game.” Belmont.com stayed on the field goal pointspread until betting closed, while BetCRIS.com made a half-point adjustment just hours before kickoff in a last ditch effort to attract Patriots action. These books took a conservative approach to avoid even heavier losses. Books that moved their lines more aggressively would have taken an even bigger hit. “I did see some outfits go to -4,… and one has to think that the books that went to -4 got crushed,” says Childs. “Writing all that Colts action and countering it with Pats +4 action had to hurt them (because New England bets at +4 would have pushed, or been refunded). They got sided on one of the biggest games this year.” Some operations managed to counter their spread losses on the Colts with the moneyline bets they wrote on New England. Considering how futile the Colts had been in playoff games against Bill Belichick’s team, the heavy payout on a straight up Patriots win was more than some bettors could resist. ”With these small lines, the public is starting to catch on to the fact that the underdog can win outright,” says SportsInetraction.com oddsmaker Greg Sindall. “We had a lot of money on the Patriots moneyline, so that really helped us.” The Chicago Bears` blowout victory over the New Orleans Saints was a more positive result for the books. Although Chicago was a 2 ½-point favorite, New Orleans had become America’s new team and a big public dog. ”The public fell in love with the Saints and couldn’t get enough of the points or the moneyline,” says Childs. “(We were worried) when the Saints cut the lead to two (on the Reggie Bush touchdown during the third quarter) and then were marching down the field and set up for a field goal attempt, only to miss. That was concerning just because of our exposure on the Saints moneyline and also our exposure on the Saints winning the NFC and Super Bowl future bets.” But while the straight bets were heavy on the Saints, parlay bettors took their usual route of coupling the favorites with the over. With both favorites covering and both games jumping the total, books took a hit on those wagers too. “The parlays were the death knell,” moans Catford. ”We also took a hit on the totals by themselves,” says Sindall. “I was surprised that people were betting over on Chicago with the snow and everything.” With the conference championships out of the way, oddsmakers have turned their attention to the Super Bowl where opening lines have the Colts as 7-point favorites. Books believe that solid two-way action on that number will see them recoup their losses. “We expect a huge handle for this year’s Super Bowl,” predicts Childs. “Chicago is a huge media market and they have a big-time national following. The Colts and their plethora of star players have been in the national spotlight for several years. “Sports betting and the Super Bowl get bigger every year. Once again we’ll see records broken for handle and audience size.” Although wagering on the NFL championship has steadily expanded since the advent of Internet betting, this could be the last year offshore books see growth in their client base. Recent measures taken by the U.S. government have made it increasingly difficult for bettors in the United States to use online sportsbook accounts. Oddsmakers don’t anticipate things getting any better. “This is just the calm before the storm,” says Catford. “I think the days of pulling money in and out of the sportsbooks whenever you want are coming to an end. I think the big changes are coming next year.”
FREE NFL PICKS- (associated press)colts te dallas clark emerging. Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne may be Indianapolis` best-known offensive stars. Defenses can forget about tight end Dallas Clark at their own peril. The fourth-year tight end has given the Colts a different dimension over the middle - one that creates nearly as many mismatches for linebackers and safeties as it does scoring chances for the Colts. ``That`s the position you want to be in,`` Clark said after Sunday`s AFC championship victory. ``You want to be the guy getting Peyton time, running routes and making plays.`` As usual, Clark produced his share against New England. He led all Colts receivers with six catches for 137 yards, and his 52-yarder deep down the middle set up a crucial late field goal that tied it at 31. Indy eventually won 38-34. Not surprisingly, Clark`s postseason emergence has paralleled Indy`s success. On a team with two Pro Bowl receivers and a two-time MVP, Manning has exploited the soft underneath routes by repeatedly throwing to his tight ends. The result: Clark has a team-high 17 receptions for 281 yards in three playoff games with a Super Bowl still to play. Yet he`s often overlooked on an offense that has five Pro Bowl players in Manning, Harrison, Wayne and offensive linemen Jeff Saturday and Tarik Glenn. Indianapolis understands how important Clark, who sometimes lines up as the Colts` third wide receiver, has become to this offense. He`s strong enough to block effectively on the line, agile enough to play the slot and quick enough to burn linebackers and safeties that dare challenge his speed. At