Lane Kiffin's honesty is refreshing, but it may lead to his unemployment soon. Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images Michael Lombardi's Mailbag Submit a comment or question to Michael. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Frankly Speaking

• FROM LANE KIFFIN'S WEDNESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE... The Raiders head coach made reference to blitzing one time in 10 third down plays during his Tuesday press briefing, and when quizzed Wednesday about bringing more pressure, he essentially shrugged his shoulders and said it wasn't his call. "We talk about it early in the week. Rob and the owner are in communication," Kiffin said. "For the most part, I let Rob do his thing over there. He has a belief in certain things and he has a conversation with the owner about that. So that wasn't the way the gameplan ended up the other night."

What most people who follow the NFL don't realize about the Raiders is Al Davis' love affair with defense. Everyone has a perception that Davis is an offensive guru, but the reality is he controls the defense, from the selection of the players to the schemes run on the field. And being his defensive coordinator is the hardest job in the building. I respect Kiffin for being honest. It may get him fired very soon, but he is at least being very forthcoming.

• FROM THE TENNESSEAN..."It's been a great week for me,'' said Vince Young. "I'm fine. I'm good. I just needed a day and a half to get through some things and how to handle things, but now I am OK. I was never depressed; I just hurt a little bit. ... When it happens again I'll know how to handle it. I just want everyone in the world to know I am fine.''

I am delighted to hear Young is doing much better, and that he has put the events of last week's game behind him. Young has never heard the boos before in his life. From little league to high school to the University of Texas, life has been very good for him. Now comes the hard part in his career -- dealing with and overcoming adversity. He needs to win over his teammates and coaches in the locker room first and that might be the hardest sell of all.

• FROM THE PEWTER REPORT... Jeff Garcia, talking about his contract squabble, the Brett Favre speculation and injury distractions: "Well, I've tried to do my best to put all that behind me. I can't continue to focus on things that aren't positive for this team. Those things aren't positive. If I dwell on that then that takes away from who I need to be for this team. I've really tried to redirect my energies into doing good things."

I watched the tape of the game between the Bucs and the Saints this past week and the body language of both Garcia and Jon Gruden towards each other was very bad. Gruden is starting Brian Griese. Based on the performance of Garcia last week, this was an easy decision for Gruden. I really believe Griese will remain the starter for the rest of the season. The Bucs have made several calls letting teams know Garcia is available for trade.

If I...

• If I were the Cincinnati Bengals, I would be worried about the play of quarterback Carson Palmer. He has not been the same since the knee injury two years ago and neither has the Bengals offense. The Bengals are perceived as being an explosive offense, but in reality there is nothing explosive about them. The Bengals need to find some answers for their lackluster offense. They need to get more production from their running game when teams play coverage on them, which is what Baltimore did last week.

• Also, if I were the Bengals, I might want to think about shutting down the player formerly known as Chad Johnson until his injured shoulder is better. His play last week was not very effective and when I watched him play, he seems to compensate for his injury, almost playing with one hand. I admire his toughness for trying to play, but he is not right.

• If I were a Saints fan, I would be delighted with the results of trading for Jonathan Vilma. Vilma's play in the first game of the season was sensational and he has added speed and athleticism to the Saints linebacking corps.

• If I were a Jaguars fan, I would be very worried about the playoffs. All the talk of the quarterbacks being injured this past week hid the potentially fatal injuries suffered by the Jaguars offensive line. Last year, the Giants starting offensive linemen played the whole season and never missed a snap. The Jaguars, in the tough AFC South, will have a monumental challenge securing a playoff berth with four of their top nine offensive linemen already on injured reserve.

• If I were the Chargers this week, I would attack the corners of the Broncos and make them defend my passing game. Denver crowds the line and makes it hard to run and to obtain success on offense you are forced to throw. Last week Philip Rivers had a 125.1 QB rating and lost, which to me is the most amazing stat of last week.

Taking a knee

Let's hope that Hurricane Ike does not do severe damage and everyone in its path remains safe.