Silver and Black Report

Sorry Raider fans, it’s not happening…

Stop with the delusional thoughts of Peyton Manning donning the Silver & Black.

I’ve received several tweets and noticed quite a few fans desiring to have the hall of fame bound passer on the Oakland Raiders. Let me just say that, A) what could Oakland possibly give to Indianapolis to acquire such a talent? B) How could the Raiders make this work with Carson Palmer already on the roster and no wiggle room under the cap to improve a team that has many holes?

Plain and simple… it’s a pipe dream.

Reggie McKenzie and Dennis Allen gave enough indicators that all is well in Raider-land at the quarterback spot and that both are on the same page with Palmer.

“Carson Palmer is extremely excited about what we have going here,” Dennis Allen said. “He’s looking forward to the future and he’s excited about the opportunities here.”

“[Carson is] excited, and we’re excited for him,” McKenzie stated on Monday.

Yes, this regime inherited Palmer, and it left them with a light upcoming draft-class.

But what they have is a passer that will make loads of money and showed flashes of his Pro-Bowl past right out of semi-retirement, with no training camp or the valuable time needed to learn his teammates and playbook. Not to mention that he had no Darren McFadden when he took 100% of his snaps in 2011.

Oakland has greater issues.

Before they could even entertain the thought of bringing in Manning (something they aren’t), Oakland has to think about the monetary commitment that would take. Palmer earned $2.5 million in 2011 and has $12.5 million with $5 million guaranteed in 2012, $13 million in 2013 and $15 million in 2014 remaining on his contract.

And lets say they part ways with that expensive contract, why could they afford Manning?

The Colts have a deadline on March 8 to pay Manning $28 million. If they don’t pick up that option, which is likely, as they want to rebuild and start over with Andrew Luck, then he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

So any team trading for him would have to compensate the Colts. It may not be much if that contract is picked-up, but that sort of compensation are picks and players the Raiders cannot afford to give up, nor could they absorb due to Manning’s big cap hit, or Palmer’s sizeable deal.

If Manning is a free agent, believe me, Oakland would not be a destination of choice for the passer.

Why would it? Especially when teams such as the 49ers or Jets, who are playoff ready, on the forefront of that pursuit —  places that offer better chances at one last Super Bowl run in his final years as a pro.

Maybe, if the Palmer deal never happened and Oakland just had Terrelle Pryor under contract, then speculation would have been more feasible.

That would have left Oakland with important selections they could use as bait, a true need for a quarterback and not have Palmer’s deal on the books for the coming years.

The facts are… Palmer is under contract, Oakland has other free-agent issues that are more pressing that they need to address if they want to field a competitive team in 2012 and a new regime that wants to do it the right way.

Follow @cottovic

Here are five things on the to-do list for new Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie.

Empower Carson Palmer

The coach and general manager did that on Monday. “Carson Palmer is extremely excited about what we have going here,” Allen said. “He’s looking forward to the future and he’s excited about the opportunities here.”

McKenzie inherited the passer, but he’s by far and away the most polished quarterback Oakland has had since Rich Gannon. With a training camp and off-season conditioning under his belt this time around, he should be primed for a solid season. Just remember, he was thrown into the fire after a semi-retirement and never played a game with Darren McFadden in his backfield.

Get Rolando McClain on the right track

“I see a very talented football player. Just like a lot of things that we’ve talked about already, we’ve got to do our best to make sure we get Rolando to play at the best of his ability on every single snap,” Allen said.

There’s no questioning the middle linebacker’s mental acuity for the game. But his lack of impact plays and slow development has been frustrating for fans. Add to that his off the field issues, and the word bust begins to flash. He was seen as a sure fire prospect coming out of college, but entering his third-year, more will be expected out of him due to a new coach in place that will try to cater to his abilities.

If Allen can’t get this kid going, he’ll need a change of scenery. Oakland hopes to be the beneficiary of McClain’s arrival as a stud in this league.

Keep Darren McFadden & Michael Bush together

Stop all this trade McFadden chatter. Really! Yes, the Raiders currently have a small allotment of draft picks, but what would trading your most dynamic weapon on offensive accomplish?

You won’t get equal value, especially since he’s fragile and teams will cite his inability to play 16-games as a reason not give adequate compensation. Plus, whomever you draft with those picks may not provide the same impact that McFadden can on the 2012 team.

McFadden may never play a full complement of games, but that’s why Bush needs to remain and why both should share the load a tad more. Hue Jackson fed McFadden way too much and ultimately, we saw that Bush could handle a bigger load and not just in short yard or red zone situations.

The tandem has to stay together, as I stated here:

One big decision for Raiders McKenzie, what to do with RB Bush?

And

Cotto: Five moves to help the Oakland Raiders

Get back to basics with the defense

Good teams tackle well — Oakland hasn’t  for a very long time. The Raiders have been a sieve on defense since 2003:

2011 – 27^th in the NFL – 136.1 yds/g

2010 – 29^th in the NFL – 133.6 yds/g

2009 – 29^th in the NFL – 155.5 yds/g

2008 – 31^st in the NFL – 159.7 yds/g

2007 – 31^st in the NFL – 145.9 yds/g

2006 – 25^th in the NFL – 134.0 yds/g

2005 – 25^th in the NFL – 128.1 yds/g

2004 – 22^nd in the NFL – 125.8 yds/g

2003 – 32^nd in the NFL – 156.9 yds/g

Allen will have to simplify what he does on defense before we see all the bells and whistles. Denver players have cited his ability to simplify game plans and make every player on the defense accountable for their assignments. Building confidence in those groupings will then allow the Silver & Black to become a more fierce club and ultimately, a more aggressive one.