times, Clark looks awkward catching balls on his knees or jumping for overthrown passes, but if he gets a chance to run, he`s tough to catch. Those were the assets that intrigued team president Bill Polian enough to make Clark the Colts` first-round draft pick in 2003, and he`s been pleased with Clark`s progress. ``This may be a better offense than what we had in Buffalo because we have Dallas Clark, who really is a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end,`` Polian told radio listeners Monday night. If Clark has found it difficult to earn his Pro Bowl status, it`s not his fault. The AFC has three of the league`s most dominant and highly publicized tight ends in Kansas City`s Tony Gonzalez, San Diego`s Antonio Gates and Baltimore`s Todd Heap. Unlike them, Clark is not the featured receiver in Indy, either. But the Iowa native with the infectious smile, good old boy approach and fun-loving personality couldn`t care less about going to Hawaii. He`d rather be preparing for one more meaningful game. ``It`s a great feeling,`` he said of the Colts` first Super Bowl berth in 36 years. ``It`s great for the organization and for Coach Dungy. This is huge.`` Oddsmakers have the Colts listed as 7-point Super Bowl favorites against the Chicago Bears. Clark`s impact in Indianapolis can even be measured in simpler terms. When he`s played this season, the Colts are 14-1. When he missed four games with a sprained knee ligament, the Colts lost three times. Initially, the Colts thought Clark tore the anterior cruciate ligament - an injury that would have ended his season and devastated Indianapolis` postseason hopes, especially since Brandon Stokley had already sustained a season-ending Achilles` tendon injury. Fortunately, for Clark and the Colts, it wasn`t as bad as first feared. Clark made it back for the season finale against Miami, a game that seemingly got him prepared for the playoffs. Others around the league do understand how much Clark means to the Colts. Three years ago when Clark missed the AFC title game at New England after breaking his leg in a regular-season game against the Patriots, Polian said other general managers told him they though Clark`s presence would have changed the outcome of that 24-14 loss. The next year, with Clark, New England beat Indy 20-3 in the divisional round. On Sunday, Clark proved the difference in the Colts getting past their old nemesis. When Manning couldn`t go deep, he looked underneath and found Clark for several key catches - just as coach Tony Dungy drew it up. ``We knew they were going to do some takeaway on our outside receivers,`` Dungy said after winning Sunday night. ``So we thought the running backs and tight ends in the middle of the field would have a chance for a good game, and they did.``
NFL PICKS- (covers.com): mannings thumb x ray ok.   Peyton Manning`s injured right thumb gave the Colts a scare Monday. Fortunately, for Indianapolis, that`s all it was. Manning bruised the thumb on his throwing hand late in the AFC championship game, but X-rays found no broken bones and he`s expected to start against Chicago in the Super Bowl as a 7-point favorite, Colts owner Jim Irsay told The Associated Press on Monday night. ``There`s no concerns with that at all,`` Irsay said. ``He`s fine. I talked to the trainer about it earlier, and I know that`s the case.`` Earlier Monday, coach Tony Dungy said Manning`s thumb was discolored and painful, so the team scheduled X-rays. Manning hit his thumb on the left tackle Tarik Glenn`s helmet in the Colts` 38-34 victory over New England on Sunday night. Manning, a two-time MVP, engineered the greatest comeback in championship game history, rallying the Colts from an 18-point first-half deficit, to reach his first Super Bowl. But Dungy never doubted Manning, the Colts` $98 million man, would miss the game. ``From everything I hear, it`s going to be OK,`` Dungy said. Manning ranks second on the NFL`s consecutive starts list for quarterbacks, behind Brett Favre. He has started 156 consecutive games, including the playoffs. In fact, Manning has missed only play because of injury in his nine-year pro career, that coming in a 2001 game against Miami. He was injured when Dolphins defensive end Lorenzo Bromell made a helmet-to-helmet hit underneath Manning`s chin strap. Manning was bloodied and sustained a fractured jaw. Backup Mark Rypien replaced Manning, botched the handoff on the ensuing play and the Dolphins returned the fumble for a touchdown. Bromell was later fined $15,500 for the hit. Manning`s backup now is Jim Sorgi, a third-year player out of Wisconsin. Irsay said he was sure Manning would play. ``He`s a tough guy,`` Irsay said. ``We`re in good shape, we`re fine.`` The most serious injury concern for the Colts is cornerback Nick Harper, who left during the first half Sunday and didn`t return. Dungy said he was uncertain whether it was a high ankle sprain or a basketball-variety sprain that he sustained by rolling the ankle. If it`s a high ankle sprain, it could take four to six weeks to recover. Tight end Ben Utecht also sprained his right knee, but later returned. Dungy expects him to play against the Bears.
