Harbaugh and the Raiders; The real story; Thursday dish

Don't pooh-pooh the Oakland Raiders interest in Jim Harbaugh and forget about his supposed "Not interest" in the job, assuming of course that Tom Cable is about to get dismissed.

Taking off my reporter/blogger hat, I wrote a Jan. 9Th post that the Raiders and Mr. Davis needed to make a bold move; pursue and hire Harbaugh. I don't care what the naysayers say; I know that Harbaugh wants very badly to coach in the NFL and that he once was the QB coach for Oakland in 2002 and '03.

As the immense rumor mill opened wide the past few days, multiple sources, including Adam Shefter of ESPN, reported that Davis has interviewed several candidates, including Harbaugh. I have no knowledge of the "other" coaches and the Raiders denied any such meetings. They thoroughly dismissed the SF Chronicle's David White's reports that the org. had interviewed Jim Fassel and Marc Trestman.

Two days ago, I received an unsolicited tip from an individual familiar with the NFL and the Raiders, in particular, about the team's interest in Harbaugh. I called and e-mailed a team official about the information. I have not received any info back.

On Wednesday's post, I wrote of a Davis/Harbaugh meeting and I offered the "4 and 20" scenario; meaning that to secure Harbaugh, assuming he was interested, it could possibly take a package of four years and $20 million to get him on board. Minumum. Keep in mind that the Raiders offered ex-Atlanta/Louisville coach, Bobby Petrino a five-year, $15 million deal in 2007. Petrino was set to take the job offer, but subsequently backed off due to family reasons.

**Back to Jim Harbaugh. As I said to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, there are merits to the Harbaugh/Davis communication(s)

Do I have first-hand proof that Davis met with Harbaugh. No. And my source is mum on that, but source says Mr. Davis and Mr. Harbaugh have talked. Quite a bit, according to the source.

Given Harbaugh's strained situation at Stanford with reagrds to coaching rumors, he's been reluctant to make any public statement regarding the Raiders or any other NFL/collegian coaching positions for that matter.

I do know that his days at Stanford are limited. He wants badly in on the NFL game as a head coach. I also know that Mr. Davis has a high regard for his talents, particularly in the area of QB development. The Raiders have JaMarcus Russell. He's been awful and it would be a humongous setback both on and off the field if he were to officially flop. Maybe a guy like Mr. Harbaugh could teach him some fundamentals. That might be only one of the thousands of reasons why Mr. Davis might be willing to open up the bank to Harbaugh.

And don't be fooled by the Raiders haters writers club that will say undoubtedly Harbaugh wouldn't take THAT job. Really? They're the same peons that said that Jon Gruden wouldn't take that job too. At this point, no one knows.

I do know this: There is mutual interest from both the Harbaugh camp and Mr. Davis. Whether or not that turns into an actual job remains to be seen. Only Mr, Davis and Mr. Harbaugh know the ins and outs there.

Harbaugh's wife and family love the Bay Area and his kids are fond of the region. There are only 32 coaches in the NFL. Its a relatively small fraturnity. Oakland is closer to the peninsula than Buffalo. Chicago seems set with Lovie Smith. Mike Singletary isn't going anywhere and Wade Phillips just re-upped with the Cowboys.

Harbaugh would no doubt want some Gruden-like control over player personnel and the draft. He may be inclined to want to hire a GM; those are potential sticking points, but Mr. Davis, at 80, wants to win badly. NOW is never more such a powerful word at Raiders headquarters, and for obvious reasons.

The franchise needs to sell luxury boxes. They need to win. They need to sell out games and avoid the infamous blackout status. They would love a new stadium, even if it means sharing it with the 49Er's.

They need, first and foremost, to win back the players, the fans, the ones who indirectly pay the bills. They need to ACT, not REACT.

Is Jim Harbaugh the savior? Can't hurt. Are the Raiders interested? You betcha, and more importantly, so is Harbaugh. Doesn't mean its going to happen, but don't be surprised if it does.

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