Boot Camp 101

Very rarely have we seen a militant camp or strenuous summers as Oakland prepared for campaigns. Now with a new head coach, a general manager that is changing the culture, Allen will have a chance to implement a tougher camp and begin instilling the discipline he preached about in his conference on Monday. The only way that you create habits is through consistency, doing the same things over and over and over,” Allen said. “Well, if you’re committing penalties, that becomes a habit. We’ve got to change those habits, all right? We’ve got to develop the proper habits so that we’re not creating those penalties on a daily basis.”

That begins in OTAs, mini-camps and training camp. Allen has that scary stare and a business like disposition. NFL insiders have said that the he wants his players to do it the right way… all the time, especially the first-time.

Oakland needed this a long time ago.

CLICK HERE FOR:

With Dennis Allen on board, these Raiders are on notice

Follow @cottovic

Here are a few quotes I found very interesting during Dennis Allen’s introductory press conference in Alameda. Oakland Raiders general manager, Reggie McKenzie and owner Mark Davis were in attendance.

Regarding Carson Palmer:

“Carson Palmer is extremely excited about what we have going here,” Dennis Allen said. “He’s looking forward to the future and he’s excited about the opportunities here.”

“[Carson is] excited, and we’re excited for him,” Reggie McKenzie stated.

ANALYSIS:

One of the more vital early decisions Allen had to make was settling in on his quarterback. Yes, this regime inherited Carson Palmer, but what they have is a passer that will make loads of money and that showed flashes of his Pro-Bowl type past right out of semi-retirement, no training camp and learning his teammates and playbook on the fly. Not to mention that he had no Darren McFadden when he took the snaps.

Palmer will be Oakland’s starting passer. Allen had to empower the quarterback now and let him know that moving forward, he’s the guy looked at to help this team take it to the next level.

Regarding penalties and his approach:

“The only way that you create habits is through consistency, doing the same things over and over and over,” Allen said. “Well, if you’re committing penalties, that becomes a habit. We’ve got to change those habits, all right? We’ve got to develop the proper habits so that we’re not creating those penalties on a daily basis.”

ANALYSIS:

This is all talk until proven otherwise. But you have to like what he’s saying. The last coach made promises of fixing the penalty issue and those attempts failed miserably.

Tallying penalties has become habitual, but so has an inability to stuff the run. Allen has many bad habits that he’ll have to break, but his militant style and disposition should be a welcomed approach. He wants things done right… the first time.

On defensive talent:

“I don’t think radical changes are what need to be made,” Allen said. “Obviously, just with all aspects of the game, you’re always going to try to upgrade your team in whatever way that you can but I do still feel like there’s a talented defense. I feel like we got enough players, both on offense and defense, that we can win a championship with.”

ANALYSIS:

Yes, a lot of that is just said because it sounds good and you want to emphasize your ultimate goal of being the best. A lot of is based on him not wanting to get on the wrong side of players early on, and I’m sure he’ll gain better perspective of the talent on the defense, or lack of thereof, as mini-camps, OTAs and the summer roll around.

There is talent on this unit. And there’s untapped potential too in quite a few young studs. But there’s also no denying that the secondary is in shambles, with or without Tyvon Branch, who is a UFA and the run defense has been one of the worst in the entire NFL since 2003.

On structure:

“This is a team effort,” McKenzie said. “When we go about getting players, work on getting a staff in here, how we’re going to do things on the football side, we’re going to do these things together. It’s not, ‘I got this, you have this.’ We’re not doing it like that. The right hand will know what the left hand is doing. We’re in this thing together.”

ANALYSIS:

The days of one man running the show are over. The G.M will help build the roster in accord with the coach, the coaches will teach and implement game plans, the players will play. There will be no outside interference from powers atop as to who plays, who is on the roster and what should be the plan of approach for the squad on a particular Sunday. In essence, the Raiders will operate like a modern football organization, finally.

On what he heard about Oakland, good or bad:

“At the end of the day, what I was really concerned with was, who are the people that are leading the organization now? The people who are leading the organization now are Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie, and when I looked across the table at Reggie McKenzie, I knew that was a man that I believed in and that I trusted in,” Allen stated. “That was the only thing that was a concern to me, and that was what really drew me to this job.”

ANALYSIS:

Plain and simple, he wouldn’t be a candidate if Al Davis was around, and he surely wouldn’t gotten or taken the job if the old structure was still in place.

Allen wants to run his defense and call his own shots – that wouldn’t have occurred with Davis alive. Allen has complete autonomy to pick and choose what coaches he wants on or off the staff – another thing he would’ve had to deal with if Davis was alive.

This isn’t an archaic operation anymore. Allen has autonomy and will be left alone to do what he does best – coach.

On his style on defense:

“We’re going to be an aggressive, attacking style of defense,” Allen said.

“We will play with discipline. … We are going to preach fundamentals and discipline and the players are going to fall right in line.”

ANALYSIS:

Ok folks, lets get ready to hear the word ‘discipline’ another few hundred times in the coming months, because Allen made sure to state that he wanted a ‘disciplined’ club many times.

