Al Davis Introduces Hue Jackson As Oakland Raiders Head Coach At Press Conference

Earlier today the Oakland Raiders held their introductory press conference for new head coach Hue Jackson. Al Davis introduced the former offensive coordinator as the new head coach of the Raiduhs. While Al Davis might resemble the crypt keeper, there’s no doubt he still wields considerable power and respect in the Raiders organization. Even as outsiders still find time to mock the Raiders organization, Al Davis maintains a tight grip on the franchise.

The press conference was mostly platitudes about the future of the team and how bright it is. This particular clip leads up through the first question, which actually provided some valuable insight. Hue Jackson declared that he would be the primary play-caller. It looks like the Bay Area will have a pair of NFL head coaches running their respective offenses. We’ve begun to see Jim Harbaugh develop his staff and the type of identity they want in place. We’ll keep an equal eye on the Raiders and new head coach Hue Jackson to see the kind of staff he puts together.

Oakland Raiders Promote Hue Jackson To Head Coach

The Oakland Raiders hired Hue Jackson to take over as head coach on Monday after serving this past season as the offensive coordinator. Jackson replaces Tom Cable, who was let go after the season when the team didn't pick up the final two years of his option.

The Raiders have announced that the hiring will be made official in a press conference Tuesday.

This past season, the Raiders ranked 10th in the NFL in yards per game as they averaged 354.6, but the new running attack was the most noticeable change since Jackson came aboard.

Led by Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, the Raiders amassed 2,494 yards on the ground — the second highest total in the league as they trailed only the Kansas City Chiefs. The passing attack still needs work, however, as the Raiders finished 23rd in the league in the air.

Jackson has never been a head coach in the past, but the Raiders are adding someone very familiar with how to run an offense as the 45-year-old has previously served as USC’s offensive coordinator, the Washington Redskins offensive coordinator and the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator.

He also served as the Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach from 2004-2006 when the team boasted Chad Ochocinco, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the late Chris Henry as well as the Baltimore Ravens quarterback coach during Joe Flacco’s rookie season.

Oakland Raiders Head Coach Search: Al Davis Fined Tom Cable $120,000 Over The Course Of The 2010 NFL Season

As the Oakland Raiders get closer to wrapping up their head coach search, the team finds itself embroiled in controversy with their former coach Tom Cable. To be more specific, Al Davis is in yet another financial dispute with a former coach. Adam Schefter is reporting that Al Davis fined Cable $120,000 over the course of six paychecks ($20,000 per check). The fines were allegedly due to Davis’ displeasure with Cable losing a pair of OTA days due to intense workouts. This is only hearsay at this point as the NFL is apparently investigating.

Tom Cable has reportedly filed a grievance against Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders with the NFL. Cable is not the first Raiders coach to get into a financial mess with Davis. Lane Kiffin filed and lost a grievance against Davis for money Kiffin felt was owed him after he was fired. Prior to that Mike Shanahan got in a dispute over $250,000 in severance pay after Davis fired him in 1989.

Hue Jackson is reportedly the favorite to get the Raiders head coaching job. If he gets a deal done Jackson better be sure to read through the fine print of the contract. Al Davis has always been a rather litigious owner and any head coach who comes is likely aware of that at this point.

Raiders Reportedly Not Bringing Back Defensive Coordinator John Marshall

According to league sources, the Raiders will not be bringing back John Marshall. The sources are not mine, but the San Francisco Chronicle’s, Vittorio Tafur. This is a move that will come as no surprise.

It was clear when Al Davis fired Tom Cable that he felt the Raiders underachieved this season. With Davis likely to promote Offensive Coordinator, Hue Jackson, it is also clear that Davis must have been happy with the offense. That would lead one to believe he feels the defense is largely to blame. Sorry Mr. Marshall, but it’s time to go.

The Raiders allowed over 30 points six times this season and, despite revamping the defense to stop the run, they still sucked at it. The chances of an in-team promotion are unlikely. Mike Wauffle seems content to stay a defensive line coach and I can’t see Mike Haluchak or Lionel Washington making the jump.

It had been reported that former Defensive Coordinator, Rob Ryan, had talked with Davis this offseason, but it is also being reported that he is close to signing with the Cowboys.

Taking a complete stab in the dark, I say keep an eye out for former Raider, Winston Moss. Moss is the current LB coach for the Packers and he actually interviewed with the Raiders for the Head Coaching position before they removed the interim tag from Tom Cable.

Oakland Raiders Coaching Search: Jackson May Be In Action By Next Week

The Oakland Raiders coaching search may finally be coming to an end and it may not have ever been that big of search to begin with. The Raiders had announced they had begun the interview process, but who they interviewed was not released.

It has long been suspected that the job belonged to Hue Jackson. We may be closer to making it official. According to a report by Vittorio Tafur indications are that the Raiders will make the official announcement sometime this coming week.

