January 14, 2012

There will be considerable hand-wringing and consternation on the part of many Raiders fans as they learn that Hue Jackson is no longer their team’s head coach.

For reasons I’ve had a hard time understanding, Jackson has largely escaped blame for the disastrous 8-8 season the Raiders just completed, and fans and many media members just assumed he’d be back for a second season.

But what would you do in McKenzie’s situation? Here is your choice regarding the head coach. First, let’s look at the reasons to keep him:

1)      He was a rookie last year, and should get better

2)      The team had several key injuries last year

That’s about all I have. I can’t think of one thing that Hue Jackson did for the Raiders, one stamp he put on that team, which would lead to him being given the precious spot as “Reggie McKenzie’s First Coach.”

Now, here are just a few things on the other side of the ledger:

1)      The play by the team in the fourth quarter was atrocious all season long

2)      The Raiders broke a record for penalties. It wasn’t just the usual Raider penalties; they were not lining up correctly, even late in the season

3)      His handling of the media was unprofessional at best. This was probably best exemplified when he kept everyone in the dark regarding whether Carson Palmer would play against Kansas City.

4)      His post-season press conference, when he said that “now that the season is over, I can tell you what I really think,” told everyone that he had been dishonest with them all season.

5)      The fact that all of the above reasons were present all season  gives no indication that Jackson was aware of the problems or had any idea how to fix them.

McKenzie reportedly told Jackson that none of these things were factors in the decision to not bring him back, and that is probably true. McKenzie has been waiting a really long time for this opportunity, and he’d be crazy not to look at every coaching possibility. He’s probably been keeping notes for years about people he’d call if he ever got this far, and I’m guessing that Jackson was not on that list. Announcing the firing before his introductory press conference removes that distraction, and also sends the message throughout the organization (and the locker room) that everyone is up for review.

The bottom line, Raider fans, is that this is really good news for you. Jackson hired by the only person in the NFL who ever would have hired him, Al Davis. 15 years as an assistant at five colleges, nobody ever gave him the shot. 11 years as an assistant in the pros with five teams, and finally Al Davis promoted him to head coach.

Al, as we all know, liked a particular kind of head coach, and one of the things he liked was a coach that was extremely grateful for the opportunity. 25-year assistants are that kind of grateful.  Davis wanted to call the shots, and he didn’t want an accomplished head coach disagreeing with him on anything. Even the men he hired who had been head coaches (Norv Turner, Joe Bugel, Art Shell), were not sought-after candidates.

Reggie McKenzie brings to the Raiders the experience in working in one of the league’s best organizations. He will structure the team in the Packers’ likeness, and that includes a strong head coach who will run that part of the program. Look for similar hires in personnel and “capology.” In the days following McKenzie’s hiring, the chorus from around the NFL was unanimous, “good guy, smart guy.” This means he will have his pick of people that he wants to surround himself with, and that can only be good for the Raider fans.

It might not be good for current Raiders’ employees, however. I wouldn’t be signing long-term leases right now if I were working in that front office, or if was a free-agent player. To steal a line from “48 hours,” There’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Reggie McKenzie.