THE OFFICIAL OAKLAND RAIDERS 2009 OFFSEASON THREAD
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Assistants scurrying out of Oakland
January 7, 2009 9:24 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Several assistant coaches on Oakland's staff are not waiting to see whether interim coach Tom Cable returns.
Wednesday, both coordinators and a key offensive coach reportedly departed the team.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is reportedly going to join former Jets coach Eric Mangini with the Browns. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is headed to Seattle and running backs coach Tom Rathman is headed to San Francisco.
None of the departures is a major surprise. Knapp's and Rathman's departures have been expected for months. Ryan nearly went to the Jets last year.
If Cable is retained, he will have to hire several new coaches. Oakland owner Al Davis has had a short phone conversation with Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. There haven't been any other known interviews.
January 7, 2009 9:24 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Several assistant coaches on Oakland's staff are not waiting to see whether interim coach Tom Cable returns.
Wednesday, both coordinators and a key offensive coach reportedly departed the team.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is reportedly going to join former Jets coach Eric Mangini with the Browns. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is headed to Seattle and running backs coach Tom Rathman is headed to San Francisco.
None of the departures is a major surprise. Knapp's and Rathman's departures have been expected for months. Ryan nearly went to the Jets last year.
If Cable is retained, he will have to hire several new coaches. Oakland owner Al Davis has had a short phone conversation with Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. There haven't been any other known interviews.
i understand that about the titans...it was a bad example....theres teams like the colts (another bad example because they have the best pass rushing duo in the leauge)..vikes (even before jared allen they were stout)...jags (previous year, d sucked this year)....even the texans...all teams that dont get many sacks from players other then lineman
4-3 defenses dont have the flashy blitz packages that the 3-4 has...
blitzing in the 4-3 leaves wholes in coverage more then the 3-4....
raiders need interior lineman worth a shit.....THEN and only then will thier defense improve
they lack arugeably the most important part of the whole d
and....honestly..i couldnt blame ANY cord. for that
4-3 defenses dont have the flashy blitz packages that the 3-4 has...
blitzing in the 4-3 leaves wholes in coverage more then the 3-4....
raiders need interior lineman worth a shit.....THEN and only then will thier defense improve
they lack arugeably the most important part of the whole d
and....honestly..i couldnt blame ANY cord. for that
Raiders: Not so fast on Donatell
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 5:53 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, linked to the Raiders as a potential successor for Rob Ryan, hasn’t been discussed within the walls of 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway, a Raiders spokesman said.
“No one from the Raiders has mentioned his name,” senior executive John Herrera said Friday. “I don’t know where that came from.”
Donatell worked with Raiders coach Tom Cable at the University of Idaho and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Raiders remain in a low-key mode in rebuilding their staff, as a club official confirmed the names of Green Bay linebackers coach Winston Moss and defensive backs coach Lionel Washington have come up, but that he had no knowledge of any interviews set up with either man.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Moss was going to interview for the head coaching job, possibly this weekend. The newspaper also said the the Raiders had already talked with Washington.
To date, the only confirmations the Raiders have made regarding the head coaching search or assistants is that Giants defensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride had a 90-minute “conversation” with Al Davis, and that Tom Cable had a four-hour interview on Wednesday.
The Raiders did confirm, however, that the 1963 Raiders under Al Davis had the biggest turnaround in NFL history, and not the 2008 Miami Dolphins, as has been widely reported.
According to figures the Raiders compiled, the 1962 Raiders went from 1-13 to 10-4, going from an .071 winning percentage to .714. Miami improved 10 games this year going from 1-15 to 11-5, its winning percentage going from .063 to .688.
For those of you scoring at home, that’s a .643 improvement by the Raiders and .625 by the Dolphins.
Asomugha, Lechler are All-Pro
Supporters of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha can now officially stop complaining about their player suffering from a lack of respect.
Asomugha’s “lonely man” act was so widely publicized this year he was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team. He is also a Pro Bowl starter.
An unrestricted free agent, Asomugha’s price just keeps going up.
