HEADLINES

Jon Gruden

Raiders GM, Owner On Dennis Allen, Future

September 30th, 2014 at 6:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders’ top executives spoke with reporters today following the firing of head coach Dennis Allen, and general manager Reggie McKenzie and owner Mark Davis each offered insight on the move and the future in Oakland:

  • The decision to fire Allen was McKenzie’s; the GM took his plans to Davis, who approved the dismissal, according to NFL Network’s Around the League (Twitter link).
  • Despite speculation that he too could lose his job, McKenzie claims he “will hire the next coach,” per ATL (on Twitter).
  • While Davis says he’s never considered firing McKenzie (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle), Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News notes (via Twitter) that Davis made it apparent that the rest of the season will determine the GM’s fate.
  • The Raiders have reportedly shown interest in bringing back former head coach Jon Gruden, and Davis says he “may reach out to…Gruden and [Gruden] may reach out to [Davis],” according to Tafur (Twitter link). Davis also implied the permanent coach could already be on Oakland’s staff.
  • A close friend of Gruden tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that “one of these days, [Gruden is] going to accept these offers he gets every year. Maybe it’s this one.”
  • Interim head coach Tony Sparano almost left the team after his contract expired last season, but McKenzie essentially told him that he was next-in-line in the event of Allen being fired, tweets Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks the fact that Sparano will be judged on 12 games will help guard against any “artificial improvement in performance” that often leads to teams retaining interim coaches, and then regretting the decision.
  • Stanford head coach David Shaw denied any interest in the Raiders position, writes Jon Wilner of InsideBayArea.com. “Everyone knows I’m dedicated (to Stanford), that I love it here,” Shaw told Wilner. “It’s great. It’s flattery, and I tell players that’s sign that we’re doing something right here, when they get attention and I get attention. But our work here is unfinished, and I love being here.”

Raiders Name Tony Sparano Interim Coach

September 30th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: The Raiders have made the decision official, announcing in a press release that Sparano is the team’s new interim head coach

12:58pm: After firing head coach Dennis Allen last night, the Raiders have decided on his interim replacement, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the club will announce Tony Sparano as the new head coach later this afternoon. Sparano had previously been acting as Oakland’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

For Sparano, who will turn 53 next week, this will be his second chance at an NFL head coaching job. The new Raiders interim coach previously led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth in 2008, his first year with the club. However, consecutive losing seasons followed, culminating with his firing in 2011 when Miami got off to a 4-9 start. Overall, Sparano led the Dolphins to a 29-32 record, with no postseason victories.

Scott Bair and Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com had previously reported (via Twitter) that the Raiders were deciding between Sparano and senior offensive assistant Al Saunders. Owner Mark Davis was said to prefer Saunders, but appears to have left the decision up to general manager Reggie McKenzie. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was viewed as the other internal candidate, and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle says Olson made a push for the job (Twitter link).

While Sparano takes over for now, the team will likely reevaluate the position after the season. Unless Sparano leads a massive turnaround during the last 12 games, I’d expect the Raiders to consider higher-profile candidates, such as former head coach Jon Gruden. Landing Gruden may be a long shot, but Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that the current ESPN analyst is a big fan of rookie signal-caller Derek Carr.

Raiders Notes: McKenzie, Sparano, Gruden

September 30th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

Dennis Allen became the first NFL head coach of the 2014 season to be fired last night, after his Raiders lost all four of their games in September. Since then, rumors have been swirling about the team’s short-term solution at head coach, potential longer-term targets, and whether general manager Reggie McKenzie‘s job is safe. Here’s the latest out of Oakland:

  • After initially reporting (via Twitter) that Tony Sparano would not be taking over as the Raiders’ head coach, Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com clarified (via Twitter) that McKenzie was being indecisive and then Sparano is still being considered. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Sparano still looks like the most likely replacement for Allen, but offensive coordinator Greg Olson has made it known that he wants the job.
  • While McKenzie apologists may argue that he inherited an aging, overpriced roster, and has spent the last couple years getting out from under poor cap decisions, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports doesn’t believe the Raiders GM has shown any indications that he deserves to remain a part of the team’s rebuilding process. In Marvez’s view, McKenzie should be the next to go.
  • Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group points out that GMs are rarely fired in the middle of a season, but thinks that owner Mark Davis will take a long look at replacing McKenzie in the offseason. If he decides to make a change, Davis figures to “put everything he has into a basket” for Jon Gruden before exploring other candidates, according to Kawakami, who adds that the former Raiders coach has long been Davis’ top choice to take over the club’s football operations.
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) acknowledges that Gruden could potentially be in play for the Raiders in January, but thinks it’d be an easier sell if the Raiders were headed to Los Angeles with a new stadium lined up.
  • Williamson also notes (via Twitter) that the Raiders previously made a run at Mike Holmgren, speculating that perhaps he could be part of the team’s front office picture in 2015.