Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said he would announce a starting quarterback on Wednesday, but he supposedly told the quarterbacks on Tuesday who would be the starter. Body language would indicate the choice will be Josh McCown, but no one can say that for sure. Daunte Culpepper wasn't overly animated as he was coming off the field.
Even though Culpepper is the better talent, McCown makes sense to be the opening day starter. He's been in the offense since April. Culpepper arrived in July. McCown doesn't fumble the snaps as much as Culpepper does. Against the Lions, Kiffin wants a quarterback who makes fewer mistakes. The pressure is obviously on Kiffin to win home games against the Lions and Browns. With the Raiders expected to have problems on the road, losing one or two homes games would set up a possible 1-3 or 0-4 start. Kiffin can't afford that if he wants to change the fortunes of the Raiders.
Making headlines: Tiki Barber probably will sell extra books by saying
Tom Coughlin's return made it certain he was going to retire. Barber is media savvy. The Barber-Coughlin battle draws headlines for Barber, but it doesn't make much sense to think Coughlin's return was a factor. Sure, there were rumors toward the end of the season that Barber had second thoughts about his retirement. The way he was running, he probably could have been a starter for a couple more years. But it was Barber who decided at mid-season he was going to retire, and he knew Coughlin was on the bubble at the end of the year.
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John Clayton
