The Oakland Raiders have a history of hiring young head coaches with very little previous experience in that role. From Lane Kiffin to Dennis Allen, this is a strategy that has not paid off for the most part.
So when the team hit the market to find a full-time replacement for Allen, it was somewhat of a shock that it decided to look into candidates with previous head coaching experience.
Of a list that included Eric Mangini and Pat Shurmur (less-than-stellar candidates), former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio stood out above the rest. With nine years of up-and-down results on the field in Jacksonville, the former NFL linebacker seemed like one of the real prizes of the coaching market this month. This was only magnified by three great seasons as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator.
Owner Mark Davis and GM Reggie McKenzie introduce Jack Del Rio as the Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders. pic.twitter.com/7xGdAMdIxc
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 16, 2015
It’s a hire that the Raiders organization itself has failed to make in the past. Someone that is well respected around the NFL and has had a nice amount of success at every stop during his coaching career. Someone that is a self-identified Raiders fan and has been for his entire life. Someone that calls himself an East Bay fan and called out others who claim to be a Bay Area fan. This guy is the Oakland Raiders. This guy is what the Oakland Raiders needed.
Outside of the “good guy” and “I am a Raider” narrative that seeped through the press conference announcing Del Rio’s hiring on Friday, one other thing stood out. Del Rio was MUCH MORE impressive than his colleagues, owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie, on stage. Sitting their in a facility that has seen so much failure in recent seasons, Del Rio brought an aura of confidence with him. And if you don’t think that’s big, you really don’t know much about this game of football.
On the field, Del Rio’s success speaks for itself.
Starting with his first coordinating gig in Carolina back in 2002, it was readily apparent that Del Rio was a great defensive mind. From that point on, his defenses have finished in the top 10 in the NFL in yards allowed seven times in 13 years and in the top five in scoring three times. In Denver, Del Rio’s defense finished in the top three in yards against two times over the three seasons he led that unit. That recent success, especially in the confines of the AFC West, will be huge for Oakland moving forward.
Someone of Del Rio’s stature will also enable the Raiders, with their unlimited funds, to bring in some great assistant coaches and coordinators. Before the press conference announcing his hire even came to a conclusion, reports came out that Oakland had brought on former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice to be the team’s new offensive line coach. While a small hire in the grand scheme of things, it goes to show us that Del Rio and company are serious about bringing in some experienced minds on offense. And in reality, that’s going to be huge with his expertise on the other side of the ball.
In his presser, Del Rio refused to indicate whether he would be calling plays on defense. Instead, he said that will depend on who the team brings in as its new defensive coordinator. This tells us that Del Rio is going to cast a wide net when it comes to his staff, which is also going to be big for Oakland.
Despite winning three games this past season, Oakland was much more competitive later in the year after it fired a coach in Dennis Allen that was obviously over his head. This team might not be close to contention, but the young talent is most definitely there on both sides of the ball.
It’s now all about Del Rio putting together the right staff to make everything come together. But for the first time in the while, there surely are positive vibes coming out of Oakland. Whether that translates to on-field success is a completely different story. Though it is definitely a start.
Photo: USA Today
