Silver and Black Report

Long-time Oakland Raiders executive John Herrera has decided to call it quits, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Paul Gutierrez. Gutierrez released the information on Thursday night on Twitter stating that Herrera had left a voicemail on Gutierrez’s voicemail stating he has decided to retire.

Paul Gutierrez @PGutierrezCSN:

Voicemail from @Raiders senior executive John Herrera: “I’m retiring.” Says everthing is “great.”

Herrera first began his time with the Raiders in 1963 at the age of 16 as a ball boy but then rejoined the team in 1978 as the Director of Public Relations after leaving to be a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Herrera then left the team in 1982 for a brief stint in the CFL before returning to the Raiders in 1985. Herrera returned as the Raiders Senior Executive, the role he held until Thursday.

Herrera has been part of almost every position of the Raiders front office, including player personnel, scouting, media relations, training camp operations, team travel, stadium negotiations, community relations, security and even one season as a member of the coaching staff.

During his tenure with the Raiders, Herrera has earned a reputation as an employee loyal to former Raiders owner Al Davis. Herrera has also had a couple of run-ins with media covering the Raiders, most notably was an incident in 2008 involving San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami.

Herrera claimed that Kawakami was “a liar and built a whole puddle of lies” when Kawakami asked then head coach Lane Kiffin about a possible firing and said a Raiders official was involved in the distribution of an ESPN.com article critical of Kiffin.

The departure of Herrera is just another sign of great change happening in the Raiders headquarters in Alameda. We have seen the departure of Raiders players that had “Al scholarships” such as cornerback Stanford Routt, the hiring of the first defensive head coach since John Madden, a head coach pick his own staff, and now the departure of John Herrera, an Al loyalist in every aspect.

Herrera has since released a statement regarding his recent retirement and his affection for the Silver & Black and the Davis family.

“At this point in my career and after careful thought and consideration, I have decided to take a break,” said Herrera. “I’ve had a great run, 35 years over three tours of duty, and have been privileged to work in every area of the organization. I’ve enjoyed the whole ride and cherish my relationships with the Davis family, players, coaches and front office staff. I have developed lifelong friendships with people that have come through the organization and my time with the Silver and Black has exceeded my wildest expectations.”

The Oakland Raiders officially announced the addition of two more assistants to their coaching staff, hiring Keith Burns and Johnny Holland for next season.

Burns has been hired as an assistant special teams coach after serving as an assistant coach and secondary coach at Ole Miss last season. Burns has worked as both an offensive and defensive coordinator.

During Burns’ tenure as a defensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas, he was one of five finalists for the Frank Boyles Award in 1998. The Frank Boyles Award is given to the nation’s top collegiate assistant head coach.

Holland has been acquired to be the Raiders new linebackers coach. Holland has been an assistant in the NFL for 16 seasons and is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame for his seven seasons served at the linbacker position, posting six consecutive seasons of 100-plus tackles.

Holland was last in the NFL as a linebackers coach for the Houston Texans from 2006-2010. During his tenure in Houston he produced two AP Defensive Rookies of the Year in DeMeco Ryans (2006) and Brian Cushing (2009).

Holland, along with the rest of the defensive staff, will have the task of turning around the play of middle linebacker and former 8th-overall draft pick Rolando McClain, assuming he is still on the team. McClain has struggled since coming to the NFL, not living up to expectations in Oakland and getting into off-the-field legal problems.

In his first move involving a player since he was hired, new Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders announced that corner back Stanford Routt has been released from the team on Thursday.

The move comes just a year after Routt signed a three-year $31.5 million contract. He later restructured the contract, making it a five-year $54.5 million, $20 million of that was guaranteed. The move comes on the eve of his base-salary guarantee as Routt was due a $5 million base salary if he was still on the roster on Friday.

Routt was arguably Oakland’s best corner in a less-than-stellar secondary that gave up 31 passing touchdowns in the season. Routt led NFL cornerbacks by giving up nine touchdowns while also committing 17 penalties to also lead NFL cornerbacks. Routt also had four interceptions.

McKenzie made it known that some contracts were going to be looked at when he was introduced as the new general manager, saying that some contracts were “out of whack.”