Al Davis has been in no hurry to name Hue the next coach, because Hue has no place else to go. He is currently under contract with the Raiders and every other NFL team has a head coach.

The Raiders have been busy evaluating their own staff and the process of filling out the staff is going to be more intriguing than the one to bring in a new head coach. It is starting to look like the Raiders will be looking for a new offensive and defensive coordinators. For more on that, see the above story.

Oakland Raiders Coaching Search: The Interviews Have Begun

The Oakland Raiders have officially begun their coaching search. Beyond that we don’t know much. Well, that’s not true. The Raiders did conduct an interview today. The Raiders did not say who it was with, but they did narrow down the field of speculation to people not named Hue Jackson.

This certainly does not rule out Jackson as a candidate, but it does lead to speculation that Al Davis is still considering leaving Jackson as the offensive coordinator. If that is the case, you’d almost have to assume that Davis would be thinking of bringing in a defensive minded head coach. This is something Al Davis rarely does.

Jerry McDonald speculates that the Raiders may bring in their former defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan. Rob Ryan has one big thing going for him in this search, Nnamdi Asomugha likes him.

With Davis suddenly in the position having to recruit Asomugha again, he may be looking for a defensive coach to appease his star player. If this is the case, and Davis gives a defensive coach flexibility to run the defense, Asomugha’s sudden free agency may prove to be the greatest thing that ever happened to the franchise.

I will believe a defensive guy will be the Raiders next Head Coach when I see it, however, and my money is still on Hue Jackson being the guy.

Jim Harbaugh Reportedly Will Sign 5 Year Deal With 49ers: Raiders Are Now Free To Procrastinate

Jim Harbaugh reportedly will sign a five year deal with the 49ers. Adam Schefter broke the news on his twitter account moments ago. After Harbaugh dissed the Dolphins yesterday and Andrew Luck returned to Stanford, the popular perception was Harbaugh would return to Stanford as well.

It appears now, that the Harbaugh-49er roller coaster has taken its final fall and now rolls safely to its conclusion. For the Raiders, this moves lights the hurry up and wait sign.

The 49ers are the only team that had interviewed or even expressed interest in interviewing, Offensive Coordinator, Hue Jackson, for a head coaching position. Without the threat of another team hiring Jackson away from the Raiders, Al Davis can take his time in naming him Head Coach. And all signs point to Jackson being the only candidate for the Raiders job.

Al Davis has yet to schedule an interview for Jackson or anyone else. While people in Jackson’s camp have said the job was Jackson’s and people within the organization feel that an interview between Jackson and Davis is in the works.

Do not expect any announcements soon from Raider-land. Al Davis has a history of delaying announcements of in-house promotions like this one. He waited long into the offseason before lifting the interim tag off of Tom Cable before naming him and Head Coach. He also employed similar tactics before naming Bill Callahan head coach after he traded Jon Gruden.

Personally, I am not waiting for Al and the Raiders. Say hello to Hue Jackson, the Head Coach of the 2011 Oakland Raiders…probably.

Oakland Raiders Coaching Watch, No Scheduled Interviews With Hue Jackson or Anyone Else

Oakland Raiders coaching watch: No scheduled interviews with Hue Jackson or anyone else. Al Davis likes to take his time with coaching moves, which made the announcement that they would not be retaining Cable a surprise. It would be more like them to simply let the deadline for his option pass without them doing anything about it. It is widely speculated that they made the announcement to make Hue Jackson the Head Coach and prevent him from leaving.

Jackson went on an interview with the San Francisco 49ers Wednesday, which leaves them about two steps ahead in the process than he is with the Raiders. It has been reported that the feeling among Raiders employees and people in Jackson’s camp, that an interview between Jackson and Al Davis will happen soon.

It is apparent Al Davis is going to move at his own pace on this one. I expect that Jackson will indeed be named the coach, although I don’t know why Davis would risk the chance of someone making Jackson an offer he can’t refuse. Davis likes to keep his coaches waiting. He did the same to Bill Callahan after Jon Gruden was traded to the Buccaneers and he did the same thing to Tom Cable before lifting the interim tag from him.

Davis has no reason to rush his interview process. He never hires people that other teams are considering anyways. So, after the swift movement on Cable being let go, it is back to business as usual in Raider-land.

Hue Jackson Is Suddenly More Than a Rooney Rule Candidate For 49ers

On Tuesday, The San Francisco 49ers scheduled Hue Jackson for an interview that was originally thought to be nothing more than a Rooney Rule move. Not long after this news broke, came the news that the Raiders would not be retaining the services of Tom Cable. It was speculated that the Raiders made this move to prevent Hue Jackson from jumping ship to San Francisco.