Punter Shane Lechler was also honored. Lechler is also an unrestricted free agent. If the Raiders can’t lock up one of them to a long-term contract, they could lose the other.
Asomugha was hinting strongly at the end of the season he wanted out. Since the Raiders won’t let him get away for nothing, he can expect to be franchised. That being the case, Asomugha’s exit would come via trade, much the same way that Jared Allen left the Kansas City Chiefs for the Minnesota Vikings last season.
Don’t put it past the Raiders to offer Lechler considerably more than he could get anywhere else, leaving it up to him to determine how much he really wants to leave.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 5:53 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, linked to the Raiders as a potential successor for Rob Ryan, hasn’t been discussed within the walls of 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway, a Raiders spokesman said.
“No one from the Raiders has mentioned his name,” senior executive John Herrera said Friday. “I don’t know where that came from.”
Donatell worked with Raiders coach Tom Cable at the University of Idaho and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Raiders remain in a low-key mode in rebuilding their staff, as a club official confirmed the names of Green Bay linebackers coach Winston Moss and defensive backs coach Lionel Washington have come up, but that he had no knowledge of any interviews set up with either man.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Moss was going to interview for the head coaching job, possibly this weekend. The newspaper also said the the Raiders had already talked with Washington.
To date, the only confirmations the Raiders have made regarding the head coaching search or assistants is that Giants defensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride had a 90-minute “conversation” with Al Davis, and that Tom Cable had a four-hour interview on Wednesday.
The Raiders did confirm, however, that the 1963 Raiders under Al Davis had the biggest turnaround in NFL history, and not the 2008 Miami Dolphins, as has been widely reported.
According to figures the Raiders compiled, the 1962 Raiders went from 1-13 to 10-4, going from an .071 winning percentage to .714. Miami improved 10 games this year going from 1-15 to 11-5, its winning percentage going from .063 to .688.
For those of you scoring at home, that’s a .643 improvement by the Raiders and .625 by the Dolphins.
Asomugha, Lechler are All-Pro
Supporters of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha can now officially stop complaining about their player suffering from a lack of respect.
Asomugha’s “lonely man” act was so widely publicized this year he was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team. He is also a Pro Bowl starter.
An unrestricted free agent, Asomugha’s price just keeps going up.
Punter Shane Lechler was also honored. Lechler is also an unrestricted free agent. If the Raiders can’t lock up one of them to a long-term contract, they could lose the other.
Asomugha was hinting strongly at the end of the season he wanted out. Since the Raiders won’t let him get away for nothing, he can expect to be franchised. That being the case, Asomugha’s exit would come via trade, much the same way that Jared Allen left the Kansas City Chiefs for the Minnesota Vikings last season.
Don’t put it past the Raiders to offer Lechler considerably more than he could get anywhere else, leaving it up to him to determine how much he really wants to leave.
Miller needs some help
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 8:19 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Fifth in a series evaluating the Raiders position by position as they prepare for the 2009 season:
Position group review: Tight end
Starter: Zach Miller. Reserves: Tony Stewart, Darrell Strong
As long as Miller stays healthy, this may be the one position where the Raiders have now worries for the next several years.
Thank about it.
JaMarcus Russell needs a lot of help from the offense and better receivers. Darren McFadden has to prove he can hold up over 16 games. Michael Bush must build on the promise of the season finale.
Miller isn’t a finished product, but he’s already near the top of profession, although overshadowed by the likes of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates in his own division.
He finished eighth among NFL tight ends with 56 receptions for 778 yards, and was far and away Oakland’s most reliable receiver. He also is an above average blocker who in some games was very good.
Because of Miller, the Raiders can remove “tight end” from their draft plans unless it’s for a complementary player in later rounds.
The only other tight end through most of the season who was active most Sundays was Stewart, an unrestricted free agent who made $900,000 last season and could be brought back. Stewart was a core special teams player, but perhaps not the ideal match for Miller in two tight end situations.
How do we know this?
Because coach Tom Cable said several times that if the Raiders every find a second tight end to “marry” with Miller, then Miller’s receiving numbers would go up even more.