It’s back to basics for the Raiders, especially on defense. He’ll surely want to attack and he has players to make that happen…

But Oakland has to go back to square one with this new coach and prove that they can handle taking on more before he unleashes all he has to offer.

On his coaching style and play calling:

“I don’t believe the head football coach can do an effective job as the head football coach if he’s calling plays, offensively or defensively,” said Allen.

ANALYSIS:

Look, I’m not going to argue with Mike Holmgren’s success as a head coach and play caller. Or a guy like Bill Belichick, Sean Payton or Jon Gruden, who have shown in the past that they can handle it and win being play caller and coach.

But you have to like that Allen will delegate as a rookie and bring in his guys to make sure things get done the right way. Hue Jackson handled the offense and was the head man in his first year – a big mistake for him.

Allen has already impressed me by realizing that you have to have limitations – is not about knowing what you can do, it’s realizing what you can’t or shouldn’t do.

He’ll keep the pulse of the team and learn on the job. He’s a rookie head coach. Allen will go through his growing pains. But at least he won’t have so much of a burden by wanting to do it all.

On guys he can depend on for advice:

“I’ve got great resources that I can count on to give me advice anytime I need it,” Allen said. “I’ve got Sean Payton, who is one of the … really a brilliant, innovative offensive coach but also an outstanding head coach. He understands exactly how to run a program and how to work with players.

“I just spent a year with John Fox, who’s really done a great job throughout his career with Carolina and then in Denver. Dan Reeves brought me into this league and gave me my first opportunity to coach in the NFL. I’ve got some great resources that I can rely on and lean on in times when I hit a situation when I need some help.”

ANALYSIS:

You got to love that. Some great names he’ll lean on…

Allen will do it his way. It won’t be the “Raider way,” or how some people want you to do it. He’ll embrace the Raider past no doubt, but it’s time to take a different plan of action.

Outlook:

“This is a new day for Oakland Raiders football,” Allen said. “We’re going to set our own goals and aspirations.”

ANALYSIS:

No disrespect to what happened in the past… and yes, the Raiders are deep in tradition and great lore. But at times, they hung on to that too much and never let fresh air into the building. With a G.M who has his back and will let him do whatever is needed to get the football team right and proper structure in place, the Raiders have a whole different outlook with this staff.

On his defensive and offensive coordinators:

“We’re exploring all our avenues as far as what we’re going to do there,” Allen said. “We are in the process right now of formulating our whole staff.”

McKenzie said, “there’s a couple of guys he wants to keep. He’s going to see who he can get and who he can’t.”

ANALYSIS:

Al Saunders did not get a bode of confidence. It’s up in the air who will Allen bring in. Saunders was a logical choice to keep continuity and a semblance of order with unit that was solid. Allen did say he wants an offense that can run the ball and attack aggressively. He’ll patter his offense, or desire his offense to look like Sean Payton’s in New Orleans. Allen said he wants an up-tempo, fast and aggressive offense. He wants to run the football ball, and be explosive in passing game. They’ll need to keep Michael Bush to stay atop the league in running the ball and have one of the better running back tandems in the NFL. As for the explosive pass attack, it starts with keeping Palmer and hoping they keep Marcel Reece, develop the young targets and use Kevin Boss more effectively in 2012.

Coaching style:

“We’re going to do a lot of different things on defense,” Allen said. “Again, we’re going to be attacking and aggressive in a bunch of different areas. I don’t really get hung up on the 4-3, 3-4 personnel. We’re going to find out what our players can do the best.”

ANALYSIS:

He wants aggressiveness, but that will only happen until the fundamental are sound and they can do the basics; stop the run, tackle well and stop tallying dumb penalties.

One things for sure, McKenzie won’t pigeon hole himself into making draft picks and the new coach won’t set his defensive schemes in stone.

FINAL OUTLOOK:

I love the hiring and stated before he got hired than Dennis Allen would be my choice. It was the right move not bringing back Hue Jackson and no longer will Raider fans have to hear what I dubbed, “Hue Talk,” a year ago when he was hired. I have the same issues with Allen as I did with Jackson, before people starting waxing poetically about the former offensive coordinator.

I stated last January that Jackson will have growing pains and that it was vastly different being a head guy, rather than a coordinator. I also felt that he benefited from a monster season by McFadden and other surprises, especially the emergence of Jacoby Ford.

Allen does not have a Champ Bailey, a Brian Dawkins or a Von Miller on this defense. And he inherits a team that has been .500 the last two years.

But what he does have now, that his predecessors did not is a front office that is stabile, a quarterback with legitimate ability and full reigns to implement what’s needed to build this team into a winner. Those things along will make him way more successful than Jackson or any other coach that has been on the sidelines with the Silver & Black since Gruden. Book it.

Follow @cottovic

Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen knows whom his passer will be when the 2012 season begins.

According to NBC sports talk, the rookie head coach will “absolutely” go with Carson Palmer as his starter.

The Silver & Black acquired Palmer before the trade deadline this past campaign and there was early speculation whether or not the new regime would go forward with the former Bengal. Especially since Reggie McKenzie jettisoned Hue Jackson and it was obvious that the ex-coach and Palmer were attached at the hip.

Both the new general manager and head coach stated today in their press conference that they have contacted Palmer and that he’s excited about the new direction of the organization.

