HEADLINES

Ken Norton Jr.

Raiders Hire Ken Norton Jr. As DC

February 6th, 2015 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders’ search for a defensive coordinator has finally come to an end, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, who reports (via Twitter) that Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. will be the team’s new DC. The club has confirmed the hiring in a press release.

Although a number of notable coaches, including Mike Smith, Wade Phillips, Mel Tucker, and Todd Grantham, were linked to the defensive coordinator opening in Oakland, the job didn’t appear to generate a ton of enthusiasm. Smith, the Falcons’ former head coach, was considered Jack Del Rio’s top choice throughout the process, but decided he wanted to take a year off, and didn’t budge from that stance. Tucker and Phillips accepted jobs with other teams – Alabama and the Broncos respectively – while Grantham decided to remain at Louisville.

Money and play-calling control were reportedly factors in the apparent lukewarm interest in the Raiders’ defensive coordinator job — the team wasn’t interested in paying big money to an assistant, and Del Rio is expected to have a hand in calling plays. On the other hand, multiple recent reports have downplayed the fact that the Raiders had taken so long to make a hire, suggesting that the new head coach simply prioritized filling out his offensive staff before addressing the defensive side of the ball. According to Norton, Del Rio will play a significant role in preparing the defense, but the DC will call plays on game days (Twitter link via Tafur).

The Seahawks have had the league’s best defense in each of the past two seasons, and now are paying the price for that success. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn headed to Atlanta to coach the Falcons, and now Norton has departed for a promotion of his own. While both Quinn and Richard could bring assistants with them to their new teams, Seattle secondary coach Kris Richard likely won’t be going anywhere — he is expected to become the new defensive coordinator for the Seahawks. Still, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that “more change” could be coming to the club’s defensive staff.

Tafur first noted last Wednesday – after Grantham turned down Oakland’s offer – that Norton might be next up on the team’s list of targets. The Raiders had to wait until after the Super Bowl, but managed to interview Norton yesterday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

AFC West Notes: Manning, Raiders, Broncos

February 2nd, 2015 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos have made changes at head coach and offensive coordinator since the end of their season, and their star quarterback has considered retirement, but Las Vegas still likes the team’s chances for 2015. Betting site Bovada.lv gives Denver 10/1 odds to win next year’s Super Bowl, with only the Seahawks, Patriots, and Packers ahead of the Broncos. On the other end of the spectrum, no club has longer odds at a championship than the Raiders, who are tied with the Jaguars at 200/1 odds.

Here’s the latest out of the AFC West:

  • Gil Brandt of NFL.com is the latest to report that Peyton Manning is likely to return for another season in 2015, indicating in a tweet that he’s hearing the Broncos quarterback will “almost certainly” be back. Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com wrote yesterday that Manning could announce his return at some point this week, after Woody Paige of the Denver Post reported a couple weeks ago that the veteran signal-caller was leaning toward continuing his career.
  • Providing an update on the Raiders‘ hunt for a defensive coordinator, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle says that it still doesn’t seem as if the team is any rush to make a decision. According to Tafur (all Twitter links), Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. remains a candidate, and Oakland could also dip into the college ranks — with National Signing Day coming up this week, a coach could wait until after that to take the Raiders job. As for Mike Smith, who has been considered Jack Del Rio‘s top choice all along, the former Falcons head coach would like to take a year off, and hasn’t changed his mind on that yet, per Tafur.
  • The Broncos have hired Fred Pagac as their outside linebackers coach, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Pagac, a former defensive coordinator for the Vikings, worked with the Bills’ linebackers in 2014.

Todd Grantham To Remain At Louisville

January 28th, 2015 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite reportedly receiving an offer to join Jack Del Rio‘s coaching staff in Oakland, Todd Grantham has decided to remain at Louisville as the team’s defensive coordinator, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier today that the Raiders had made a two-year offer to Grantham to become the club’s DC.

“My family loves it in Louisville, and I think we are establishing something special here with Bobby Petrino and our staff,” Grantham said by way of explanation, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

While a number of coaches – including Mike Smith, Wade Phillips, Mel Tucker, and others – have been linked to the defensive coordinator opening in Oakland, the job doesn’t appear to be generating much enthusiasm. Smith has been considered Del Rio’s top choice all along, but doesn’t seem interested in the position. Tucker has since accepted a job as Alabama’s secondary coach, and Phillips apparently prefers Denver over the Raiders, despite not being the Broncos’ No. 1 target.

Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. may be up next on the Raiders’ list of DC candidates. If that’s true, Oakland will likely have to wait until next week to make any announcements, since Norton is busy preparing for Sunday’s game against the Patriots. Tafur adds (via Twitter) that money and play-calling control are factors in the apparent lukewarm interest in the Raiders’ DC job.