Near the end of the season, the Raiders activated tight end Strong from the pracitce squad, although he wasn’t active for a game. Strong had an impressive training camp, and one club scout told me the two players who most surprised the Raiders in that they weren’t drafted were Strong and running back Louis Rankin.
Expect Strong to get a long look in the offseason and training camp to be the complementary tight end for Miller.
News and notes:
– All you needed to know about the chances of the Raiders and 49ers sharing a stadium was contained in a quote by CEO Amy Trask more than halfway through the story in the Merc.
“We enjoy our relationship with the 49ers organization and wish it the best with its stadium endeavor,” Trask said.
– Losses by the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers freed up those coaching staffs should there be any candidates head coaching positions at Oakland or at any of the other vacancies.
Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is expected to get some interest. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger’s name showed up in print a couple years back as a potential Raiders candidate.
Which turned out to be a complete surprise to Heimerdinger, who said he was flattered to have his name mentioned but said he hadn’t been contacted by the Raiders and didn’t expect to be, given his relationship with former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.
– Hard to believe Jake Delhomme could be any worse in the playoffs than he was when the Panthers visited Oakland this season. But he somehow managed to make Tavares Jackson look cool and under control.
– If you’re getting the feeling there were a lot of unanswered e-mails and phone calls which weren’t returned today, you’re right. Did manage to reach one player on the phone and spent most of the time filling him in on the various things that have been reported and denied.
“Haven’t heard a word from anybody about anything,” he said.
– My NFL column a couple of weeks back declaring San Diego and Arizona as unfit for the playoffs is looking real strong about now.
– Another illustration of why the Raiders should keep all three of their running backs. Once Chris Johnson went down for Tennessee, all that was left was LenDale White, whose running style played right into the hands of the Ravens defense.
The Titans had no other realistic option.
Johnson can do things as a runner Darren McFadden may never do. His two best runs may have been the short gains which helped the Titans avoid a safety in the first half. McFadden’s strength, if he is utlilized correctly, will be his ability to get downfield and be more than a dumpoff receiver.
– The difference between Joe Flacco and Russell other than the size of their bank account?
Flacco has a fabulous defense and plays for a team with a hard-and-fast philosophy on both sides of the ball.
Russell does not. If the money wasn’t an issue, and it was a player-for-player swap, the Ravens make the deal 10 minutes ago, no matter how well Flacco does in the playoffs.
– Wonder how much better Russell would be with something approximating Larry Fitzgerald on the outside.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 8:19 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Fifth in a series evaluating the Raiders position by position as they prepare for the 2009 season:
Position group review: Tight end
Starter: Zach Miller. Reserves: Tony Stewart, Darrell Strong
As long as Miller stays healthy, this may be the one position where the Raiders have now worries for the next several years.
Thank about it.
JaMarcus Russell needs a lot of help from the offense and better receivers. Darren McFadden has to prove he can hold up over 16 games. Michael Bush must build on the promise of the season finale.
Miller isn’t a finished product, but he’s already near the top of profession, although overshadowed by the likes of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates in his own division.
He finished eighth among NFL tight ends with 56 receptions for 778 yards, and was far and away Oakland’s most reliable receiver. He also is an above average blocker who in some games was very good.
Because of Miller, the Raiders can remove “tight end” from their draft plans unless it’s for a complementary player in later rounds.
The only other tight end through most of the season who was active most Sundays was Stewart, an unrestricted free agent who made $900,000 last season and could be brought back. Stewart was a core special teams player, but perhaps not the ideal match for Miller in two tight end situations.
How do we know this?
Because coach Tom Cable said several times that if the Raiders every find a second tight end to “marry” with Miller, then Miller’s receiving numbers would go up even more.
Near the end of the season, the Raiders activated tight end Strong from the pracitce squad, although he wasn’t active for a game. Strong had an impressive training camp, and one club scout told me the two players who most surprised the Raiders in that they weren’t drafted were Strong and running back Louis Rankin.
Expect Strong to get a long look in the offseason and training camp to be the complementary tight end for Miller.
