That short reprieve on your possible firing is putting no stop to rumors of who they might replace you with, Tom Cable. Several of the most plugged-in NFL gossipmongers are breaking reports that the Oakland Raiders are still considering Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, should they dump Cable.
ProFootballTalk.com's head snoop Mike Florio hears the Raiders are mulling Harbaugh for their head coaching position, as are the Buffalo Bills. NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora hears the same, with the "Raiders particularly worth monitoring."
Before his three seasons at Stanford, Harbaugh had been a offensive assistant coach on the 2002 Raiders team that went to the Super Bowl. Harbaugh is said to still have a very warm relationship with Mr. Davis.
The ProFootballTalk report describes Harbaugh as a "steath" candidate, meaning his Stanford recruitment efforts would prohibit the Raiders from publicly acknowledging that they were interviewing or pursuing him.
LaCanfora's report ends ominously with, "Harbaugh has been doing research and preparing should an opportunity arise." So that Stanford contract extension through 2014 Harbaugh signed recently may or may not be worth the paper it's printed on.
Harbaugh coached Stanford to an 8-5 season and a Sun Bowl appearance this year.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who cannot resist the temptation to mock the New England Patriots for not knowing the difference between Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.
