As it turns out, Lane Kiffin made right call at RB

head coach Lane Kiffin has taken a lot of heat in his inaugural season with the silver and black. It's an almost inescapable consequence that comes with coaching the Raiders, especially in this day and age.If there's one thing that has made the 32-year-old look like a true fit for the job, though, it's the way he's 4 Brett Favre White jersey
evaluated his running backs.I must admit, yours truly was the first to start scratching his head this season. Kiffin's timing in his decision to bench LaMont Jordan in favor of Justin Fargas seemed inopportune and unfair, and his downright neglect of free-agent pickup Dominic Rhodes was yet another mystery.It seems it all worked out for the best, though. In the end, Kiffin was proven right. At least to this point.Since midway through the season, Fargas ranks third in the NFL in yardage amassed on the ground. From Week 8 on, the 220-pounder has carried the ball 102 times for 445 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Including the first seven weeks of the season -- in which he sat behind the 28-year-old Jordan -- Fargas has racked up 717 total rushing yards.If Fargas, 27, averages 56.6 rushing yards each game for the final five contests of the season, he'll reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his five-year career, and he'd do so in only nine starts.There's perhaps nobody out there who could have predicted Fargas even getting close to 1,000 yards this past offseason. Except maybe Kiffin.The young coach seemingly had his mind made up from the start on how he'd approach his three-headed running back dilemma. Jordan would start the season on a short leash; Fargas would be the man if Jordan began to slow down or suffered an injury; and Rhodes ... well, Rhodes would return kicks.That's the way it has all played out.Kiffin has turned his head to the two-year, $7.5 contract that was offered to Rhodes during the offseason, and he has completely disregarded Jordan's past employment with the Raiders. Nothing was guaranteed to either of them.The result has been the NFL's fifth-best rushing attack -- one that racks up 131.4 yards each game. Keep in Jets 6 Sanchez Jersey
mind, just a short year ago, the Raiders ranked 29th in the category, averaging fewer than 100 yards an outing.On Sunday, Oakland will be home to face the AFC West rival Denver Broncos, who have the 29th-ranked rushing 'D' in the NFL. It'll be yet another opportunity for the soon-to-be free agent Fargas to make both Jordan and Rhodes mere afterthoughts.And, once more, Kiffin's decision will be justified.