by RF34 » Mon Dec 30, 2013 7:26 pm
Mark Davis on Dennis Allen: “Really, the only people who’ve been replacing Dennis as coach of the Raiders is the media”
POSTED BY TIM KAWAKAMI ON DECEMBER 30TH, 2013 AT 5:56 PM | CATEGORIZED AS NFL, RAIDERS
Just spoke to Raiders owner Mark Davis on the phone, and while he said that no official decision has been made on coach Dennis Allen’s status for the future, Davis gave every indication that he is likely to bring him back for 2014.
GM Reggie McKenzie, as expected, is on even firmer ground. And again, it sounds like if McKenzie is sticking with Allen, then Davis is very likely to stick with both, for at least another season, even after back-to-back 4-win seasons.
Allen signed a four-year contract two seasons ago, which Davis pointed out.
Davis said that he expects to meet with Allen probably next week–another sign that he is in no rush to make a big change, though Davis did say there was a scenario or two where Allen might not be the Raiders coach.
“I don’t know, what if John Madden decided he wanted to be a coach again?” Davis said with a laugh.
—-MARK DAVIS interview transcript/
-Q: So, are you bringing everybody back?
-DAVIS: Those are things Reggie and I have been talking about. I think I told you that at the end of the season Reggie would sit down with Dennis, get all the info, debrief, talk to the players, just get a food feeling for that.
Then we’d sit down and talk, Reggie and I and then Dennis and I… And that hasn’t happened yet. We’re going through that process.
-Q: Dennis said today that he’d gotten some indications that he’ll be back for 2014. Is that accurate?
-DAVIS: My main thought is that Dennis has a contract that he signed two years ago. He’s fulfilled two years of it and Reggie and I will sit down and talk, but yeah he’s the Raiders head coach right now.
Really, the only people who’ve been replacing Dennis as head coach of the Raiders is the media. Am I correct? I’m still going by what I told you earlier, just let the process play itself out.
I’ll do whatever it takes to make this team better.
-Q: Have you had your season-wrap conversation with Reggie yet?
-DAVIS: I’ve spoken with Reggie, we’ve talked quite a bit today, just about the process and who he’s been speaking with, the health thing with the players, exit stuff… so that part’s taken care of.
You look around at a lot of these other teams–there were what, five or six coaches released today?
It’s an interesting dynamic when that happens, it’s not just the head coach that goes, at times the coaching staff goes as well. And there are always those opportunities, whether the head coach of the Raiders would see some of the other staffs and see other guys they’re interested in.
It’s a very dynamic process right now. It’s tough, man, because it’s all about families… I’ve always said it’s almost like a military army brats…
-Q: Are all of your assistants on one-year deals, are they all set to expire?
-DAVIS: I believe a good amount of them were. Maybe two that were actually signed for two years initially. And those guys are all being … Dennis has to determine what kind of staff he’s going to want.
There’s flexibility; it’s also about people’s lives as well.
-Q: When do you plan on sitting down with Dennis?
-DAVIS: We haven’t set a specific time. But probably some time next week I would think.
I want to see how the payoffs go this weekend–there were some amazing games around the league yesterday.
-Q: Has Reggie recommended to you that you bring Allen back?
-DAVIS: I’m not going to talk about any of those discussions. In time we’ll find out.
-Q: So it sure sounds like Allen will remain your coach.
-DAVIS: He is the coach of the Raiders right now, there’s no question about that.
-Q: Is there a scenario he isn’t the coach any more?
-DAVIS: There’s always a scenario, you know that. I don’t know, what if John Madden decided he wanted to be a coach again?
-Q: Have you talked at all with Jon Gruden, seeing if he’d come back?
-DAVIS: I’ll never talk about what I’m doing in those respects. It’s such a competitive business, there’s no reason anyone should know what I’m thinking until I do it.
I win!