The move hints that further moves may be coming involving high-paid, underachieving players on the roster.

Other players scheduled to receive big salaries next season include linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, defensive tackle Richard Seymour and safety Michael Huff. Seymour is set to receive $15 million this next season while Huff has a $9.8 million cap hit, with a $4 million roster bonus due if he’s on the roster on March 16.

The Oakland Raiders have officially announced the retaining of Al Saunders on the coaching staff on Wednesday.

Saunders served as the Raiders offensive coordinator last season under former head coach Hue Jackson, but was believed to be let go when new Raiders head coach Dennis Allen hired Greg Knapp to be his offensive coordinator. Instead of being let go, Allen decided to keep him on the staff as a senior offensive assistant. Saunders’ contract runs through 2013.

Keeping Suanders keeps some continuity in the offense, although it will likely see change with Knapp implementing his own offense. Saunders also brings a veteran presence to a coaching staff that is largely young and inexperienced.

Saunders has been a part of 15 playoff teams, five divisional titles and one Super Bowl championship during his 29-year career as an NFL coach. Saunders also holds 11 years of collegiate coaching experience in addition to his NFL coaching experience, giving him over 40 years of coaching history in all.

Saunders is known for being a protege under Don Coryell, the founder of the “Air Coryell” offense. The “Air Corryell” offense is described as a vertical passing game that involves timing, rhythm and lots of motion prior to the snap of the ball.

Saunders helped guide Oakland’s offense to 9th in the NFL in total offense last season with 379.5 yards per game.

In other news about the Raiders, Oakland has reportedly hired John DiFilippo as their quarterbacks coach. DiFilippo previously worked for the Raiders under Knapp from 2007-2008.

Allen has also reportedly hired Ted Gilmore as his wide receivers coach, the same position he held at University of Southern California last season under former Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin.

It appears that Ole Miss secondary coach Keith Burns has been added to Allen’s staff, possibly for the same position, according to footballscoop.com

ESPN is also reporting that Kansas City Chiefs assistant Tim Krumrie is a candidate to be Oakland’s defensive line coach.

With the hiring of Jason Tarver as the new Raiders defensive coordinator, it has been speculated that the Raiders may try and transition to the 3-4 defense. Tarver has mostly been around the 3-4 defense in his tenure with the San Francisco 49er’s and the Stanford Cardinals.

It remains to be seen yet if Tarver is going to implement a 3-4 defense, but he may intend to in the long run while he obtains the appropriate personnel to do so. The Raiders currently have players on the roster that fit the 3-4 mold, but would need to add some pieces to institute the 3-4 correctly.

One factor that may play into a transition to the 3-4 defense if finding a way to escalate the play of

middle linebacker Rolando McClain. McClain played in Nick Saban’s 3-4 defense while attending Alabama and earned the Butkus Award in 2009, given to the nation’s best collegiate linebacker. McClain was questioned as to whether or not he would succeed as an inside linebacker in the 4-3 coming out of college and has largely not lived up to his expectations yet in Oakland.

Linebacker Aaron Curry, winner of the 2008 Butkus Award, could work as an inside linebacker next to McClain. Curry is a stout rush defender but has struggled in defending the pass. With head coach Dennis Allen’s exotic blitz packages, it could be beneficial to Curry due to his ability to get to the quarterback and to stop the run.

Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, who played defensive end at Florida State, was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns to play outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense. Wimbley responded by having 11 sacks in his rookie year, but then saw his sack numbers diminish before being traded to the Raiders in March 2010. Wimbley has since played well for the Raiders at the linebacker position, while being lined up as a pass rusher on passing downs.

One player that could struggle should the Raiders move to a 3-4 is defensive end Matt Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy has played well at defensive end, recording 92 tackles and 12 sacks in 35 games played for the Raiders. At only 270 pounds, Shaugnessy may be asked to move to the outside linebacker position for his pass-rushing abilities.

