Silver and Black Report

(AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)

One way you can gauge a hiring early on is how former players and staffers react to the change. With Dennis Allen now as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, just listening to some Denver Broncos and their reactions just demonstrates how much he will be missed.

“It will be another coordinator,” Champ Bailey said at the Pro Bowl . “… I might sound a little selfish. I’m happy for him, don’t get me wrong. At the same time, I’m thinking about our team. That’s another change for us.”

The pick-up for Oakland will set up another year of instability for the rivals. Denver had a remarkable turn around on defense under Allen, but prior to that, they had revolving door of defensive coordinators: Don Martindale (2010), Mike Nolan (2009), Bob Slowik (2008), Jim Bates (2007) and Larry Coyer (2000-2006).

“He knew how to get us ready,” Bailey said. “I give him a lot of credit for the success we had this year.

“(He’s) serious about the business,” Bailey continued. “He’s one of the most intense coaches I’ve had. It was a pleasure working with him. You knew what he was going to bring you every day.”

Bailey now realizes what he may have to deal with versus Oakland twice a year.

“I know what type of team he’s going to have,” Bailey said. “Very intense, hard-nosed, tough. That’s the way he is. That’s what I expect his team to be.”

Von Miller, one of the bright young defenders in the NFL, also glowed when talking about Allen. “First and foremost, they’re getting a guy that’s going to come in right away, and he’s going to get it done,” Miller said. “That’s what he did for us. He came in, he laid out a plan for us, he told us, ‘This is how we’re going to do it, and this will work,’ and that’s what happened. We improved our defense an incredible amount. It was a night and day team from a year before.

“I think he’ll do the same thing with the Oakland Raiders.”

COTTO’S ANALYSIS:

I love the hiring. Allen is energetic, fiery and he wants those same elements incorporated into his defense. I stated earlier in the month, “there is fresh air blowing through Oakland,” and that surely started with hiring Reggie McKenzie and continued with giving Allen the honor to coach the Silver & Black.

This team needed a transplant on defense. It will be a new voice, a new way of doing things on that side of the ball, with a clear direction and a leader that is well defined. No long will we have a veil of secrecy, masquerading who is running the show on defense. Allen once stated about his defense, “We want to be a very fast, violent, aggressive type of defense that plays within the rules. We are going to try and hit you as hard as we can.” All attributes fans would love to attach to the Raiders.

There are many questions; what will happen on offense, specifically under center and who will be his trusted offensive coordinator? Those will be crucial decisions that can ultimate lead to his success. He has to select a coordinator he trust, can work with and continue to develop some of the young talents the Raiders do posses.

Penalties, and how he attacks that major problem will be highlighted. The development of players such as Rolando McClain and the youthful defensive ends will be vital.

His ability to work with McKenzie during draft time and what purges they make to the current roster from the old regime will also be spotlighted.

The fact that they addressed their biggest concern philosophically, and upgraded a major need right off the bat with this coaching hiring – the defense – demonstrates that Oakland wants to head in the right direction.

When Hue Jackson got hired, too many fans noted his success as a one-year coordinator and crowned him a great coach to be without looking at all the circumstances around his one-season turnaround of the Raider offense. They applauded his bully talk – I did not buy it from day one and said winning is all that matters, stating, “First build a consistent winner. You are not going to bully anyone with an 8-8 record. Opponents will fear you when you win, and do it consistently.”

He was a puppet of Davis like others before him, and I made that clear, “Step one – wax poetically about the owner. Step two – state your desire to be with the organization. Step three – make sure you pledge your allegiance to the Silver & Black and that they’ll be a contender, again.  Jackson, like many before him, said similar things and at this point, those words mean nothing until the team jumps over .500, gets to the playoffs and become a consistent winner.”

Jackson failed in his first and only year as a head coach, as I stated in this article:

Raiders: Hue Jackson failed in his rookie season

And back in January 2011, I clearly painted a picture of what could be in store for him:

After years of dreadful campaigns, Cable’s 8-8 effort was not good enough in Al Davis’ eyes. So Jackson better get into the playoffs in 2011 or, he’ll begin to feel the heat from the owner.

The team went undefeated in the AFC West, something that won’t happen again. They got a career year out of Darren McFadden and solid development from their youth.

Jackson should be under the microscope. His play calling was not mesmerizing, nor his playbook amazed anyone. His handling of players, the owner and how he’ll navigate a team not used to winning are all major questions.

He’s not the ‘best’ man for the job, but he was the only man for the job. And like many Davis hires, he’s a first-timer, cheap and won’t demand the reigns of the organization. If he is a success, Davis can then claim he discovered him and that his career started in Silver & Black. A typical Raider hire.

Oh, and if he has to much success, enough to anger the owner, especially if Jackson steps on his toes, he’ll suffer the same fate many have before him.

Allen comes in with similar circumstances; never a coordinator till last year in Denver, but you get a sense that this time around, due to the new-found freshness surrounding the organization, that this will be entirely different.

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