In Wisconsin, there have been some whispers that Brett Favre would like to see the offense upgraded and, perhaps, even have the Packers trade for disgruntled Oakland receiver Randy Moss. Head coach Mike McCarthy believes Favre's decision will hinge on personal issues, not on the quality of the Packers.

At a speaking engagement near Palm Springs the other day, USC coach Pete Carroll said he figured he knew his former prot?g?, Lane Kiffin, would pass on Notre Dame's Brady Quinn in favor of Russell, now that Kiffin is the head coach of the Raiders. His reasoning: Kiffin likes throwing it downfield, and Russell's downfield arm is much stronger than Quinn's. "The kid from LSU is exactly what they're looking for, more than the kid from Notre Dame,'' Carroll said.

Rumors already were circulating that Randy Moss had refused to take Lane Kiffin's phone calls to discuss the upcoming season or had cursed the coach over the phone. Moss' attorney, J. Timothy DiPiero, said by telephone from West Virginia that he had heard the rumors but doesn't know where they came from. "They spoke recently and they were cordial and that's all I know about it," DiPiero said. Moss said in a radio interview during the season that he looked forward to playing for another team in 2007. "The bottom line from my standpoint was (Kiffin) called the other day and was real enthusiastic about the future," DiPiero said. "He was talking up next year."

The Raiders hired former Atlanta offensive coordinator Greg Knapp to fill the same job in Oakland, giving first-year coach Lane Kiffin an experienced coordinator to ease his transition from college to the NFL. Knapp spent the previous three seasons with the Falcons before being let go when coach Jim Mora was fired after the season and replaced by Bobby Petrino. Knapp ran a West Coast offense in Atlanta that struggled at times to work with quarterback Michael Vick.

The Atlanta Falcons issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, denying that the team is considering trading Quarterback Michael Vick. According to a spokeswoman for the Falcons, ?There are no plans to cut or trade Vick. Michael is our quarterback. He has a new head coach who is anxious to start working with him this season. Everyone has high expectations for Michael, including Michael.? According to published online reports, NFL sources say that the Raiders are trying to put together the trade deal that would send Vick to the Bay Area.

Lane Kiffin will be formally introduced as Head Coach of The Oakland Raiders during a press conference on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. at the Raiders' facility in Alameda. With his appointment today by Raiders owner Al Davis, Kiffin becomes the 16th head coach in franchise history and the youngest head coach in the NFL. The 31-year old Kiffin is also the youngest Head Coach in Raider history. Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach John Madden was 32 when he was elevated to the head post by Davis in 1969. Most recently, Kiffin presided over the vaunted offensive attack at the University of Southern California that a featured long, medium and short-range passing game coupled with a power running attack. His tutoring helped the Trojans capture back-to-back National College Football Championships in 2003 and 2004. Kiffin's play-calling, structure and offensive design helped the Trojan produce two Heisman Trophy winners-Reggie Bush in 2005 and Matt Leinart in 2004.

Rejected by Trojans assistant head coach Steve Sarkisian on Friday, the Raiders are now bringing back USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin for a second interview today -- this time, to discuss becoming Oakland's next head coach, according to two sources familiar with the search. Kiffin interviewed with Raiders owner Al Davis on Thursday in Alameda, but that was about serving as offensive coordinator if Sarkisian accepted their multiyear proposal.

USC assistant head coach Steve Sarkisian withdrew from the Raiders' coaching race Friday, just days after apparently emerging as the favorite to succeed Art Shell. Sarkisian, a former Raiders assistant who also coaches quarterbacks for the Rose Bowl champion Trojans, was the first coach to interview for the job after Shell was fired Jan. 4 following Oakland's NFL-worst 2-14 season.

The Raiders brought in USC quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian for a second interview Wednesday as the team intensified its search for a new head coach. Sarkisian, the first candidate to interview after Art Shell was fired, met again with owner Al Davis and other team executives, a person in the league with knowledge of the search said on condition of anonymity. The person requested anonymity because the Raiders are not releasing any details about the search. Sarkisian didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

San Diego Chargers wide receivers coach James Lofton interviewed Tuesday for a second straight year for the Oakland Raiders' head coaching vacancy and has emerged as a possible favorite for the job.