Defensive end Lamarr Houston has the athleticism and versatility to play as either a 3-4 defensive end or 4-3 defensive tackle. While playing for the University of Texas, Houston played both defensive end and defensive tackle. Houston’s size, 6’3” and 305 pounds, along with his tenacity and motor make him an ideal candidate to be a 3-4 defensive end opposite of Seymour.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Richard Seymour has previous experience playing in the 3-4 defense. While on the Patriots in 2003, Seymour started 14 games as a 3-4 defensive end and finished with eight sacks and 57 tackles.

A difficulty that the Raiders may encounter should they try and run the 3-4 scheme is the lack of a true nose tackle on the team. In order to run the 3-4 successfully, the defense must have a big-bodied nose tackle in the middle to take up space and help stop the run. The leading candidate currently on the team to be the nose tackle would have to be Tommy Kelly, who is listed at 6’6” and 300 pounds.

If Tarver and Allen should choose to run a 3-4 base defense, they may need to try and find a true run-stuffing nose tackle to insert in the middle of the defensive line. They will also need to pick up depth at the inside linebacker position. For now, it appears that the defense will play both the 4-3 and 3-4 fronts as Allen stated, as it may take a couple of years to gain the personnel necessary for a full-time 3-4 defensive scheme.

The Oakland Raiders now have a defensive coordinator and his name is Jason Tarver.

But what does the hire of the 37-year-old Tarver mean for the Raiders defensive scheme? Tarver has dominantly ran a 3-4 base in his coaching history.

Tarver begin his coaching career as a quality control coach across the bay for the San Francisco 49er’s, where he eventually moved up the ladder to become the outside linebackers coach from 2005-2010.

In 2009, Tarver coached the outside linebackers to producing 15 turnovers, 17.5 sacks and nine forced fumbles. The 49er’s as a whole finished the season with 44 sacks, 21 forced fumbles (tied for first in the NFL) and allowing only 17.6 points per game.

Tarver was hired by David Shaw to be the co-defensive coordinator at Stanford last season. Under Tarver, Stanford finished second in the Pac-12 in total defense, and 28th in the nation.

What is interesting is that Tarver has mostly been around a 3-4 scheme in his time at The Farm and with the 49er’s, while defensive-minded head coach Dennis Allen has mostly ran a 4-3 when running the defense.

Allen stated in his introductory press conference that he did not believe in running just one base scheme, but that he wanted to show multiply fronts on defense. It is possible that Allen will go back on his previous word and have an input on defense, while allowing Tarver to get his feet wet and install 3-4 plays until the Raiders have the correct personnel to run Tarver’s scheme.

A difficulty that the Raiders may encounter should they try and run the 3-4 scheme is the lack of a true nose tackle on the team. In order to run the 3-4 successfully, the defense must have a big-bodied nose tackle in the middle to take up space and help stop the run. The leading candidate currently on the team to be the nose tackle would have to be Tommy Kelly, who is listed at 6’6” and 300 pounds.

No matter what scheme they run, Allen and Tarver have their work cut out for them as they attempt to fix a Raiders defense that finished 29th in the league. The defense also gave up 30+ touchdown passes and 5.0+ yards per carry, marking the first time a team has done such a thing since the Dallas Texans did in 1956. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also suffered the same accomplishment this past season.

Although it may seem like Allen settled for Tarver as the defensive coordinator, Allen got a young bright defensive mind that has experience coaching in the NFL. Allen only looked to the college ranks to fill the coordinator vacancy after he exhausted his NFL talent pool, often being denied permission to talk to his desired personnel.

As reported by SBReport.net last night, the Oakland Raiders have officially announced the hiring of Frank Pollack as the offensive line coach, Al Miller as the strength and conditioning coach, John Grieco as the assistant strength and conditioning coach, and the retaining of Kelly Skipper as the running backs coach.

In addition to these hires, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen has indeed decided to retain ex-Raiders offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski as an assistant offensive line coach. Wisniewski joined the Raiders coaching staff last season, helping coach a young offensive line that includes his nephew, Stefen Wisniewski, to allowing only 25 sacks all season, third best in the NFL.

The Raiders also announced the decision to keep Eric Sanders on the coaching staff as the defensive quality control coach. Sanders, a native of San Francisco, has been on the Raiders staff for the past two seasons as an offensive assistant.

