Dennis Allen on hot seat; Reggie McKenzie likely safe

[790thSFS]

While second-year Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is likely safe for 2013, coach Dennis Allen is very much on the hot seat. Going into Sunday's game against Kansas City, a source familiar with the mindset of ownership said that the season's final few games will be crucial toward determining the coach's fate.

If the Raiders are competitive and appear to be getting better, Allen likely will return. But if they get embarrassed, appear to be regressing and don't look like they have a plan, Allen likely will be fired. The 56-31 defeat to the Chiefs was not a promising sign.

It also seems that, even with Mark Davis running the team in place of his late father, the Raiders are still the Raiders. After Allen was hired for the 2012 season, most of his assistants were given two-year contracts. At the end of the season, McKenzie recommended to Davis that the contracts of the assistants retained by the team be rolled over for another year, so that they'd continue to have two years on their deals, as per NFL practice.

Though McKenzie is allegedly in control of all things football, Davis rebuffed the request, meaning that numerous assistants (including defensive coordinator Jason Tarver) have contracts that are about to expire.

I've talked to several Raiders players who believe this is a good coaching staff and coordinators Tarver and Greg Olson (who signed a two-year deal before this season after replacing the fired Greg Knapp) are doing a terrific job with deficient talent. And they think it's wrong to blame Allen for the talent deficiencies caused by the team's well-documented salary cap troubles and decisions that can be traced to McKenzie.


First, the departure of quarterback Carson Palmer, who not only was asked to take a pay cut, but also, according to a source close to Palmer, was insulted by the team's unwillingness to guarantee Palmer's presence on the roster and insistence that he compete with Terrelle Pryor.

That triggered Palmer's rejection of the pay cut and desire to force a trade to Arizona. McKenzie countered by trading for Matt Flynn (disaster) and drafting Tyler Wilson (disaster). Because Olson has found a way to make it work with undrafted free-agent Matt McGloin, the team has performed reasonably well on offense despite a lack of talent at skill positions.

Another McKenzie failing: He came within seconds of using the third overall pick on D.J. Hayden before completing a trade down with the Dolphins and clearly is learning on the job. That said, Davis has preached patience, most recently in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News last week.

But sources say Davis, especially last year, has made his displeasure known after losses, sometimes behaving, according to witnesses, like a "petulant child" on the team plane after unfavorable outcomes. It will be interesting to see how he reacts if the Raiders suffer another bad loss or two and finish 4-12.

One other bit of dysfunction: Typically in the NFL, when a team fires a coach/assistant with an offset clause in the contract (standard), the next team that hires him will give said coach an artificially low salary, forcing the former team to pay the rest of the money. Typically, no one complains -- this is the way it's done.

So, when the Jets fired Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator and the Raiders were set to hire him as their offensive line coach, they kept the salary low. However, the Raiders decided to give Sparano an "assistant head coach" title as well, suggesting increased responsibilities. This did not sit well with the Jets, who filed a grievance with the NFL, claiming the Raiders were intentionally underpaying Sparano and forcing them to pay a disproportionate share.

The grievance, which is being handled by NFL executive vice president Harold Henderson, is still unresolved.

[FreddieB25]

I don't know how good a coach Dennis Allen is because look at the cards he has been dealt!!! LOL! a bunch of nobodies on one year contracts, a fragile McFadden, who never plays, a patched up offensive line, no bonafied premier wide receivers and quarterbacks with no proven successful track record in the NFL. He had them in the Colt, Chief, Giant and Titan games in the last five minutes and they weren't finished out for a win. If he wins those games he is 8-6 right now or maybe 7-7. My concerns regarding DA is in game adjustments and lack of using time outs late in games and clock management which could be blamed on inexperience as a head coach. Raiders came back in the Chief game and were down 35-31 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd qtr and he has been in most games except the Eagle and Bronco games. As long as the team competes in San Diego and Denver in the coming weeks I'd give him next season on a short leash and see what he can do with a most likely better roster.

[Max_Modem]

I likely see him outta here but if they give him another season, I won't cry about it. We're scoring just can't sustain leads. I remember during the J Russ era where first downs were like gold.

RM has found some nuggets here and there, but that Flynn situation was crucial. Either one of them gone, not losing one ZZZzzz.

[Forbiddenraider]

You go ahead & fire him TOMMY BOY! Make your dad proud! Take it away TOMMY BOY!!!!

[RF34]

Don’t Ditch Dennis
The Raiders are 8-22 in two years under Dennis Allen, but the players say he's not the problem. Will owner Mark Davis and GM Reggie McKenzie allow Allen to be the first Oakland coach to reach his third season since Jon Gruden?

The Raiders’ fourth consecutive loss of the season wasn’t just bad. It was historically bad.

They surrendered a franchise-record 56 points, threw five interceptions and lost two fumbles last Sunday against the Chiefs. They gave up 21 points in the first 7:33 of the game, allowed running back Jamaal Charles to gain 215 total yards and score five touchdowns on 16 touches, and committed 10 penalties for 90 yards.

The post-game focus was largely on coach Dennis Allen, who is 8-22 in two seasons on the job. Among the vitriol from Raider Nation: Doesn’t have guys ready to play … Can’t make adjustments … Has lost the locker room … Needs to be fired.