FREE NFL PICKS (espn.com) dolphins qb coach interviews with cowboy's. Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Jason Garrett was interviewing Wednesday with Dallas owner Jerry Jones to become the team's offensive coordinator, Cowboys sources said.
Garrett left the Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Ala., early Wednesday morning aboard a commercial flight to Dallas to meet with the Cowboys at their Valley Ranch team facility.
The Cowboys' plan for replacing Parcells at this point is to determine whether Garrett as offensive coordinator can call plays, develop the offensive scheme and manage the offensive coaching staff and the players -- particularly Terrell Owens. If it is determined that Garrett, who has never called plays, can handle that much responsibility, then the Cowboys are expected to pursue San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to replace Parcells. If Jones decides that Garrett is not quite ready for that role, he would be hired as offensive coordinator and then paired with Norv Turner, who can handle the overall offense.
Garrett is a former backup to Troy Aikman whom Jones believes has the potential to become the Cowboys' head coach in two to three years.
The Cowboys have declared that finding the coaches who can develop young Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo to be a point of emphasis in replacing Parcells.
FREE NFL PICKS - (associated press): dungy must get everyone refocused.  Tony Dungy couldn`t sleep. Team president Bill Polian met with Indiana`s governor. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay simply had a mid-morning meal with an unusual dining partner - the AFC championship trophy. Yes, Monday was a day to revel in Indianapolis. The town that has hosted everything from Final Fours to national gymnastics championships finally earned its own banner by claiming the first AFC championship in the Indy era. ``I hung around the stadium for a long time just to soak up the atmosphere,`` Dungy said. ``Then we went out to eat and they kept the place open late for us. I think we left there about 4 o`clock in the morning.`` Late hours for a coach who encourages players to go home early so they stay out of trouble, and then he couldn`t even sleep because of the surging adrenaline. Then again, who could blame Dungy? Now in his 26th season as an NFL coach, the last 11 as one of the league`s most successful head coaches in Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, Dungy is going to his first Super Bowl since the 1978 season when he won a ring while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Somehow, Dungy intends to treat this as a business-as-usual week when players return to practice Wednesday. ``We`re using this week as a normal week, to put in our game plan and those types of things,`` he said, grinning. ``What we have do next week is handle the sideshow that goes on with the Super Bowl. I`ve not been there since `78 and it`s a lot more of a sideshow now than it was then.`` Outside the locker room, the environment is anything but typical. The team`s receptionist answered the phones Monday with a new greeting: ``Hello, AFC champion Indianapolis Colts.`` And the outer decor of the complex got a facelift, too. Team officials placed two giant inflatable Colts players at the driveway entrance, one of which had a Super Bowl logo. There was also an inflatable arch across the front doors that read ``Colts city.`` For a state that treats basketball like a religion, football has taken the city by storm. Last week, downtown buildings were lit up in the shape of the Colts horseshoe and even the Indiana Hoosiers` first appearance in the Top 25 this season was overshadowed by the continuing celebration. Though Sunday`s 38-34 victory over New England cost Colts officials and fans created many sleepless hours, nobody was complaining. ``I haven`t slept but that`s OK, we can rest in two weeks,`` Polian said on his weekly radio show. ``That`s why we do these things, starting with the offseason programs to the organized team activities and the minicamps, training camp and everything we do to get to the pinnacle. We can rest later.`` Irsay, whose father was vilified for moving the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984, celebrated the elusive conference title victory his own way. He hugged players in the locker room, spoke directly to the fans at the trophy presentation and then spent Monday chatting with old friends. The man who replaced his late father, Robert, as team owner in 1997, called this the sweetest day-after party he could ever remember. ``I was exhausted last night, but I got my second wind about 2:30 a.m., went home, ate a little something with the trophy and put the trophy beside my bed,`` Irsay said. The toughest task belongs to Dungy, who now must find a way to ratchet down the festive atmosphere and get coaches and players to start working on the Chicago Bears. Oddsmakers have the Colts listed as 7-point favorites and the total set at 48 1/2. It won`t be easy amid the honking horns and screaming fans, the radio shows and precious television news minutes devoted to travel, party plans and the constant debate about how this Colts team will be remembered - win or lose in Miami. But for one day, Dungy simply wanted to savor the feeling. ``This has been one of the most fun days of my life,`` Dungy said on Polian`s radio show. Irsay couldn`t agree more. After decades of futile seasons, close calls and the rollercoaster emotional ride, all Irsay wanted to do was soak up the aura and prepare for his first Super Bowl trip as team owner. ``The trophy we want is the one waiting in Miami, the Lombardi Trophy,`` Irsay said. ``But this one was the ticket we needed to get there.``
 
NFL FREE PICKS- (espn.com) another bengal arressted.