News and notes:
– All you needed to know about the chances of the Raiders and 49ers sharing a stadium was contained in a quote by CEO Amy Trask more than halfway through the story in the Merc.
“We enjoy our relationship with the 49ers organization and wish it the best with its stadium endeavor,” Trask said.
– Losses by the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers freed up those coaching staffs should there be any candidates head coaching positions at Oakland or at any of the other vacancies.
Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is expected to get some interest. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger’s name showed up in print a couple years back as a potential Raiders candidate.
Which turned out to be a complete surprise to Heimerdinger, who said he was flattered to have his name mentioned but said he hadn’t been contacted by the Raiders and didn’t expect to be, given his relationship with former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.
– Hard to believe Jake Delhomme could be any worse in the playoffs than he was when the Panthers visited Oakland this season. But he somehow managed to make Tavares Jackson look cool and under control.
– If you’re getting the feeling there were a lot of unanswered e-mails and phone calls which weren’t returned today, you’re right. Did manage to reach one player on the phone and spent most of the time filling him in on the various things that have been reported and denied.
“Haven’t heard a word from anybody about anything,” he said.
– My NFL column a couple of weeks back declaring San Diego and Arizona as unfit for the playoffs is looking real strong about now.
– Another illustration of why the Raiders should keep all three of their running backs. Once Chris Johnson went down for Tennessee, all that was left was LenDale White, whose running style played right into the hands of the Ravens defense.
The Titans had no other realistic option.
Johnson can do things as a runner Darren McFadden may never do. His two best runs may have been the short gains which helped the Titans avoid a safety in the first half. McFadden’s strength, if he is utlilized correctly, will be his ability to get downfield and be more than a dumpoff receiver.
– The difference between Joe Flacco and Russell other than the size of their bank account?
Flacco has a fabulous defense and plays for a team with a hard-and-fast philosophy on both sides of the ball.
Russell does not. If the money wasn’t an issue, and it was a player-for-player swap, the Ravens make the deal 10 minutes ago, no matter how well Flacco does in the playoffs.
– Wonder how much better Russell would be with something approximating Larry Fitzgerald on the outside.
McDonald: Could Gruden, Allen come back 'home' to Raiders?
By Jerry McDonald
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/17/2009 11:28:26 AM PST
Updated: 01/17/2009 11:53:38 AM PST
Guess there's some interest in the Jon Gruden-Bruce Allen firings and how they may or may not relate to the Raiders.
An internal e-mail this morning said, ``FYI - blog server crashed today due to high load. Anything special going on?''
Anyway, some random notes compiled last night regarding Gruden, Allen and the viability of going home again, while waiting for ``Inside the Raiders'' blog to come back to life:
# First, think economics. Gruden and Allen are each due three years worth of salary and can wait for the best offers.
Seems doubtful Gruden would coach for something in the $2 million range six years after he felt a three-year, $9 million offer was unceremoniously pulled off the table in the midst of second straight AFC West title.
# That said, Gruden seemed to be going out of his way before the Week 17 loss to the Raiders to downplay any thoughts of animosity.
``There's been a lot of water going under that bridge . . . I had a great experience there, we had a great group of players,'' Gruden said in a conference call to Bay Area reporters.
``We had some of the best players in football at that time . . . there seems to be some people that want to say I had a bad experience there.''
# Neither Gruden nor Allen ever burned a bridge, publicly disparaging the Raiders.
# Nothing's impossible. We're talking about a man who moved his team to Los Angeles and then back to Oakland.
Davis hired back Art Shell as head coach and has had front # office and assistant coaches leave and return.
Ron Wolf left the Raiders personnel department in 1975 and returned in 1978.Steve Ortmayer left in 1986 and was back in 1990.
# Gruden's pitch to Rich Gannon on playing for the Raiders: ``If we can turn this place around, this can be our legacy.''
They turned it around to a great degree without reaching the ultimate goal. Oddly enough, both men had their greatest season the first year they were apart _ Gruden winning a Super Bowl, Gannon winning an MVP.
