“Just win Baby!”

Apparently Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis didn’t believe Eastern alumni Sean Payton could do the above when they played a figurative game of he said/she said last week.

For whatever reason you want to pick (Payton turned down the job or Davis never offered the Raiders position to Payton) Eastern’s second favorite son behind Tony Romo won’t be patrolling the sidelines for the Silver and Black.

It certainly would’ve been remarkable for a small school like Eastern to watch one of their famous former Panthers be named head coach. Not to mention, Payton could’ve battled fellow Eastern alum Mike Shanahan twice a year as the Raiders and Denver Broncos meet in the AFC West.

But there are two reasons students and Charleston residents shouldn’t be disappointed former Washington Redskins coach and Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Norv Turner received the job Payton may have coveted.

The first glaring reason for Payton to stay out of Oakland is the future of the team. I realize, with the exception of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, when an organization fires a coach there are problems with the team and the new boss shouldn’t expect to walk in and take the team to the Super Bowl. With this being said, Oakland was probably the worst job on the market.

Say what you want about the Arizona Cardinals’ outlook, but the Raiders are going nowhere fast. The team has been in turmoil since the soap opera story involving center Barret Robbins at last year’s Super Bowl. The drug subpoena sent to Robbins, running back Tyrone Wheatley, fullback

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Chris Heatherington, defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, defensive end Chris Cooper and linebacker Bill Romanowski took some of the heat away from a 4-12 season that saw Raider Nation go from the penthouse to the outhouse in one season.

Not to mention who are the leaders on this team that Payton would’ve been in charge of? Receivers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown are quickly showing their age and should avoid further embarrassment and retire soon. Quarterback Rich Gannon will never return to his MVP season of 2002. Cornerback Charles Woodson is disgruntled and upset with the franchise. That leaves the Raiders with unproven quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo and wideout Jerry Porter as the hope for the future.

Not exactly the situation recommended for a would-be rookie head coach like Payton. The Raiders are on the slippery slope and I think Davis’ antics last week will be a blessing for Payton.

Reason number two is simply the “Big Tuna.” While Payton doesn’t get to run a program just yet, he heads back to Dallas as the quarterbacks coach and the assistant head coach to the great Bill Parcells.

Next season, when more coaching vacancies open up it will look pretty impressive when Payton puts down a two-time Super Bowl winner as a reference. Many of today’s most successful coaches including former “Tuna Helper” Bill Belichick worked under Parcells. Throw in Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and former New York Jets coach Al Groh as aides of Parcells and it’s very noticeable Payton is in good company.

Now that Sean Payton is a household name after the Davis fiasco owners will come calling for him when jobs open next year. Even though Payton isn’t making $1.5 million, as he would as Raiders coach, the grass will be greener for him next year.

Despite receiving a vote of confidence from the organization, It’s possible Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice could be out of a job if the Vikings struggle. After the Tennessee Titans failure in the playoffs against New England, news broke that Jeff Fisher could be ousted with another playoff collapse. Payton would be in much better shape to succeed if he landed in Minnesota with Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss or in Tennessee with Steve McNair and Justin McCareins than the dead end starring at him in Oakland.

Good things will come for Payton in the future years. Even though he’s not leading a franchise currently, his time to “just win Baby” will come soon enough.