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25 Jan 2012

Raiders To Name Dennis Allen Head Coach

Young, up-and-coming NFL coordinator? Check. Poaching the staff of a division rival? Check. Not giving Marty Mornhinweg another shot at being an overtime-decision renegade? Check. Providing bait for a Raiderjoe appearance in an FO comment thread? Check. All in all, what a bonanza!

Posted by: Danny Tuccitto on 25 Jan 2012

49 comments, Last at 29 Jan 2012, 8:42pm by Raiderjoe

Comments

1
by TomC :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 12:31am

Can he hire Hue Jackson as OC?

2
by Alaska Jack :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 12:43am

That's surprising. I thought on further analysis, it turned out that the Broncos' defense wasn't really all that good.

Focusing on defense does make sense though. The offense was pretty good under Jackson and Saunders, and Saunders, a proven commodity, is still around. Really, they probably would have been fine keeping Jackson and just hiring a new DC. Bresnahan wasn't even very good in his first run with the Raiders. I remember regarding him as completely unremarkable.

I guess Moss wouldn't want a DC job. Maybe the team could bring on Bowles?

- Alaska Jack

4
by BroncosGuyAgain :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 1:36am

The Broncos' defense was average this year, although that was a significant step forward versus recent years past. Some of that improvement is due to personnel, but Allen has impressed both in New Orleans and in Denver. Of course, the head coach position is far, far, different than coordinator and position coach positions. Success at one does not suggest success at the other.

I wish Coach Allen all the best, although, as he is now a Raider, I will root against him with every fiber of my being. Sorry to see him go. It will be interesting to watch the Raiders going forward, as they now have a real GM who seems to have a real plan. They are a bit hamstrung from recent debacles (DHB, no 2012 draft, etc.), but there is finally reason for (rational) optimism in Oakland.

5
by Alaska Jack :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:44am

DHB really came on this year. 64 receptions for 975 yards is nothing to sneeze at. - aj

7
by BroncosGuyAgain :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 3:02am

Nothing to sneeze at, but not yet justifying the 7th overall pick. #37 in receptions(there are only 32 teams) and #29 in Yds/catch. And that is a year demolishing the two prior.

8
by tunesmith :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 3:10am

DHB doesn't need to justify the 7th pick. Water under the bridge, and a completely different team made the decision. What matters mostly is if he has marginal benefit over other WRs on the roster, and (to a degree) if he's worth his contract, which will expire someday anyway.

15
by ChicagoRaider :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 11:58am

Especially considering that Michael Crabtree (the player everyone wanted Oakland to take instead) had 72 receptions for 874 yards. Or Jeremy Maclin at 63/859.

Mind you, the waste was not trading down. The Raiders could easily have dropped 15 picks and still been assured of DHB.

25
by Alaska Jack :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:55pm

Good point. - aj

32
by Eggwasp (not verified) :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 3:29am

And Crabtree appears to be a jerk, who may end up being a TO-style problem whereas DHB has actually applied himself to improving his performance, with pretty impressive results.

The 3rd year WR effect may be a mirage, but it does have an element of truth behind it...(particularly if you've had 3 starting QBs in that time)

36
by LionInAZ (not verified) :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 11:10pm

One could imagine many entertaining debates over whether DHB or Tebow was a bigger draft debacle. LOL

3
by the K :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 1:27am

For one brief, exciting moment I read this headline as "Dennis Green"

13
by justanothersteve :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 9:30am

Weird. I thought the exact same thing. Though I didn't realize it wasn't Green until I started reading the comments. DG would have been too good to be true.

6
by Tom Gower :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:56am

Also I believe the first head coach the Raiders have hired with an extensive background on the defensive side of the ball since Mr. Al Davis his ownself. That's not much of a surprise, given the defense, not the offense, was the liability, and Saunders' scheme fits what they have more than a more Packers-influenced scheme would have.

9
by 3.14159265 (not verified) :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 4:02am

Madden was hired by Al Davis as linebackers coach for the AFL's Oakland Raiders in 1967, putting him in the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He helped the team reach Super Bowl II that season. A year later, after Raiders head coach John Rauch resigned to take the same position with the Buffalo Bills, Madden was named the Raiders' head coach on February 4, 1969, becoming professional football's youngest head coach at the age of 32.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Madden

10
by Raiderjoe :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 7:45am

Great movw by Raiders. Allen foing to bs real good one. Was excellent swcondary coach Super Bowl Saints. Key reason whyBroncos make playoffs 2011 seaspjn

11
by dryheat :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 8:30am

I wonder if you just copied and pasted the comments on the Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, and Hue Jackson hirings and just change "swcondary" and "Saints" and "Broncos" to fit the situation -- because I swear I've read this before.