But if you don't think hiring Gruden, and the subsequent signing of Gannon weren't the two biggest factors in the Raiders' three-year run of excellence, you're drinking too much Kool-Aid or paid no attention to how and why 2000 through 2002 happened.
Would Gruden want to be identified with twice turning around the same franchise?
# For the sake of discussion, let's assume Gruden was sending some sort of message to Davis with his Week 17 show of respect.
How would he interact with JaMarcus Russell _ the most important player in the immediate future of the franchise?
He spoke glowingly of Russell's progress before the game, while at the same time noting that at some point a quarterback has to either elevate to the next level, or it's time to move on.
Gruden's not as brutal on quarterbacks as Mike Martz. He'll mix in the atta-boys with the sarcasm. But Gruden is still notoriously impatient with quarterbacks who don't put as much into preparation as he does _ and there are few who do.
# Fact is, Gruden's offensive language (and we're not talking F-bombs, but X's and O's) is among the most complicated in the league, and if you don't get it out with the proper confidence and emphasis, you hear about it _ with more offensive language.
# I wondered years ago whether Gruden was another Larry Brown _ a gifted coach destined to go from franchise to franchise for quick fixes before wearing out his welcome and moving on.
Wrong, of course. He's been at two jobs in the last 11 years _ not bad by NFL standards. But his energy is indeed perfect for the quick-fix. No doubt Gruden would elevate the Raiders level of intensity immediately.
It's what happens afterward that is the concern.
# If I'm Jerry Jones and I want to light a fire under the Cowboys, I've already called Gruden. New stadium, new energy, someone to get Terrell Owens going or out of town.
Gruden loves Owens, by the way, and chides his own receivers as to their musculature, urging them to get in the weight room like T.O.
# The Chiefs could also benefit from a Gruden jump-start, but new exec Scott Pioli is the man in charge and will run the organization. Gruden is tight with Bill Belichick, so the two know each other.
Pioli would have to be sold on being able to work with Gruden the way he worked with Belichick before the sight of Jonny gracing the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium could become a possibility.
# For all the flak John Herrera gets for trumpeting the company line, harken back to 1996 through 2003 and remember Allen.
Allen looked you straight in the eye and espoused all that was silver and black even when it seemed ridiculous.
A player agent, Allen said he only got into NFL management because of Davis, a friend of his late father. He said he couldn't envision a management position with anyone else.
So how did Allen wind up working for the Glazers? His firmly rooted belief that, ``You don't trade the coach.''
He felt it was something that simply shouldn't be done. The Gruden trade blindsided Allen. He was the NFL Executive of the Year the following season, yet had already mentally begun to break away.
# Gruden and Allen aren't necessarily a package deal at their next stop. Allen worked side-by-side with Gruden for 10 of the last 11 years. It's conceivable both men can use a break.
# Talked with a few former Gruden assistants at the combine last year, though, who felt Gruden's intensity required Allen's ability to smooth things out.
``Don't get me wrong, I love the guy,'' he said. ``But he's crazy. You need a buffer. Bruce was the buffer _ the perfect guy for the job.''
Not coincidentally, it's the same thing people would say about the role Allen played insulating people from the more hard-edged side of Davis.
In that way, the Gruden-Allen-Davis dynamic worked well in Oakland. In the meantime, Gruden and Allen operated independently while Davis has grown older and more isolated.
Not exactly a guarantee things would operate as they did 10 years ago.
# City of Industry is attempting to put together a stadium deal near Los Angeles. If you want some extreme conjecture, Allen has never gotten over the fact that the Rams left L.A. with their royal blue and white uniforms.
He grew up an L.A. guy, spent his youth with his father's teams and is still tight with Deacon Jones, Roman Gabriel and the like. Allen would be an obvious candidate to work toward putting another team there _ whether it's the Raiders or anyone else.
# Quite the rise by Raheem Morris, the defensive backs coach who went from Monte Kiffin's replacement at defensive coordinator to NFL head coaching candidate to Gruden's replacement with the Bucs.
Imagine Darren Perry suddenly becoming the Raiders head coach in 2009.