“He’s excited, and we’re excited for him,” McKenzie said.

Tonight on SBReport.net, a full breakdown of the introductory press conference with analysis from Victor Cotto.

Follow @cottovic

Here’s part two of the transcript with analysis of yesterday’s introductory press conference in Alameda featuring Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie, as the Oakland Raiders introduce a new general manager.

On defensive coaches on staff and new coach:

McKenzie: “No, I’m not going to have any say so. What I’m going to do is empower the head coach to hire his staff. The best possible staff that he can hire. We’re not going ot tie the guy’s hand and tell him ‘he has to hire this guy’ or ‘this guy.’ That wouldn’t be fair to the new head coach.”

ANALYSIS:

Refreshing, huh? No one will tell the coach what system to run, what plays to call, who to play or not play and no one will be imposed on any person in charge of the team. A new era in Raider-land.

On Oakland’s new outlook and whether Mark will stay on course with dad’s path:

Mark Davis: “It’s based on bringing the Raiders to greatness. That’s always been his goal. And to win. And that’s my goal. And we are doing it in different ways because I don’t know what my dad knew.”

ANALYSIS:

Mark is not his dad, and that will keep order in the organization, clearly state a chain of command and bring the Raiders into a modern age of football.

Following Green Bay’s model of success:

McKenzie: “Very much. I’ve seen how that works. It’s the same relationship Ron Wolf had with coach Mike Holmgren. I think when you have a great relationship from the top, it filters down. The Packer organization is done right.”

What defensive philosophy does he prefer; 3-4 or 4-3?

McKenzie: “I like ‘em both. Just give me some players. If you got the great players, you can do whatever you want. That’s what I want.”

On how much he will be involved:

M.Davis: “Reggie is going to be running the show there.”

“Reggie is going to be making the decisions. And that’s where it should be.”

How would you describe yourself as an owner?

M.Davis: “I would say I’m an observer. I like to observe things and see how things are going and then actually act on those types of things I see. I’m not the type of person that will make a decision right away.”

“I guess I have patience.”

Why he took the GM job?

McKenzie, a former linebacker who was drafted by the Raiders said: “Guys, this is where I came from. I’m back home now. Ok, I’m back home. So, the job was easy. As soon as Mark told me, ‘we want you for the job,’ I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Do you think the 2011 Raiders were a playoff ready team?

M.Davis: “Yeah, I felt it was.”

On his new duties:

McKenzie: “Top priority is trying to get this personnel staff. The team, our talent are what we need to upgrade. From meetings, from going to the Senior Bowl, the combine, the draft preparation – it’s all about the team from here on out.”

On his QB situation, Jason Campbell being a free agent and Carson Palmer being under contract:

McKenzie: “Competition will be at every position. Nobody is going to have a job handed to them. You don’t get better that way. Yes, there will be competition, who that is, that’s going to be day-to-day, checking the waiver wire, day-today evaluations. We will find good players to compete with the good players that we have, everyday. Carson Palmer will not be immune of a good player behind him to push him – that’s how you get better.”

ANALYSIS:

Oakland is really thin at quarterback after Palmer, so expect McKenzie to look through the market for a guy who may be able to push the incumbent. Palmer at times looked like his old self – a very good sign considering he was plucked out of retirement and did not have the luxury of camp to acclimate himself with the offense and teammates. But McKenzie clearly stated his want for competition, and he inherited this situation, so he has no strings attached to Palmer. Matt Flynn, who is the Packers current back-up and raised eye-brows with his 480-yard and six TD performance at season’s end is a free agent. Someone like him could be brought in to compete with Palmer and possibly take over in the future. He’s only 26, and McKenzie has seen him first hand.

On John Madden’s role with the organization:

M.Davis: “I think John is happy with what he’s doing.”

On his playing days with the Silver & Black:

McKenzie: “A lot of great memories. I played with a great group of guys. When I walked into the building, I was greeted by some of my teammates – that was great to see. I did not expect to see that.”

On building a team:

McKenzie: “The bottom line, you want to make sure you got productive good football players. And what that means is, it’s not totally talent. I want some guys who love to play the game that’s going to play hard – play tough. That’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking for some guys who want to play and want to win. That will to compete – you can find that in a guy easily.”

“I like big and strong [players]. Always will. Like speed. That’s not going to change. We want good football players.”

On Jackson ripping the players and wanting a stronger hand in the organization:

M.Davis: “I don’t want to comment on that.”

Follow @cottovic

Here’s a transcript with analysis of yesterday’s introductory press conference in Alameda featuring Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie, as the Oakland Raiders introduce a new general manager.

Mark Davis intro:

“I had two immediate goals. One short term, one long term. My short term goal was to make sure the season continued with as little disruption as possible and to achieve our goal of reaching the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl. In that regard, I asked John Madden to join me in a meeting with coach [Hue] Jackson where we discussed the optimum working relationship between the coach and myself. My short-term goal went great for about five days, then Jason Campbell broke his right clavicle in a game. The following week we lost Darren McFadden to a foot injury, which unknowingly at the time, turned out to be a season ending injury. At one point in the season, we were at 7-4.”

“My long-term goal was to research and identify a general manager to lead the Raider organization into the future. I consulted with Ron Wolf to help me identify potential candidates, one of which was Reggie McKenzie.”