20
by Raiderjoe :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:07pm

Nkt oossible . Do not kbow how to copy and paste from phoine

26
by dryheat :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 4:06pm

It took about an hour to put together, but I thought this was appropriate:

by Raiderjoe (not verified) :: Thu, 08/09/2007 - 10:26pm
have to consider Belichick best coaching staff in league, followed by Colts staff and Eagles. but smart money is on Lane Kiffin and Tom Cable and company. Kiffin is Young guru and will have Raiders successful very fast. Kiffin like Gruden was 10 yars ago. You heard it here first.

by Raiderjoe (not verified) :: Wed, 01/02/2008 - 9:45pm
re16
You bet Jets pay hefty price for stealing R Ryan even though Raiders dont want him anyway.
Raiders get exztra draft pick.
M Kiffin better than R Ryan. Move work out for Raiders. Raiders moving on up to the east side with this move.

by Raiderjoe (not verified) :: Fri, 01/25/2008 - 8:30pm
A Davis does not beat up women and throw things at strippers. and he doesnt do all the things the Bnegals did. He just have some probelsm in this decade with coaches being hired but as can see most were good moves to fire them B Callahan, A Shell, and maybe L Kiffin all not right man for job. Davis knows when to fire them.

by Raiderjoe :: Tue, 09/30/2008 - 11:33pm
Kiffin crap coach,. He proved it this season. Raiders should be 3-1, but Kiffin crapped away two games.
T Cable excellent choice by Davis to be new Raiders coach. Cable much smarter than Kiffin. team will be prpepared better and will hold ont to leads now. Raiders going to start winning now.

by Raiderjoe :: Mon, 12/01/2008 - 8:12pm
Raiders are good team that was ruined by horrible coahcing. Raiders ned to give up Cable and get HD.
Team good enogh to win Afc West if had better coahcing. L Kiffin total crap and T Cable not much beter.
Only think to watch now is continued devcelocment of J Russe;; and other good up and cominger players like Z Miller and Higgins and MCFadden.

by Raiderjoe :: Sat, 05/09/2009 - 1:38pm
Chargers best team in West lsst seaosn and Raiders probably 2nd best just didn't have better record than brncos but prove better than brncos when beat them in denver. roncos lucky in qeek 1 when Raiders a little off balnace early in season cuz had horrible crappy coach Lane Kiffin pretending to lead the way. Whebn Raiders get rid of Kiffin team turn around although still had some trouble winning becauase of prblems left behind by Kiffin. Kiffin worst coach ibn Raiders history and maybe worst coach of all ytime. Horrible person and crappy coach. L Kiffin lucky that Al Davis old otherwise maybve A Davis tar and feather L Kiffin and drag him through streets of Oakland

Hue Jackson greta coach. Excellent choice if that is guy Al davis want.
T Cable okay coach. Team had perosnel to get to playoffs but had no help from coach. Too worried about punching asisitants and eating donuts. Al Davis made swell move letting Cable coach team for full seoasns after coach/jerk L. Kiffin walked plank. Cable did get tema to go 6-0 in division and that is big key to winning. Probelm was coudln't win enough other games. Next coach ogint to fix that problem

by Raiderjoe :: Thu, 01/07/2010 - 8:34pm
Team lost games beccause of horrible coaches N Turner, Shell (first version good but 2nd go around was crap, clearly Shell not caring as much anymore; looked like beached drugged walrus on sideline during games)and Kiffin. kiffin- complete clown. Good move by Davis to hire a guy with greta football mind. But more to coaching than football knowledge as Davis find out about kiffin. Once Davis rrealize kiffin was jerk Davis fired him. T Cable much better man for job.

by Raiderjoe :: Thu, 01/07/2010 - 10:05pm
Point is that Ak Davis made good hires. Problem was the coaches did not coach good enough. Then Davis made even better move by firing them.

by Raiderjoe :: Tue, 01/12/2010 - 10:12pm
Lane Kiffin true jerk. Maybe the jerkiest.
Al Davis make greta move by making fun of Kiffin in press ocnfernece and basiclaly calling kiffin a clown and classless jerk.

by Raiderjoe :: Fri, 05/07/2010 - 5:32pm
well maybe sounded l;ike Oakland 2007 wjen lane kiffin cosch. not problem asnymore. Coaching stable with T. Cable. mamnagement great with Al Davis. team has excellkeny personal

Raiderjoe :: Mon, 01/03/2011 - 9:30pm
good chance it oging to be Hue Jackson. Great coach. Al Davis goign to make corretc decision

by Raiderjoe :: Wed, 01/05/2011 - 4:00pm
Davis did nothing wrong. Kiffin was good hire and great fire. Davis rarely make mistakrs. Maybe brst football minf ever.

by Raiderjoe :: Tue, 01/10/2012 - 3:34pm
H. Jackson couldnt coach wau out of paperbag. R. McKenzie (smart GM) going gl bring in quality hesd coach.