Morris, you'll recall was Lane Kiffin's pick to succeeed Rob Ryan once it was clear he couldn't get his father away from the Bucs. As it turned out, he had no chance of getting Morris, either, he was still under contract and Davis wouldn't let him fire Ryan.
By Jerry McDonald
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/17/2009 11:28:26 AM PST
Updated: 01/17/2009 11:53:38 AM PST
Guess there's some interest in the Jon Gruden-Bruce Allen firings and how they may or may not relate to the Raiders.
An internal e-mail this morning said, ``FYI - blog server crashed today due to high load. Anything special going on?''
Anyway, some random notes compiled last night regarding Gruden, Allen and the viability of going home again, while waiting for ``Inside the Raiders'' blog to come back to life:
# First, think economics. Gruden and Allen are each due three years worth of salary and can wait for the best offers.
Seems doubtful Gruden would coach for something in the $2 million range six years after he felt a three-year, $9 million offer was unceremoniously pulled off the table in the midst of second straight AFC West title.
# That said, Gruden seemed to be going out of his way before the Week 17 loss to the Raiders to downplay any thoughts of animosity.
``There's been a lot of water going under that bridge . . . I had a great experience there, we had a great group of players,'' Gruden said in a conference call to Bay Area reporters.
``We had some of the best players in football at that time . . . there seems to be some people that want to say I had a bad experience there.''
# Neither Gruden nor Allen ever burned a bridge, publicly disparaging the Raiders.
# Nothing's impossible. We're talking about a man who moved his team to Los Angeles and then back to Oakland.
Davis hired back Art Shell as head coach and has had front # office and assistant coaches leave and return.
Ron Wolf left the Raiders personnel department in 1975 and returned in 1978.Steve Ortmayer left in 1986 and was back in 1990.
# Gruden's pitch to Rich Gannon on playing for the Raiders: ``If we can turn this place around, this can be our legacy.''
They turned it around to a great degree without reaching the ultimate goal. Oddly enough, both men had their greatest season the first year they were apart _ Gruden winning a Super Bowl, Gannon winning an MVP.
But if you don't think hiring Gruden, and the subsequent signing of Gannon weren't the two biggest factors in the Raiders' three-year run of excellence, you're drinking too much Kool-Aid or paid no attention to how and why 2000 through 2002 happened.
Would Gruden want to be identified with twice turning around the same franchise?
# For the sake of discussion, let's assume Gruden was sending some sort of message to Davis with his Week 17 show of respect.
How would he interact with JaMarcus Russell _ the most important player in the immediate future of the franchise?
He spoke glowingly of Russell's progress before the game, while at the same time noting that at some point a quarterback has to either elevate to the next level, or it's time to move on.
Gruden's not as brutal on quarterbacks as Mike Martz. He'll mix in the atta-boys with the sarcasm. But Gruden is still notoriously impatient with quarterbacks who don't put as much into preparation as he does _ and there are few who do.
# Fact is, Gruden's offensive language (and we're not talking F-bombs, but X's and O's) is among the most complicated in the league, and if you don't get it out with the proper confidence and emphasis, you hear about it _ with more offensive language.
# I wondered years ago whether Gruden was another Larry Brown _ a gifted coach destined to go from franchise to franchise for quick fixes before wearing out his welcome and moving on.
Wrong, of course. He's been at two jobs in the last 11 years _ not bad by NFL standards. But his energy is indeed perfect for the quick-fix. No doubt Gruden would elevate the Raiders level of intensity immediately.
It's what happens afterward that is the concern.
# If I'm Jerry Jones and I want to light a fire under the Cowboys, I've already called Gruden. New stadium, new energy, someone to get Terrell Owens going or out of town.
Gruden loves Owens, by the way, and chides his own receivers as to their musculature, urging them to get in the weight room like T.O.
# The Chiefs could also benefit from a Gruden jump-start, but new exec Scott Pioli is the man in charge and will run the organization. Gruden is tight with Bill Belichick, so the two know each other.
Pioli would have to be sold on being able to work with Gruden the way he worked with Belichick before the sight of Jonny gracing the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium could become a possibility.
