Raiders fire Kiffin, name Cable the interim coach

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders fired Lane Kiffin on Tuesday just four games into his second season, ending a public feud with owner Al Davis that had been simmering since the start of the year.

"I reached a point where I felt that the whole staff were fractionalized, that the best thing to do to get this thing back was to make a change," Davis said during a lengthy news conference. "It hurts because I picked the guy. I picked the wrong guy."

The Raiders promoted offensive line coach Tom Cable to interim coach.

Kiffin had a 5-15 record since being hired last year, losing his final game 28-18 on Sunday to San Diego.

The decision to remove Kiffin was more about his frequent criticisms of Davis' franchise as it was the team's performance on the field. Those critiques reached a peak when Kiffin distanced himself from the defense after a blowout loss in the season opener, saying that was under coordinator Rob Ryan and Davis' control.

However, during a news conference Tuesday, Davis also critiqued several of Kiffin's coaching and personnel decisions. Among other things, he said Kiffin objected to the Raiders using the first pick in the 2007 draft on quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

"I didn't think it was any one thing, it was a cumulative thing," Davis said. "The pattern just disturbed me."

The Raiders said Kiffin was fired for cause, meaning they likely will try not to pay him for the remainder of his contract. He signed a three-year deal worth about $6 million when he took over last year.

The 79-year-old Davis was front and center for more than 90 minutes, sharing the stage with Cable for some of that time and then sticking around afterward to take more questions.