ANALYSIS:

Clearly, Mark is not Al, and he will be smart enough to let football personnel handle football decisions. He, along with Madden, came to a conclusion that the organization needs a fresh start and ultimately, McKenzie became that man. The disappointing finished irked him, but was not the ultimate deciding factor on why Hue Jackson was released. But the end of the season and how they missed the playoffs with a short lead of the division going into December was something that was acceptable. Ron Wolf helped Oakland in their search and with no one’s ego being bruised or without a rigid way of doing things, the Raiders began a new era.

“The legacy of the Raiders is steeped in tradition but with all things there comes a time when change is necessary and for the Raiders, that time is now,” said Reggie McKenzie, as he opened his portion of the conference. “The Raiders organization, with respect and deference to all its tradition and history, is about to embark on a new era.”

ANALYSIS:

As I said in this article:

Raiders: Fresh air blowing through Oakland with McKenzie hiring

“Change, a new sense of hope and not being stuck on traditions – embracing the past yes, but getting a sense of forward movement… the Raiders now have that.”

Releasing Hue Jackson of his duties:

McKenzie: “The decision was made before I came in this morning. I followed and I researched coach Jackson and the Raiders this season, this year. So my decision was made prior to this morning.”

“The decision to move forward, and where we going to this new era, it’s going to be a time for change and I felt there was a need for change at the head coaching position from the top.”

“No disrespect to coach Jackson, but it is something I want to do, start anew.”

ANALYSIS:

Al Davis would have done it his way. McKenzie wants to do it his way. It’s perfectly fine that the new general manager wants to bring in ‘his guys’ and not inherit a staff or players that he may not see as part of the future. It makes no sense to force something if ultimately; McKenzie will want to make a change. Cohesion is very important, and with all the power being forked over to McKenzie, who knows what would have happen with Jackson still around. Jackson became the de facto personnel guy after Davis’ death and till his last days in Oakland, he stated he wanted in on many of the key decisions the team would make, including the new general manager.

On his next coach:

“Number one, I want my guy. Everything is based on performance. But I go with my gut a lot, so when it’s time to make the final call, my gut is going to tell me one thing. When I met, interviewed, with Mr. Davis, Mark told me the general manager would have the power to hire and fire the coach. Recently I let him know that I would like to move on from coach Jackson and began my search for a new coach — and he was OK with that.”

ANALYSIS:

His gut, his instincts… McKenzie wants to put a stamp on this organization. He just began the process immediately, which surprised many.

McKenzie on letting Jackson know he was not the coach for this team:

McKenzie: “Informing coach Jackson prior to today was not going to happen ‘cause I had no authority.”

On new coach:

McKenzie: “The search will begin immediately. We will start the interview process. I have my short-list. The criteria, it doesn’t matter, offense or defense coordinator types, really will play no influence. The number one is, can he lead, motivate and move our players and our team to victories.”

ANALYSIS:

Very refreshing to hear that there will be no strict criteria. Which will only open up the job for more diverse candidates and could make the Raider job a more attractive destination than in the past.

Read here:  Raiders: McKenzie’s search for a head coach starts…NOW

On Carson Palmer trade:

McKenzie: “Number one, as a personnel guy, I love my picks [smiling]. But number one, more, I love good players. Bringing in Carson at the time the Raiders brought him in – that was, to me, as a player, that’s a good move. You have to get players to help you win games, Did the position of the situation presented itself favorably for Cincinnati? Absolutely. But you do what you need to do. That’s just the cost of doing business.”

“As far as Carson Palmer is concerned, I think he’s a good quarterback, period.”

ANALYSIS:

I said it many times that Palmer and Jackson were attached at the hip. Now, will Oakland make a move to jettison Palmer? McKenzie was calculated in saying he loves his draft selections and that they’ll be more cherished than what we’ve seen lately with Oakland trading them away. It’s clear he wants to start to build through the draft and get talent through that avenue. But he inherits a passer that renegotiated his deal, which gave him  $2.5 million guaranteed in 2011, $12.5 million with $5 million guaranteed in 2012, $13 million in 2013 and $15 million in 2014. Key draft picks were also given up. He likes Palmer as a signal caller and he did glimpses of his old self this past season. So it’s safe to say he could stick around. Kyle Boller is not an answer, Terrelle Pryor is not ready nor may be in McKenzie’s plans and Jason Campbell is in limbo. Would McKenzie bring in Matt Flynn to compete with Palmer or to prime him for a starting job if the former Bengal fails?

Why Raiders struggled the last decade:

McKenzie: “You saw a lot of change. Consistency played a big part. But Mark Davis has told me that he wants long-term success. And we are going to start it right now. To begin we are going to have to build. That’s where our mind-set is and that’s what it is moving forward.”

ANALYSIS:

Continuity was an issue, along with many of the bad free-agent signings, draft selections and coaching moves that Oakland had during that span. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. He was right. Davis’ death was unfortunate, but now with a different pair of eyes looking at this organization, Oakland can now alter the way they operate and change the fortunes of what seemed to be an archaic operation.

On current team:

McKenzie: “Do we have enough bullets? Absolutely. We got some players in place. Now, do we have enough draft picks? No. We don’t. But we can find players in different ways. We are going to work the college free-agent market, you have to work the waiver wire; you have to work the lower-tier unrestricted free agency. You don’t have to go out there and get top dollar players just to improve your team.”

