Raiders add to staff, hire Clancy Pendergast

Chris Johnson hopes to celebrate more with Pendergast on staff

The Oakland Raiders have added Clancy Pendergast to the coaching staff.

The former defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs (2009) and the Arizona Cardinals (2004-2008) has not been designated a specific role as of yet.

With the Cardinals, he helped develop draft picks such as Karlos Dansby and Darnell Dockett, but his defenses were inconsistent and allowed more points per game every year since his arrival.

The Cardinals yards allowed per game rank by season:

2004 – 321.3 (12^th)

2005 – 295.6 (8^th)

2006 – 349.4 (29^th)

2007 – 330.2 (17^th)

2008 – 331.5 (19^th)

Their points per game allowed rankings during Pendergast’s stay:

2004 – 20.1 (12^th)

2005 – 24.4 (26^th)

2006 – 24.3 (29^th)

2007 – 24.9 (27^th)

2008 – 26.6 (28^th)

“Like every decision, it comes down to what’s best for the team and what gives us the best chance to win,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said upon Pendergast’s ouster.

He is known to be a proponent of using a variety of blitzes and coverages, especially if the team possesses speedy players on defense.