 
The arrest of Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph has members of the team angry, embarrassed and concerned that guilt by association has ruined public perception of the team. JosephJohnathan Joseph is the ninth Bengal to be arrested in the last nine months. Here's a list of those Cincinnati players and their off-field troubles:
Player  Pos.  Charges
 
Johnathan Joseph  CB  Possession of marijuana 
Deltha O'Neal  CB  Driving while intoxicated 
Reggie McNeal  WR  Resisting arrest 
Matthias Askew  DT  Resisting arrest 
Eric Steinbach  G  Boating under the influence 
Chris Henry  WR  x-Total of five 
Frostee Rucker  DE  Spousal battery 
A.J. Nicholson  LB  Burglary, grand theft 
Odell Thurman  LB  Driving while intoxicated 
x-unlawful transaction with a minor (three counts), speeding, operating a vehicle under the influence, felony possession of a concealed firearm, possession of marijuana. First arrest was in December 2005.  Joseph was arrested early Monday and charged with marijuana possession. He's the ninth member of the team to be arrested since Jan. 1, 2006. The team's front office did not comment on the latest arrest, saying its policy is to not comment on pending legal matters. But in his end-of-season news conference, coach Marvin Lewis said he would be far stricter with the team in 2007. Defensive tackle John Thornton and other Bengals told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the arrests are dragging the team down. Everyone in the locker room is affected, he said. "Willie [Anderson], Carson [Palmer], John Thornton, the guys who do things right, have been forced to answer for the guys who decided not to do the right thing," linebacker Brian Simmons told the newspaper. "The perception of the team across the country is bad. It's as if it's going around like the plague."
"If it doesn't stop, we're not going to have any fans left, and I don't blame them. It's ridiculous," Palmer said in comments posted on the team Web site.
"We can't get through a month without getting a guy arrested. It happens on another team and they're shocked and surprised to hear about it," Palmer said. "With us, you hear about it and it doesn't surprise you and you just shake your head and say, 'Another one,' " he said. Anderson told the Enquirer he and other veterans warned their teammates not to become "No. 9 or No. 10," in reference to becoming the ninth or 10th Bengals player arrested since the start of 2006.
"The thing that is kind of scary is that guys should be feeling like, 'I should make sure not to become No. 9 or No. 10,' " Anderson told the newspaper.
"It's kind of become a joke out here, 'Who will be the next Bengal,' " Anderson told the Enquirer. "I told guys that you are going to look really bad if you are the next guy. I said they can't even put themselves in that position."
Thornton told the Enquirer that after Deltha O'Neal's DUI arrest on Dec. 9, Cincinnati Police met with the team for an educational session on drunken driving enforcement. Thornton said the session opened his eyes. "Even big guys can blow a 0.08 after having just three or four beers with dinner. You don't need to feel drunk to be drunk," said Thornton, who tips the scales at 295 pounds.
That convinced Thornton to change the way he drinks in social settings, he told the newspaper.
"I won't drink when I'm out unless I have a driver or someone else is [the designated driver]," he said. "Guys have to be in control."