# For all the flak John Herrera gets for trumpeting the company line, harken back to 1996 through 2003 and remember Allen.
Allen looked you straight in the eye and espoused all that was silver and black even when it seemed ridiculous.
A player agent, Allen said he only got into NFL management because of Davis, a friend of his late father. He said he couldn't envision a management position with anyone else.
So how did Allen wind up working for the Glazers? His firmly rooted belief that, ``You don't trade the coach.''
He felt it was something that simply shouldn't be done. The Gruden trade blindsided Allen. He was the NFL Executive of the Year the following season, yet had already mentally begun to break away.
# Gruden and Allen aren't necessarily a package deal at their next stop. Allen worked side-by-side with Gruden for 10 of the last 11 years. It's conceivable both men can use a break.
# Talked with a few former Gruden assistants at the combine last year, though, who felt Gruden's intensity required Allen's ability to smooth things out.
``Don't get me wrong, I love the guy,'' he said. ``But he's crazy. You need a buffer. Bruce was the buffer _ the perfect guy for the job.''
Not coincidentally, it's the same thing people would say about the role Allen played insulating people from the more hard-edged side of Davis.
In that way, the Gruden-Allen-Davis dynamic worked well in Oakland. In the meantime, Gruden and Allen operated independently while Davis has grown older and more isolated.
Not exactly a guarantee things would operate as they did 10 years ago.
# City of Industry is attempting to put together a stadium deal near Los Angeles. If you want some extreme conjecture, Allen has never gotten over the fact that the Rams left L.A. with their royal blue and white uniforms.
He grew up an L.A. guy, spent his youth with his father's teams and is still tight with Deacon Jones, Roman Gabriel and the like. Allen would be an obvious candidate to work toward putting another team there _ whether it's the Raiders or anyone else.
# Quite the rise by Raheem Morris, the defensive backs coach who went from Monte Kiffin's replacement at defensive coordinator to NFL head coaching candidate to Gruden's replacement with the Bucs.
Imagine Darren Perry suddenly becoming the Raiders head coach in 2009.
Morris, you'll recall was Lane Kiffin's pick to succeeed Rob Ryan once it was clear he couldn't get his father away from the Bucs. As it turned out, he had no chance of getting Morris, either, he was still under contract and Davis wouldn't let him fire Ryan.
Younger Fassel selected to guide Raiders' special teams
By Steve Corkran
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/17/2009 08:39:14 PM PST
Updated: 01/18/2009 10:09:04 AM PST
The Raiders promoted John Fassel to special teams coach Saturday, as managing general partner Al Davis continued his quest to rebuild a coaching staff that lost all three of its coordinators.
Fassel, 34, replaces Brian Schneider, hired by USC on Wednesday after spending two seasons with the Raiders.
Fassel joined the Raiders in 2008 after a three-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens. His father, Jim Fassel, was the Ravens offensive coordinator during part of that three-year period.
Davis spent part of Saturday interviewing linebackers coach Don Martindale for an unspecified position on the 2009 staff. Two people familiar with the process said Martindale is being considered as the replacement for departed defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Martindale has spent five seasons with the Raiders. Davis is fond of Martindale, to the point that he gave him a contract extension before the 2007 season as a means of preventing him from leaving for a position at Stanford. That contract expired Tuesday, along with those of all but one member of the Raiders coaching staff.
Davis still is undecided on a head coach. The Raiders also need an offensive coordinator after Greg Knapp took a similar position with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month.
In other news, new Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels reportedly hired Ed Donatell as his defensive backs coach Saturday.
Donatell was rumored to be a potential candidate for the Raiders defensive coordinator position. However, Raiders officials said before Saturday that Donatell's name was never mentioned by Davis.
By Steve Corkran
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/17/2009 08:39:14 PM PST
Updated: 01/18/2009 10:09:04 AM PST
The Raiders promoted John Fassel to special teams coach Saturday, as managing general partner Al Davis continued his quest to rebuild a coaching staff that lost all three of its coordinators.
Fassel, 34, replaces Brian Schneider, hired by USC on Wednesday after spending two seasons with the Raiders.
