HEADLINES

Tony Sparano

Impact Of Midseason Coaching Changes

October 11th, 2014 at 4:33pm CST by Rob DiRe

It was not a surprise that Raiders’ head coach Dennis Allen failed to make it through the season. More than 24% of our readers thought Allen would be the first coach fired (although 35% were wrong to think Jason Garrett would go first).

More than 65% of our readers thought Allen deserved to be fired when polled two weeks ago, after the Raiders blowout loss at the hands of the Dolphins.

Interim head coach Tony Sparano is now tasked with the challenge of taking over the team midseason and returning them to respectability.

Interim head coaches have fared poorly over the last decade and a half. Of the 23 interim head coaches since 2000, not one made the playoffs, and only two brought their teams to winning records, reports Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times. Further, only seven interim head coaches had winning records in their games coaching the team.

Of the eight interim head coaches to keep the job the next season, seven were either fired or the team decided against re-signing them after their initial contracts. Only Garrett of the Cowboys was able to secure a second contract from his team. Garrett has yet to make the playoffs as the head coach of the team, although they are 4-1 to start the season.

That doesn’t bode well for Sparano, who has failed to achieve any success as a head coach, offensive coordinator, or position coach since winning the AFC East with Chad Pennington in his first year as head coach of the Dolphins. Miami ran him out of town, and he lasted only one season as offensive coordinator with the Jets.

The Jets’ coach Rex Ryan is on the hot seat himself, with very tough matchups against the Broncos and Patriots coming up the next two weeks. Staring at 1-6, and possibly even 1-7 if they lose to a surprisingly good Bills team, Ryan could be the next coach fired. The Jets should just know that recent history does not suggest that a midseason coaching change will solve anything.

West Notes: Raiders, Gruden, Harbaugh, Cards

September 30th, 2014 at 8:56pm CST by Zachary Links

After today’s press conference announcing Tony Sparano as the Raiders‘ new interim coach, owner Mark Davis stuck around for an informal Q&A with reporters, including Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News. When asked if GM Reggie McKenzie will hire the next coach, Davis responded, “Well, we’ll see. We might’ve already hired him.” Meanwhile, Davis dodged questions about McKenzie’s own job security. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..

  • Davis has tried to lure Jon Gruden back to the Raiders in the past, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The owner has previously offered significant money and power within the organization but it wasn’t enough to reel him in.
  • Amidst speculation that some 49ers players don’t want to play for coach Jim Harbaugh, offensive lineman Jonathan Martin offered up his support, writes Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. “He’s the best coach I’ve ever been around,” said Martin, who also played for Harbaugh at Stanford. “Even though he might be cheesy at times with slogans and sayings, his enthusiasm rubs off on players and his record speaks for itself.”
  • After being released from the Cardinals‘ practice squad, running back Chris Rainey signed with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Last week, the Seahawks bumped wide receiver Phil Bates‘ practice squad salary from $6,300 to $7,300 per week, according to Brian McIntyre (on Twitter).

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.

Dennis Allen’s Job In Jeopardy

September 28th, 2014 at 9:40pm CST by Rob DiRe

Raiders’ head coach Dennis Allen could be fired this week, after suffering a blowout loss to the Dolphins in London. Terry Collins of the Associated Press tweeted that the Raiders have already fired Allen, and that the announcement could come as early as Tuesday. The tweet was later deleted, but captured in a retweet here by Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin (via Twitter).

The report has no elaboration, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk points out, and it certainly could be challenged. However, Smith writes, it would not be a surprise if it was true, sooner rather than later.

If Allen is fired, it is expected that Tony Sparano will take over as the interim head coach, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).