“Draft picks, they will come. We’ll figure out a way to get around that. As far as the cap, we will manage the cap. If we don’t have room right now, we’ll figure out a way to get some room.”

ANALYSIS:

For McKenzie, draft picks will be valued. There won’t be one stone left untrunred in his quest to build the Raiders into a winner. It’s his first g.m. job, but he has seen first hand with Wolf and the current Packer regime how to build a winner. Not only is he adept at the draft process and acquiring players, but also savvy and in tune with the cap structure and how to work with it.

Follow @cottovic

MORE QUOTES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE AND ANALYSIS COMING IN PART TWO OF THIS PIECE… ONLY ON SBREPORT.NET.

The Oakland Raiders will reportedly hire Reggie McKenzie to be their general manager.

McKenzie first joined the Green Bay Packers in 1994 as a pro personnel assistant and was promoted to director of pro personnel in 1997. McKenzie’s tenure, Green Bay has captured seven division titles, three conference championships and Super Bowls XXXI and XLV.

He served for 10-years as director of football operations.

Ron Wolf, an executive for the Raiders, then in Los Angeles, selected McKenzie in the 10th-round out of the University of Tennessee. He spent four years with the Silver & Black as a player.

“Reggie’s a tremendous evaluator,” Wolf told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday. “He can tell you who can play and who can’t play. That’s what it’s all about. Some can write reports but can’t tell you who can play. Whatever that is, he has that. He has a feel.”

On Wednesday, he interviewed for the job, and now appears ready to take over a team that was managed by Al Davis till his death this past season.

His first order of business will be to fix the defense and bring in staffers that can help a group that ranked 29^th in the league, allowed a franchise record 31 touchdown passes and the third most points (433) in team history.

It’s apparent that Oakland wanted someone in the front-office to handle the draft, free-agency and trades, rather than let coach Hue Jackson make all the final decisions.

After Davis’ passing, Jackson appeared to have a lot of power, brokering deals for Aaron Curry and Carson Palmer, which left the Raiders with a depleted upcoming draft class.

At the time, Jackson said of the Palmer transaction, “the greatest trade in football.”

Here’s a current look at what the Raiders have to work with in the 2012 draft and free-agents:

Current look at the Raiders 2012 Draft selections

Oakland Raiders Free-Agent Tracker & Analysis

McKenzie was a candidate for a front-office job with the Houston Texans when then Packers general manger Ted Thompson called him “a very talented young man.”

He was also a finalist for the job at Atlanta in 2008 and in 2007 with the Titans.

Both Ron Wolf and Ken Herock recommended McKenzie to Davis prior to his death as a potential heir apparent to the owner who once had his hands all over the Silver & Black.

Wolf and Herock, along with John Madden, have advised Mark Davis and Raiders executive Amy Trask throughout the process.

“I would hope the organization understands that I have a pretty good idea of where we need to go,” Jackson said when asked about  a potential new executive coming into office. “If not, then I shouldn’t be sitting where I’m sitting. I think I know exactly what this team needs and how they need to do it.”

There’s no denying McKenzie’s success with the Packers. His fingerprints are all over their roster full of great draft selections and free-agent signings since he began working there. Superlatives are thrown around when his name comes up in conversations.

Now, he has full control of an organization that was once controlled by one man from top-to-bottom since the early ‘60s.

ANALYSIS:

McKenzie is the perfect man for the job. Who better to run this team than a talent who has been given verbal accolades by some of the best executives the league has ever seen? McKenzie has the pedigree and résumé for the job. For years, many Raider fans yearned for a top-notch personnel man to make new-age football decisions for their organization. Now is that time. And in true Raider-fashion, there were no color lines and they stayed true to hiring a man with ties to their storied-franchise. Will Jackson co-exist with McKenzie? Time will tell…

For one thing, McKenzie will surely step in knowing that Jackson’s ultimate fate will be tied to the success or failure the team has with Carson Palmer under center.

McKenzie has to live with that. He’ll have to surround that passer and his coach with better personnel and improve that defense on the sidelines and on the field.

No longer will Jackson have the autonomy he had months ago to add who he wants. Ultimately that will either make him a better coach, or leave him out of a job if those decisions during the 2011 season come back to haunt him.

Follow @cottovic

Hue Jackson had his final Monday press conference after their tough home defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. Instead of preparing for a playoff contest, the Oakland Raiders were cleaning out their lockers and wrapping up their 2011 campaign at the headquarters.

Here are some tidbits from Jackson’s talk with the media:

On his message to the team on their way out:

“That as a Raider, you’re expected to win. And 8-8 is not where we want to be and I don’t want to use the old coaches’ cliché — you look at the wins you possibly could have won, and you didn’t. To me, that’s just…you’re setting yourself up again to be able to say, hey look, if we did this, we’d be here, you did that, you’d be there. You didn’t. At the end of the day, you didn’t win those games. We got what we earned. We’re 8-8, we’re a .500 football team for the second year in a row and, that’s disappointing. But the guys that come back here, that get ready for the off-season program, they’re going to buy in…all the way to what it is that we’re selling. Because we’re going to win a championship here, and that’s what I told them. And if you don’t feel comfortable at the way I think you’ve got to buy in, then maybe this is not the right place for you.”

ANALYSIS: Good to hear Jackson admit that this was a disappointment, because he was the first one to talk up his club early in the season, saying they would become bullies and that they had untapped potential. Eight wins again equates to a disappointing season, especially when they were at 7-4 in late November.