27
by Alaska Jack :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 6:14pm

So? Raiderjoe is large; he contains multitudes.

- aj

31
by Jerry :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 2:42am

Thanks for putting this together. Of course, the blind spot for the Raiders is part of the gretaness of Raiderjoe.

33
by Pied :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 10:36am

I trust Raiderjoe's opinion above all others
--on matters outside the AFCW

35
by Phil O'sopher (not verified) :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 4:44pm

Raiderjoe is my favorite internet forum member on every board and comment section that I go to; sports related or not.

He is the one of the most knowledgeable football fans out there, but has that love of his home team that we all have (or wish we had, Browns fan here...so no bones about team 'or tema' being any good anytime soon, let alone the horrible coaching hires that they continue to do. Jealous of his optimism for his home team)

Plus reading his posts with the misspellings is so enjoyable that you would think he is retarded or at a minimum serious challenged, but he is extremely smart and knows his stuff (well, expect for being objective about the Raiders)

My dream is to one day sit down and have a beer w/ Raiderjoe. That would just rule. Seirra Nevadas for everyone!

34
by Noah of Arkadia :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 4:23pm

Great stuff! I especially like how all remain great hires even after they turned into great fires.

------
We are number one. All others are number two, or lower.

39
by LionInAZ (not verified) :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 11:39pm

"The Evolution of Raiderjoe" -- sounds like a great novel or movie script!

The Lane Kiffen -- good hire, great fire line is a surefire classic!

44
by Dean :: Fri, 01/27/2012 - 12:50pm

When trolls come to this site and bash RJ, it's usually this sort of hero-worship that sets them off.

I've defended the guy and will continue to do so. The man knows his football.

But this is so over the top it could be packaged in a Broncos #15 jersey.

12
by andrew :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 9:23am

How did the last bronco coordinator they hired work out?

16
by ChicagoRaider :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 12:00pm

Headed to the Hall of Fame last I heard.

22
by Southern Philly :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:13pm

Did he buy tickets?

28
by dmstorm22 :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 7:38pm

Mike Shanahan will most likely be a HOF coach. After BB, and possibly Dungy, he is the #3 coach of the last 15 years. (Holmgren probably just behind).

This Washington thing may make him a 3rd or 4th or ... ballot HOFer, but he still probably goes in.

29
by dryheat :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 9:41pm

I'd like to buy some stock in "No f'ing way". I assume you're forgetting guys like Parcells and Cowher, who were also his contemporaries. Sean Payton could conceivably get in ahead of him. And there's probably some I'm forgetting.

30
by dmstorm22 :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 9:53pm

What are Cowher's credentials that would make him a more likely candidate than Shanahan? Slightly better record (not as slightly when you consider Washington, granted). Shanahan has the extra ring. I guess I left Cowher out as best coaches of the past 15 years, but after BB, I think any order of Dungy, Shanahan, Holmgren and Cowher is probably fine. Dungy had the most regular season success, but the least playoff success. Anyway, I don't think there is a reason for why Cowher would have more merit as a HOFer than Shanahan.

I don't consider Parcells really his contemporary. Parcells is getting inducted sure, but mainly due to what he accomplished in years that preceded Shanahan coaching.

Also, Sean Payton hasn't done nearly enough yet. He might get there (as might McCarthy or Tomlin), but it is impossible to speculate that far in advance.

37
by LionInAZ (not verified) :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 11:28pm

The difference between Cowher and Shanahan is that Cowher kept his team at the top of the heap most of his career, whereas Shanahan took the Broncos on a long downhill slide and now is crapping out with the Redskins. It's been six years since Shanahan took a team to the playoffs. He might have had one or two more, but he screwed things up with the Jake Plummer - Jay Cutler problem. Wimped out on that decision, and he deserved what happened.

40
by dmstorm22 :: Fri, 01/27/2012 - 2:50am

Bill Cowher went three straight years in the middle of his career without making the playoffs (three years where LeBeau was gone), which Shanahan matched in his last three years. But other than that, they both went to the playoffs quite a bit.

