Rumor has it that even Lane Kiffin may attend, with his dad Monte in his final home game as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining his son at the University of Tennessee.

The only thing missing when the Raiders visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium Sunday will be the man responsible for bringing them all to Oakland _ Al Davis.

Davis, with leg and ankle problems, has heeded the warnings of his physicians, did not make the trip, and reconsidered the idea of taking a private plane Saturday, Raiders executive John Herrera confirmed.

"The doctors told him it's probably not the best thing to spend 10 or 12 hours in the air," Herrera said, referring to the roundtrip from Oakland to Tampa.

Herrera said he believes the only time Davis ever missed a game was when his wife Carole was hospitalized in 1979 following a heart attack.

Davis moved into the hospital for more than two weeks until she came out of a coma and recovered.

Other than that, Davis is not believed to have missed a Raiders games since joining the organization in 1963.

Davis, Herrera said, contemplated arranging for a private flight but listened to doctors who didn't want him to impede his recovery from swelling in the right knee and ankle.

Following the San Diego game on Dec. 4, Davis had a brief hospital stay for what team officials said was a fall. He attended games on Dec. 14 and 21, arriving in a medical van with a lift gate and in a wheelchair, rather than the walker he has used in recent years.

Herrera said Davis is fine and in good spirits.

"I can't emphasize this enough. He's feeling good. He wanted to make the trip and expected to make the trip, but the decision was made that it was not a good idea because of his knee and ankle," Herrera said. "He was a little ticked off that he didn't make the trip, but he knew he'd better listen to what the doctor said."