Allen has also decided to bring in ex-Raiders fullback Justin Griffith to be the Raiders new offensive quality control coach. Griffith played for seven NFL seasons, including playing for the Atlanta Falcons from 2003-2006.

While with the Falcons, newly hired Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp served the same position and Dennis Allen served as a defensive assistant coach. Griffith played in 23 games for the Raiders, including 14 starts, from 2007-2008. This will mark the first season Griffith has been on a NFL coaching staff.

Although the Raiders have not announced it, SBReport.net is reporting that the Raiders hired former Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Steve Hoffman to replace John Fassel for the same position. To see Victor Cotto’s piece regarding Hoffman, CLICK HERE.

In other notes around the NFL, Greg Manusky, who the Raiders interviewed for their vacant defensive coordinator position, accepted a job offer by the Indianapolis Colts for the same position. The hire leaves the Raiders back in square one as they continue to search for a defensive mind to work under Allen.

Allen has been denied permission to speak to many of his desired personnel, including Saints defensive line coach Bill Johnson and Broncos linebackers coach Richard Smith. Allen appears to have possibly taken a suggestion from Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie by reportedly asking for permission to speak to Green Bay Packers secondary coach Paul Whitt, Jr. San Francisco 49er’s secondary coach Ed Donatell is still believed to be in the running.

Following talk that newly-named Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen was working on assembling his coaching staff, reports have quickly surfaced involving his hires.

After the Raiders officially announced the hiring of Greg Knapp as Allen’s offensive coordinator, other reports came out Wednesday involving Allen’s staff.

According to FOXSports.com, Allen has decided to retain running backs coach Kelly Skipper. Skipper, who has been with the Raiders since 2007, has been the Silver & Black’s running backs coach since 2009. Oakland averaged 131.9 yards per game (7th in the NFL) on the ground last season even with star running back Darren McFadden being out for the season since week seven with a foot injury.

It appears that Knapp, who was the Houston Texans quarterback coach last season, will be bringing Texans’ assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack with him to Oakland to be the Raiders new offensive line coach.

Pollack replaces Bob Wylie, who turned around the Raiders offensive line while having two young players on the left side in second year left tackle Jared Veldheer and rookie left guard Stefen Wisniewski. Last season, the Raiders offensive line only allowed 25 sacks, tied for the third-lowest in the NFL, and opened up holes for running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

One difference between Pollack and Wylie is the types of schemes that they run. Last season, under Wylie, the Raiders were dominantly a power-blocking team. During his coaching tenure in the NFL, Pollack has only coached zone blocking.

Last season under the zone-blocking philosophy, the Texans allowed only 33 sacks and ran for a NFL second-best 2,448 yards. Raider fans may be familiar with the zone-blocking philosophy from Tom Cable’s tenure in Oakland, both as an offensive line coach and head coach. It remains to be decided if ex-Raiders offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski will be retained as an assistant offensive line coach.

Allen also decided to bring in longtime NFL strength and conditioning coach Al Miller to serve as the same position for the Raiders. Miller currently has 21 years of experience as an NFL strength and conditioning coach.

Miller, who last worked in 2005 with Allen for the Atlanta Falcons, interviewed with the Broncos and John Elway earlier this week, according to CSNBayArea.com. Shortly after interviewing with Elway, Miller heard that his friend Allen may get a head coaching job in Oakland and decided to wait before making a decision.

Miller then chose to join Allen in Oakland and serve as the Raiders new strength and conditioning coach, also bringing along John Grieco to be the assistant strength and conditioning coach. Miller has helped coach four teams to the Super Bowl in his career.

Miller left the NFL in 2005 to spend more time with his wife, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2004, and move to Monroe, La. where Miller volunteered at University of Louisiana-Monroe. Grieco has worked the past two seasons as the strength and conditioning coach for the ULM.

Allen is still yet to hire a defensive coordinator to work under him. It has been reported that the New Orleans Saints denied Allen from permission to talk to their defensive line coach Bill Johnson and the Broncos had also denied permission to talk to linebackers coach Richard Smith for the defensive coordinator vacancy.