Looking back at missed chances:

“I mean, I can go all the way back to Buffalo, I can go back to Denver here, I can go back to the Detroit game. I can go back to the game yesterday. And where we had opportunities and we didn’t make the most of them.”

ANALYSIS: Those three particular games, I talked about being integral losses that could have shifted the outcome within the division. Coincidentally, all three were games that either defense never made a stand late or collapsed entirely.

On Chuck Bresnahan’s defense:

“It’s unacceptable.”

ANALYSIS: You now he wasn’t going to say much. If Al Davis were around, he would’ve never blasted his players publicly, or he would’ve heard from the man in-charge. Like Davis though, I don’t think the Raiders will ever feel obligated to make moves just because of public backlash, or because of what the perceived timing of it should be. In Oakland, things have always been done at their own pace. This is black Monday around the league, if things were a tad different and that defense was really “unacceptable,” the front office should’ve made a move. So now we wait… for an announcement, or no announcement because Bresnahan is under contract.

He added about staff changes: “Well, I haven’t sat through it all, but obviously I’m going to meet with everybody here soon and we’re going to go from there.”

On possible general manager hiring:

“But I would hope that as the head coach of this football team I would hope that the organization understands that I have a pretty good idea of where we need to go. Because if not, then I shouldn’t be where I’m sitting. So at the end of the day, I think I have a pretty good idea now that I’ve been through this for a year, and have done it, be it coaching, be it all kind of sort of different hats and duties, dealing with you all, and everybody, I think I know exactly what this team needs to do and how they need to do it. That’s the fun part of it.”

ANALYSIS: Jackson is already posturing and positioning himself for whoever comes in. I’m sure he would like help and a staffer to deal with the contracts and other vital behind the scene things needed to be in personnel, but he wants some sort of power and depending on whom Oakland selects, it could shift the balance of powers. I’m sure he wants to be involved in the process to ensure he can have a working relationship with the general manager, and maybe even have some influence on them.

Jackson added: “I don’t know that. But I don’t think it’d be awkward. I’m pretty comfortable with who I am and what I am. I’m not gonna get caught up in who we hire and who we bring in here. I know how that works. I know when people mention that, ‘well, if they hire a GM then he’s gonna want to bring in his own head coach.’ And hey, if that’s what Mark decided to do, that’s his right. I don’t think that that’s the case, but that is his right. But at the end of the day, whoever comes here, I think it’s gonna be somebody who wants to share the same vision as a I do, which is winning a championship, which is getting the organization back to being better than average. Because we should be, and we can be.”

On Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell’s future:

“I think, obviously, he has some strong characteristics throwing the ball. I mean, he’s proven that. I think he’s disproved all the issues with his arm. I don’t think anybody can bring those subjects up anymore. I think that Carson needs a strong off-season, with his teammates, with the players, training camp and then let’s see what he can be then. Am I tied to him? Well, I made the decision, so I guess I am. You know? He’s one of our quarterbacks. But by no means do I say, hey, Jason Campbell doesn’t haven’t an opportunity to be here, too. That decision has not been made. I have a strong feeling about Jason Campbell, and I think you guys all know that. I mean, my doing that, I know everybody sees it as maybe it was a slap to Jason. It wasn’t. I owe this team the best opportunity to win, and this organization the best opportunity to win. That’s why I did what I did. And at the end of the day, I’m not gonna run from that.”

ANALYSIS: Jackson’s tenure will be defined by how the Palmer trade works out – they are tied at the hip. There’s no denying that. As for Campbell, it would be ideal to keep him, as he’ll be the perfect back-up; he has strong work ethic, knows the system and has cohesion with the unit. Problem is, does he still think he can be a starter elsewhere, and would he accepted a demotion and lesser money than what he think he could make. There aren’t many starting openings in the NFL, so anywhere he goes, he’ll surely be a backup who may have a shot with a passer on a short leash. But otherwise, with Kyle Orton out there, Vince Young and now Matt Flynn, who could be a hot name; Campbell may not be a commodity in the open market.

On Darren McFadden’s injury and the effect:

“You have always put everything into the evaluation. Darren is under contract and all those things will take care of themselves. But it has taught me that you always have to have – whether it be at the quarterback position, the running back position of the receiver position — a very capable No. 2. And obviously Michael Bush was.”

ANALYSIS: Easily shows that the Raiders don’t plan on letting Bush walk away – nor they shouldn’t.

On Tyvon Branch’s possible free-agency:

“Very, because I think he’s one of the young, talented players on our team. I think he has a bright future ahead of himself. Any guy that’s back there that we deem, the organization deems, is a Raider and that plays the way we want them to play, we want to get under contract and get back here in a uniform. He’s definitely one of those guys.”

Follow @cottovic

With a 38-26 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders finished 8-8 for the second year in a row, and failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Instead, the Denver Broncos benefit from the Raiders loss as they will be going to the postseason representing the AFC West because of a divisional record tie breaker.

The Raiders were unable to find the success they achieved when they took on the Chargers in week 10, when they beat the Chargers 24-17.

In front of a sold-out crowd at O.co Coliseum, the Raiders were able to orchestrate the first scoring drive after safety Matt Giordano intercepted Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers at the 5 yard line.