Fassel joined the Raiders in 2008 after a three-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens. His father, Jim Fassel, was the Ravens offensive coordinator during part of that three-year period.
Davis spent part of Saturday interviewing linebackers coach Don Martindale for an unspecified position on the 2009 staff. Two people familiar with the process said Martindale is being considered as the replacement for departed defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Martindale has spent five seasons with the Raiders. Davis is fond of Martindale, to the point that he gave him a contract extension before the 2007 season as a means of preventing him from leaving for a position at Stanford. That contract expired Tuesday, along with those of all but one member of the Raiders coaching staff.
Davis still is undecided on a head coach. The Raiders also need an offensive coordinator after Greg Knapp took a similar position with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month.
In other news, new Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels reportedly hired Ed Donatell as his defensive backs coach Saturday.
Donatell was rumored to be a potential candidate for the Raiders defensive coordinator position. However, Raiders officials said before Saturday that Donatell's name was never mentioned by Davis.
THE RAIDERS NEED 2 TRADE UP 4 CRABTREE(IF POSSIBLE)...WITHOUT AN OUTSTANDING POSSESSION RECIEVER THE RAIDERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SUBPAR...I BECAME A FAN IN 1980 WHEN THEY BEAT THE EAGLES IN THE SUPER BOWL...THEY ALWAYS HAD A CLIFF BRANCH,TIM BROWN TYPE RECIEVER THAT THE QB COULD RELY ON....I NEVER UNDERSTOOD THE RANDY MOSS TRADE....INSTEAD OF TRADING HIM 4 A 4TH ROUND PICC I DIDN'T SEE WHY THEY WOULDN'T TRADE HIM 4 ANOTHER VALUABLE WIDE RECIEVER OR AT LEAST AN UP & COMING PROSPECT....AL DAVIS HAS ALMOST MADE ME NOT LIKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE TEAMS....JUST LIKE NELLY & GOLDEN STATE....SOMETIMES THESE OLD GUYS NEED 2 FACE REALITY & PASS THE FUCCIN TORCH!!
Killa Tay.. whats good...
I agree the Raiders are lacking a solid WR threat right now, but I personally dunno if Crabtree is really the answer
For one, although I havent watched enough fo him... I have heard he is not really that fast, I thought I heard, but then again I could be wrong
Also, I really think we need to take advantage of one of these offensive linemen in the draft... we need to build from the inside out in my opinion
Also... young WR's aren't always affective right away... and we have some talented up and coming young WR's right now in Schilens and Higgins... not to mention we're gonna have Carter back who could possibly do somethin for us... and we gotta take a look at Shields as well
I think drafting Crabtree would just add in another young WR which we already got... I would rather get a WR in FA if possible... TJ Whosyamama maybe???
I'd like to strengthen the O-Line so J Russ aint runnin for his life next season... give him some time to work with the receivers we got now... and maybe draft a big name next year... or get someone in FA this year or next year
but that's just my 2 cents... if we get Crabtree I wont really be mad... I'll just have to roll with it and hope he can do some big things... we'll see
I agree the Raiders are lacking a solid WR threat right now, but I personally dunno if Crabtree is really the answer
For one, although I havent watched enough fo him... I have heard he is not really that fast, I thought I heard, but then again I could be wrong
Also, I really think we need to take advantage of one of these offensive linemen in the draft... we need to build from the inside out in my opinion
Also... young WR's aren't always affective right away... and we have some talented up and coming young WR's right now in Schilens and Higgins... not to mention we're gonna have Carter back who could possibly do somethin for us... and we gotta take a look at Shields as well
I think drafting Crabtree would just add in another young WR which we already got... I would rather get a WR in FA if possible... TJ Whosyamama maybe???
I'd like to strengthen the O-Line so J Russ aint runnin for his life next season... give him some time to work with the receivers we got now... and maybe draft a big name next year... or get someone in FA this year or next year
but that's just my 2 cents... if we get Crabtree I wont really be mad... I'll just have to roll with it and hope he can do some big things... we'll see