NFL FREE PICKS- (associated press) : raiders hire new coach.  After four miserable seasons, Al Davis knew the Oakland Raiders needed a fresh start. He couldn't have found a new coach much more fresh than Lane Kiffin. The Raiders officially hired the 31-year-old Kiffin on Tuesday, putting the former Southern California offensive coordinator in charge of restoring glory to a three-time Super Bowl champion that fell to the NFL's worst record last year. Kiffin, who took the job Monday, became the youngest head coach in club history and the NFL's youngest in several decades. If the job of rebuilding a 2-14 club intimidates him, Kiffin didn't show it while sitting next to Davis in a sharp black suit. "I'm extremely excited about this opportunity and where I see this place going," Kiffin said at the Raiders' training complex. "It's a historic franchise that has had greatness and has fallen on tough times, but we will bring it back to where it was before. We will do that through hard work. I'm prepared to roll up my sleeves and go to work." Kiffin, the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, has just one season of NFL experience -- as the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive quality control coach in 2000. But the 77-year-old Davis wasn't afraid to hire a coach young enough to be his grandson. In fact, Davis wanted another talented young offensive mind to lead the franchise where John Madden, Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden excelled in their 30s. Shanahan and Gruden won Super Bowls with other teams after leaving the Raiders rancorously when their ideas clashed with Davis' vision for the franchise. "I think, '31 years old, wow, that's young,' " Davis said. "But you don't have to be old to be great. You have to be good. You have to want it. You have to have a desire, a passion for football." The Raiders will also retain defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who built an above-average defense last season despite the offense's woes. Kiffin, who left for the Senior Bowl after Tuesday's news conference, plans to hire an offensive coordinator soon.
And he has plenty of additional work ahead with the Raiders. Davis has fired three coaches in the last four years while attempting to get his club back to respectability, but nothing has worked during the worst four-season span in franchise history. After losing to Tampa Bay and former coach Gruden in the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, Oakland has endured four straight losing seasons, losing more games than any NFL club and culminating in the NFL's worst record in 2006. As Davis reflected on what he called the "year of infamy," he realized the Raiders needed a profound change. "As time went on, I realized that we had to go in a different direction," Davis said. "We have to move the clock back. We have to get youth in the organization, and we have to go ahead and attack and with someone who really means that he will attack." The Raiders have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, and now they also have Kiffin in charge of a new offensive philosophy. Oakland managed just 168 points last season -- fifth fewest in a 16-game schedule in NFL history -- despite decent offensive talent, including receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter and running back LaMont Jordan. Kiffin, a former Fresno State quarterback who played under current California coach Jeff Tedford, is younger than a number of players who finished the season with Oakland, including defensive tackle Warren Sapp, fullback Zack Crockett and receiver Alvis Whitted. But Kiffin's ambition and confidence won over Davis despite his youth. Though Kiffin revealed little of his personality in his first public appearance in Alameda, he isn't worried about giving orders to players who are his chronological peers. "Players don't care about age," Kiffin said. "Players want to be coached. Great players want to get better, and that's what we're going to do. We will be upfront with our players. We will be honest. We will have high standards for them, and that's what they want." Davis fired Art Shell after the disastrous season and apparently became fixated on hiring a young offensive mind to succeed him. This strategy has worked for Davis before: Madden was just 14 months older than Kiffin when he took over the Raiders in 1969, and the Raiders compared Kiffin's hiring to Madden's appointment in the fourth sentence of their news release Tuesday. Gruden was 34 when he took over in 1998, and Shanahan was just 35 in 1988. Even Davis became the Raiders' head coach at 33 years, 6 months in 1963 -- more than 12 years before Kiffin was born. Kiffin joked that he had spoken to Gruden about the job. "[I] asked him if he's interested in becoming the Raiders' offensive coordinator. He said he had to talk to [former Raiders executive] Bruce Allen," he said. The Raiders chose Kiffin following serious talks with Steve Sarkisian, Kiffin's 32-year-old fellow USC assistant. Kiffin and Sarkisian worked with Pete Carroll and Norm Chow to create the impressive offense of the back-to-back national champion Trojans. "His expertise and the success he's had with our offense will play to the strengths of the Raiders personnel," Carroll said. "It will be exciting to see it unfold. His ability to get the most out of his players has been obvious." Both Kiffin and Davis showed they've still got work to do before they're in a mutual groove. Kiffin must still learn the Raiders' organization-wide reverence for their past successes. "We're not here to discuss the past, because that has nothing to do with where we're going," Kiffin said in response to queries about disgruntled receiver Porter. And Davis accidentally referred to his new coach as "Lance" before correcting himself. Meanwhile, at USC, Brennan Carroll, son of the head coach and the Trojans' tight ends coach, will take over Kiffin's role as recruiting coordinator, Pete Carroll.