On 3rd and three from the three yard line, Carson Palmer found wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey in the corner of the end zone to put the Raiders up 7-0. Heyward-Bey finished the game with nine receptions for 130 yards, and a touchdown.

The Chargers were able to respond when Rivers found his athletic tight end Antonio Gates for a 38-yard touchdown catch that tied the game at 7-7.

Already down 14-10, the Raiders special teams struggled as they saw Chargers return man Richard Goodman return Sebastian Janikowski’s kickoff 105 yards back for a touchdwon, giving them the 21-10 lead.

Oakland was able to cut the Chargers lead to just one score early in the fourth quarter when Palmer found Kevin Boss for 22-yard touchdown, to bring the score to 31-26.

But much like the rest of the season, Oakland’s defense could not get the big stop when they needed it most to keep their season alive. With a little under seven minutes remaining in the game, Rivers found his wide receiver Malcom Floyd for a 43 yard touchdown and increase the Chargers lead to 38-26.

The 12-point lead proved to be too much for the Raiders to overcome as on the next drive Palmer threw an interception on the Chargers 20 yard line, essentially icing the game and ending the Raiders season.

The 8-8 record this season matches the Raiders record last year, but this time the Raiders could have made the playoffs with just one more win.

Palmer finished the game 28/43 for 417 yards, two touchdowns and one interception; running back Michael Bush proved to be ineffective, finishing with 19 carries for only 66 yards.

 

Because of the Raiders loss, the Broncos make the postseason and will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of playoffs.

Yesterday’s 38-26 defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers will sting for a bit.

“To find out it worked out the way you needed it to and to lose this one,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “It’s going to be a long offseason.”

The Oakland Raiders had everything go right at another site to pave the way to a division crown. Kansas City handled their business and gave the Silver & Black a shot. The Raiders couldn’t close with a win and now they will be headed home for the winter.

“If you can’t stop a team with everything on the line, you don’t deserve to be a playoff team,” defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. “We didn’t get it done. So this one hurts. It stings for sure. It’s disappointing. It’s frustrating.”

Oakland ended the year 29^th in the league in yards allowed per game (387.6), 29^th in points allowed per game (27.1) and allowed a franchise-worst 31 TD passes this season.

Someone has to take the blame for that, especially since in key games, when they needed stops at any point late in contest, they failed; namely at Buffalo, in Oakland versus the Broncos and the collapse against the Lions.

“I think Chuck [Bresnahan] knows how I feel,” Hue Jackson said. “I’m disappointed over there. I have been. Chuck knows what I feel, and it’s not good enough.”

Bresnahan has far too much talent on that defense… and we all know the players aren’t going anywhere.

Jackson should feel the heat more for this collapse as well. For months, he danced around the Darren McFadden injury issue; he boasted about building a bully and proclaimed that the penalty issues would get fixed — all contributing factors to their playoff-less season.

The head coach commented: “To say I’m [mad] is an understatement. Obviously we got beat here at home, and it didn’t look like a football team that was hungry enough to go win the AFC West title. … “We didn’t play well. I’m not going to sugarcoat it.”

Oakland didn’t play well in their grandest stage. For the first time since going back to the Bay Area, the Raiders hosted eight-games that were completely sold-out. They managed to disappoint their fans in the franchises biggest game since their conference championship win versus the Titans.

A listless performance – one that  reflects bad on the coach.

“Maybe they thought that team was going to lay down. I told ‘em all week, I knew they weren’t. I told you guys. I told the media. I told them. That’s all I preached,” said Jackson.

His preaching’s were not good enough in 2011. He talked the talk, but could not walk the walk.

Jackson talked about the Raiders needing an attitude adjustment next season. This may be true, but the coach also may need to take a new tact when handling the team from week-to-week. He was a rookie coach; so we saw many questionable Xs and Os, time management issues and other flaws that can be learned from. He can also use now his free time to be introspective and realize what he can do better to elevate the play of his roster.

“What I mean by that, the killer instinct has got to exist here. It’s something I’ve talked about. You try to change it, change it, change it. You do a lot of different things, and I haven’t been able to get it changed,” Jackson said.

Changing that attitude in one-season is tough, but that was done in 2010 with Tom Cable – in 2011, they had to step forward.

It can be done and in the NFL, it has been proven that quick-turnarounds are possible. Which makes this season a disappointing one.

It’s an unstable league from year-to-year, and with the Raiders at 7-4 in late November; this is why Jackson has to look at this as a missed opportunity.

“I didn’t see it coming. It’s sickening. We’ve got seven months to think about it. We ain’t good enough yet,” stated Tommy Kelly.

He’s right. They are not good enough yet. But that doesn’t automatically mean that they’ll be next campaign.

MORE REACTION

• Carson Palmer: “Anytime you lose at the end of the season and your season is over and you don’t win the Super Bowl it’s difficult. It’s frustrating when you hear the other outcomes of other games and know what was there to be had — [it] just makes it that much worse, that much more difficult.”
• Richard Seymour: “It feels like a bad dream, for sure. But it’s reality. The reality of it is, we couldn’t stop ‘em when we needed to. I don’t think we stopped ‘em all day.”
• Tommy Kelly on whether he’ll watch the post-season: “I’m watching [the] History Channel and Fox Sports Soccer.”
• Vincent Jackson on ending the season for Oakland: “It wasn’t our goal to end their season, but it is kind of nice because we’re going home as well.”

Follow @cottovic