NAPA -- During his 12 seasons as an NFL coach, Greg Knapp went to the playoffs seven times, and to the NFC Championship Game twice. His offenses have led the league in rushing, and finished in the top five in scoring and total offense. His quarterbacks went to the Pro Bowl seven times.
So why did he want to get involved in this mess?
The Raiders, as everyone knows, are coming off a season of nearly unparalleled offensive ineptitude. They averaged 8.3 points a game (subtracting defensive touchdowns), gained 18.4 yards per game fewer than the next-worst team (Cleveland) and surrendered an NFL-high 72 sacks, among other atrocities. None of it could scare away Knapp, known to Bay Area fans for his nine seasons with the 49ers.
"As I told these guys, in my experiences I've been in a startup mode twice -- once with coach (Steve) Mariucci back in San Francisco, once with coach (Jim) Mora in Atlanta," Knapp said. "And both years, our first year, it can turn around pretty fast in this league. And fortunately for me, we went to the NFC championship both times our first year out. Not saying that can happen here, but it does happen sometimes faster than the numbers say."
The 2001 Niners and the 2004 Falcons didn't do it solely because of Knapp, but he was unquestionably a big part of their success. As an offensive coordinator for three years under Mariucci and three more under Mora, he became known as one of the game's top teachers of the West Coast offense.
When Lane Kiffin became Raiders coach on Jan. 22, Knapp was the first person he targeted to help him coach the offense. Knapp knew Kiffin's father, Monte, a long-time professional adversary as defensive coordinator of the Buccaneers, and liked what he heard from Lane. A Seal Beach native who played and coached at Sacramento State before joining the 49ers, Knapp also liked the idea of returning to the Bay Area.
When he joined the Raiders, it created an interesting dynamic. Knapp, 44, now answers to a coach much younger and far less experienced than he, the 32-year-old Kiffin. So far, it seems to be a good match.
"I've never been around an individual at any time that's more organized than he is," Kiffin said of Knapp. "He's extremely important to me and that was part of the hire . . . So if some things pop up, some questions I might have, he has the answers."
Knapp called the plays in his previous stints as offensive coordinator. He is installing the offense here at training camp, but Kiffin made it clear when he was hired that play-calling would be the head coach's responsibility in Oakland. Knapp still doesn't know whether he will be on the field or up in the box during games in 2007, saying the team will experiment during exhibition games.
Knapp did note that his version of the West Coast jibes with Kiffin's, making the transition easier for both.
If Knapp is known for anything, it is his work with quarterbacks. He inherited Steve Young, already a superstar when Knapp became 49ers quarterbacks coach in 1998. But he helped Jeff Garcia rise from an unknown free agent to a Pro Bowler and made strides with Michael Vick in Atlanta before Vick's play (and off-field life) began to deteriorate last year.
The Raiders hope Knapp can make an impact on a young passer like Andrew Walter, who was battered and abused in his second season.
"He and I, when we first sat down in February, we said, 'All right, let's talk,'" Knapp recalled. "And really we had a little common thread. I just came from an experience where it wasn't great for me. He just came out of an experience that wasn't great for him. Let's both treat each other with that we're starting with a clean slate. . . .
"From Day One, he's really said, 'All right, I'm yours.' "
The Raiders have a quarterbacks coach, John DeFilippo, but his expertise is the quarterback's techniques in the running game. Knapp handles most of the passing mechanics and game management. The opportunity isn't lost on Walter, who is eager to jump start his NFL career.
"He's probably one of the best coaches I've ever heard of," he said of Knapp.
CULPEPPER IN NAPA
Kiffin confirmed after the evening practice that Daunte Culpepper is scheduled to work out with the team this morning. The Raiders previously sent a scout to Florida to watch Culpepper, who was cut by the Dolphins on July 19.
Asked whether Culpepper's workout is in any way a reaction to JaMarcus Russell's failure to sign a contract, Kiffin said: "Sure it is. You've got to take into consideration everything. You've got to protect your team."
EXTRA POINTS
Rookie CB John Bowie (Achilles' tendon), CB Duane Starks (hamstring), T Chad Slaughter (calf) and G Ben Claxton (knee) missed both practices Monday. TE Randal Williams remains away from the team for personal reasons, while DE Derrick Burgess (hernia) and RB Michael Bush (leg) are on the PUP list. RB LaMont Jordan sat out the night practice with a sore back.
TE James Adkisson left the morning practice with a hamstring injury, and T Barry Sims backed out of the evening practice.You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 526-8672 or
phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.