The last comment was particularly interesting because it’s so ridiculous. Fired? Are memories really that short? Let’s revisit the mess he inherited. The Raiders:

•Were coming off their ninth straight non-winning season, which included a league-record seven consecutive years of at least 11 defeats;

•Were $31 million over the salary cap going into the 2012 season, and this year are carrying nearly $55 million in dead money—$11.5 million more than any other team and nearly 44 percent of their adjusted cap;

•Had no selections in the first three rounds of the 2012 draft until they received a compensatory pick at the end of Round 3 and have gotten virtually nothing of consequence from this year’s first-round pick, D.J. Hayden;

•Had only two players left from the 10 first-round selections that were made from 2001-10, six of which were among the first eight picks.

Did anyone really believe Allen was going to work magic under those conditions? With the organization embarking on what owner Mark Davis recently called a “two-year deconstruction” that began when Allen was hired, you didn’t need bifocals to see the process was going to be painful. In fact, I’d argue that the team’s 3-4 start this season—with an offense and defense whose collective salaries rank last in the league, by a large margin—was more of a testament to the staff’s ability than the club’s subsequent 1-6 mark since then has been an indication of its deficiencies.

Firing Allen would be a mistake. He’s respected by peers around the league and his players in the locker room. “Dennis doesn’t have everything he needs at this point,” safety Charles Woodson told me Sunday. “Really, he deserves that shot to come back. It’s not fair to criticize him now. These last couple of years they’ve been making changes around here to put themselves in a position to move forward, and next year they’re going to be able to do a lot of things as far as bringing guys in to make the Oakland Raiders a formidable team.

“I understand nobody has patience in this league, and I understand the frustration of the fans. But with the changes that’ll be made, he’ll have what he needs to make this team what he believes it can be. He deserves that shot.”

But will Allen get it? It would be a bad look for Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie if he doesn’t. Both have said they didn’t expect the Raiders to emerge from the other end of the tunnel until Year 3 of the rebuild, which is next season.

Allen’s future is a topic because Davis has made it so. Unlike his repeated support of McKenzie, he has never publicly gotten behind Allen. He typically says he’ll evaluate the situation after the season, but in the meantime he wants to see progress.

Those comments aren’t lost on the players, who believe Allen is not the problem.“He puts us in a position to win,” linebacker Kevin Burnett said. “What we do with that position is up to us.”

For instance, Jamaal Charles took a screen pass 49 yards for a touchdown in Week 15 despite three defenders being in a position to make plays. Burnett was tied up with a blocker, which should’ve freed cornerback Phillip Adams or safety Brandian Ross to bring down Charles. However both defensive backs took poor angles—Adams peeked inside instead of maintaining outside contain, and Ross broke to the ball too quickly and got stuck in traffic—giving Charles an avenue down the sideline.

Also, the defense had a chance to get off the field late in the third quarter of a Week 13 game against Dallas, which had rallied from a 21-7 deficit to tie the score. But on third-and-6 at the Cowboys 39, Burnett and Ross whiffed on tight end Jason Witten in the flat. He rumbled 19 yards for the first down, and six plays later DeMarco Murray scored the decisive touchdown on a 7-yard run.

The reality is the Raiders simply don’t have enough talent to consistently win games. They lost strong safety Tyvon Branch, one of their best players, to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. They’ve gotten little production from Hayden. They’re starting an undrafted rookie at quarterback. And nearly all of the nine new starters on defense were signed because they could be acquired on the cheap.

The defense played well early in the year, but physical and mental fatigue is setting in because the unit lacks depth and guys are being asked to push their bodies to places they’ve never been. Tackle Pat Sims has started 14 games this year; his previous career high was six. End Jason Hunter has started nine games; last year with Denver he started two. And Ross has taken more than 900 defensive snaps; last year he was on the field for 174.

The end result likely will be a second straight 4-12 season, but firing Allen would be a mistake. He’s respected by peers around the league and his players in the locker room. Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, who demanded a trade out of Oakland after last season because of how a contract matter was handled, told me in training camp he believes Allen is a good coach who’ll be successful. Another thing to consider: Firing Allen would mean each of the Raiders’ past seven coaches failed to last more than two full seasons.

“I didn’t know anything about DA when I got here,” linebacker Nick Roach said. “But just seeing how he has handled this progression, I honestly do believe he’s the right guy for the job. He’s realistic, but at the same time he expects the most out of us, which any good coach would. He knows our potential; it’s just a matter of being together enough and building around the core so that everybody is on the same page. I can’t imagine a change being very productive.”

If nothing else, the offseason is going to paint a clearer picture of Davis. When he assumed control of the team after the death of his father, Al Davis, in October 2011, he said he wanted to hire a general manager who’d have full control of football operations. That included the hiring and firing of coaches. Or did it? We could soon find out.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/19/dennis-al ... ark-davis/

[DeadRinger]

The author is correct about just one thing. This offseason we'll see what Mark Davis is made of.

[silver & black]

I'm guessing nothing changes, so........... made of jelly.

[FreddieB25]

The author is correct about just one thing. This offseason we'll see what Mark Davis is made of.

He should consult John Madden and Ron Wolf this offseason. Those guys have meant more to Raider football the last 50 years aside from Al Davis. Both know football and personnel, Madden still is sharp and wish he would accept a job with the franchise in some capacity.

[Tenebrous]

While Madden is a Raider icon, he has been too long in broadcasting it seems. In regards to Wolf, I question whether he had the Raiders' best interest in mind or his son's predicament in Greenbay when he recommended RM.

[silver & black]

Madden is 77 and Wolf is 74. No thanks. We need "younger", hungry "brilliance" as DR would put it... and I agree.