FOXSports.com has reported that the Raiders have interviewed Greg Manusky for the job. Manusky worked as the defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers last year before being released at the end of the season.

Manusky’s defense allowed only 224.4 yards per game in the air, but allowed 122.2 yards per game on the ground.

Another name that has been tossed around regarding the open defensive coordinator position is San Francisco 49er’s secondary coach Ed Donatell. Donatell has previous defensive coordinator experience with the Green Bay Packers (2002-2003) and the Atlanta Falcons (2004-2006), where he worked with Allen.

Despite the Pro Bowl being an offensive shootout with little opportunities for field goals, Oakland Raiders placekicker Sebastian Janikowski was able to make his mark in his first Pro Bowl appearance on Sunday as the AFC came back to defeat the NFC 59-41.

Janikowski, the Raiders all-time franchise leading scorer, used the shootout as an opportunity to add yet another record to his kicking résumé. After tying the NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in week one against the Broncos, Janikowski finished the 2011 NFL season going 8/8 in the Pro Bowl on extra points, earning the record for most extra points made in a game in Pro Bowl history. San Francisco 49er’s kicker David Akers previously set the record with seven made extra points in the 2010 Pro Bowl.

Janikowski also made his sole field goal attempt from 37 yards out and had five touchbacks, including one that drew “oohs” from the crowd of 48,423 as the kickoff soared over the end zone with plenty of distance to make it through the uprights.

Punter Shane Lechler appeared in his seventh Pro Bowl but did not get the opportunity to show off his strong leg as the AFC chose to go for it on three of their fourth downs. Despite not being able to punt the ball, Lechler was able to be a part of Janikowski’s record-setting performance as his holder, just as he is on the Raiders.

Another familiar piece on the AFC special teams was Raiders long snapper Jon Condo who was making his second Pro Bowl appearance. In addition to serving as the AFC long snapper, Condo also saw time on the field in both kickoff returns and kickoff coverage.

On two occasions, the NFC went to their bag of trickery and called an onside kick to catch the AFC off guard. After the first one was recovered with ease by the NFC, the AFC was ready for it the second time but Condo failed to fall on the ball and the NFC recovered the ball.

 

Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour started the game for his seventh Pro Bowl but finished with only one sack in a game that saw mostly arm tackles and over 1,100 yards of total offense.

Janikowski wasn’t the only one on the field breaking Pro Bowl records. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tied the Pro Bowl record for most career Pro Bowl touchdowns when he hauled in his second touchdown of the day in the first quarter to give the NFC a 14-0 lead early. The touchdown reception marked his sixth career Pro Bowl touchdown, tying fellow Pro Bowler and Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall also set his own record en route to being named the 2012 Pro Bowl MVP. Marshall hauled in six receptions for 176 yards and a Pro Bowl record four touchdown receptions. The 176 receiving yards also marks the second most in Pro Bowl history.

Broncos safety Brian Dawkins gave time to let the Raider Nation know exactly who they are getting in their new head coach Dennis Allen, who was Dawkins’ defensive coordinator this season. To see the interview, along with interviews with the Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl attendees in Honolulu, watch the video below.

The 2012 Pro Bowl teams practiced in front of NFL fans for free at Aloha Stadium on Saturday under the beautiful Hawaiian sun.

Fans from all over came to Honolulu to see their favorite NFL players take the field in the annual all-star game. As tradition, the NFL offers its fans an ‘Ohana day the day before the game takes place, allowing fans to come watch both the NFC and AFC practice live in Aloha Stadium.

‘Ohana Day serves as a family day, allowing families to enter the stadium at no charge to watch and attain autographs from their favorite players. The NFL provided a “kid’s zone” where kids were able to participate in contests, win prizes, and meet the mascots from various NFL teams.

Jerseys from all 32 teams were present in the stands, and the Silver & Black was no exception. The Raider Nation, who holds a strong following on the islands of Hawaii, was well represented at Aloha Stadium as they took advantage of a chance to watch their Raider representatives: Sebastian Janikowski, Shane Lechler, Jon Condo, and Richard Seymour.

Be sure to check back for more exclusive coverage of the Pro Bowl from SBReport.net.