41
by Mr Shush :: Fri, 01/27/2012 - 11:04am

Shanahan took over a good team and made it a champion, then had to rebuild, and did so very successfully (though without a championship), and was in the middle of what looked like being a successful second rebuilding process when he was fired. He's undoubtedly a better coach than personnel man, but I still expect him to turn the Redskins around if given time.

Also, I think a lot more of the credit for Cowher's (and Tomlin's) success ought to go to Colbert and LeBeau than Shanahan owes to whoever you think were the most important assistants and front office staff over his career (Gibbs? Kubiak? Dennison?)

42
by Dean :: Fri, 01/27/2012 - 12:18pm

The one thing I don't expect from Shanahan is success in Washington. As long as Dan Snyder owns the team, it's not going to have any prolonged periods of success.

43
by dryheat :: Fri, 01/27/2012 - 12:34pm

I think the more he coaches, the less likely he gets in. He had some success with the Elway/Davis Broncos during which time he was cheating the salary cap, then when Elway retired, it's been pretty hit or miss. As you say, his personnel decisions have been strange, and he was fired by an owner who seems to prefer stability, so I don't know if the second rebuilding process was successful (I'd even argue unnecessary). It seems he had the coaching version of succeeding too early when he had the best talent in the AFC, and when that talent retired, exposed him for being thoroughly mediocre (IMO).

Personally, I think Alex Gibbs what a huge part of the Broncos success during those late Elway / Greise years.

45
by dmstorm22 :: Fri, 01/27/2012 - 2:47pm

Shanahan definitely is not alone in being the only HC who won a Super Bowl with a star QB. Bill Belichick is 1-1 in the playoffs without Tom Brady. Do we hold that against him? Shanahan won when he had his best team, with his best QB. That is normal.

46
by rots (not verified) :: Sat, 01/28/2012 - 9:02pm

what, exactly, are you smoking? Shanahole was once upon a time a superior O coordinator (with the advantage of ungodly, all-time talent) but he was average at best, utterly pathetic at worst, head coach. Not to mention a truly heinous GM when all his FA busts/terrible draft picks and pathological disregard for defense/ST gets factored in.

Toss in a heavy dose of always unwarranted nepotism in regards to his son and i am truly enjoying his ongoing debacle in DC.

Even the evil of mcdaniels's 2 year reign doesnt make me regret for one second seeing shanahole get tossed out on his ass.

47
by dmstorm22 :: Sun, 01/29/2012 - 12:30am

There is no one who has achieved more than him not in the HOF. The only one close is George Seifert, who ruined it by being really bad in Carolina (which I guess Shanahan is doing right now in Washington). Tom Flores also won 2 Super Bowls, but didn't have the length of time that Shanahan did in Denver.

Anyone can say why Shanahan should not be a HOF, but the fact is that his credentials on the surface are probably good enough.

48
by Mr Shush :: Sun, 01/29/2012 - 8:14pm

The post-Elway Shanahan Broncos went 91-69 with only two losing seasons. That's a 56.9% winning percentage even if you throw out the years where he had a HoF quarterback (like Belichick and Dungy both have/did for the majority of their coaching careers). If he's both a bad head coach and a terrible GM (although his 2006 class was the best by any team since the 1996 Ravens) who the hell is responsible for those ten years of clearly above-average performance? Jake Plummer?

49
by Raiderjoe :: Sun, 01/29/2012 - 8:42pm

M. Shanarat has good tecord. Xannot be denied. Two SB victories. Cannot tjrow cold water on that. If take W. Redskins to playoffs googn to have enogih to get into hall of fame. Of course not better than J. Madden best head coach ver AFC West

14
by zlionsfan :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 9:55am

ha. When I first saw the headline elsewhere, it said "to name Allen head coach", so of course my first reaction was wow, Al Davis really is dead.

17
by mathesond :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 12:28pm

At first I thought they hired George Allen, and figured that can't be right

18
by ChicagoRaider :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 12:57pm

Showing your age, dude.

24
by apk3000 :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:44pm

Depends on whether he was thinking deceased ex-Redskins coach or his son, former VA governor and senator.

38
by LionInAZ (not verified) :: Thu, 01/26/2012 - 11:31pm

I'm not so sure George "Macaca" Allen would be very popular with his players.

19
by MC2 :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 1:30pm

My first thought was Marcus Allen.

23
by WifeBanger (not verified) :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:36pm

He's probably busy banging Mrs. Mark Davis

21
by Raiderjoe :: Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:08pm

Allen played defensive backfield at tamu wiyh eventual long timer nfl cb aaron glenn

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