At the time, the popular opinion was that the 49ers forced Davis’s hand by scheduling an interview for someone they were using to eliminate any hurdles before naming Jim Harbaugh their next Head Coach. To go along with this, there was also reports of sources close to Hue Jackson saying he would become the Raiders next Head Coach.

Then Tuesday turned into Wednesday. Hue Jackson went on his interview with the 49ers and according to the NFL Network, he “made a strong impression.” The Raiders meanwhile have still yet to schedule Jackson for an interview.

The 49ers are still targeting Jim Harbaugh, but so are the Broncos and the Dolphins. It has been reported that the Dolphins would be willing to make Harbaugh the league’s highest paid coach. This would undoubtedly put a huge dent in the 49ers chances of landing Harbaugh and consequently push Hue Jackson from Rooney Rule applicant to a legitimate candidate for the position.

Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders Offensive Coordinator, Targeted By Owner Al Davis For Head Coach

With Tom Cable out as head coach, Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders are looking for someone new to fill up the position. Davis's favorite is probably offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who has long been considered the only current viable candidate for the job. Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed this with a source close to the Raiders coaching situation.

Not much is known about Jackson, but the Raiders offense did dramatically improve between 2009 and 2010 in terms of scoring (from 31st to 6th). According to Football Outsiders the improvement was only incremental; Oakland was 23rd in offensive efficiency, up from 30th in 2009. The rush attack was much improved though, leaping from 26th to 6th behind a physical offensive line and strong running from Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

Bill Williams of the NFL Nation blog discussed how Davis may have panicked once he heard the San Francisco 49ers had contacted Jackson for an interview, and got rid of Cable in order to retain Jackson. The funny part is that Jackson probably isn't even a serious candidate for the 49ers job; he's probably just getting interviewed to fill in the Rooney Rule minority slot before the Niners continue their pursuit of the big name candidates they're interested in.

To discuss the Raiders coaching situation, head over to Silver and Black Pride.

Al Davis Doesn't Exercise Contract Option On Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders Need A Head Coach

Al Davis has released Tom Cable. Adam Schefter reported that the eccentric Oakland Raiders owner has decided to let loose his mildly successful head coach. The Raiders, who finished the season a fairly successful 8-8, now msut start over, and begin the search for a new candidate.

Before we discuss Cable's replacement, let's discuss his rocky tenure. He was the offensive line coach for the Raiders before being promoted after the firing of Lane Kiffin. Cable's first two seasons were 9-19, but he finally turned it around in his third year and seemed to finally have his guys moving in the right direction.

Although the players long backed their head coach (particularly one of the best defenders in the league in Nnamdi Asomugha), Davis has never liked Cable much, and was expecting much better than 8-8. So he'll likely look to another offensive playcaller, perhaps current Raiders offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who was hired before the 2010 season and has apparently clashed with Cable on a few occasions. Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers interview of Jackson was enough to convince Davis to get going with letting Cable loose.

And now we have two vacant Bay Area NFL jobs. Don't expect there to be too much fanfare concerning this decision though; it might come swiftly.

For more on Cable's release, head over to Silver and Black Pride.

Oakland Raiders Coaching Watch, Tom Cable: What To Make Of The Reports Of His Dimissal

As David pointed out, there were several reports yesterday stating the Raiders are not likely to pick up the option on Tom Cable’s contract. As with any reports of the Raiders potential moves, take them with a grain of salt.

I have no idea if the Raiders are planning on bringing Cable back or not and neither do any of these people. Adam Shefter was the first to report that Cable would not be retained and I think Bill Romanowski summed it best. Romo:

I wrote my book with Adam Schefter, but nobody knows what’s going to happen with the Raiders. He made it up.

Whatever happens, we are not likely to know until the Jan. 19 contract option deadline. There will be no announcement of support for Cable or a press conference to say his option will not be picked up by the club. They will simply give it to him or not.

It was much the same last year. It was widely speculated that Tom Cable would not be retained. The one difference was Cable was still under contract. There was no deadline for an option to be picked up. The Raiders simply never made a coaching change and they never announced that they wouldn’t.

The only thing I see as a possibility to expedite this process is Hue Jackson being offered a head coaching job elsewhere. At that point, Al Davis would be forced to make a decision between Cable and Jackson. And that is only if Jackson would take the Raiders job. Davis is not one to outbid other teams for coaches.

To sum it all up: Hurry up and wait. There are going to be more rumors than actions for a couple of weeks.

Oakland Raiders Coaching Watch: Tom Cable Out?

Just as the Oakland Raiders end their most successful season in eight years, reports are quickly surfacing that head coach Tom Cable is out as head coach. Adam Schefter, the NFL Network, and Nancy Gay are all reporting that Davis will not pick up the option held by the Raiders. The option must be decided on by January 18 and apparently not making the playoffs could mean the end of the Tom Cable era.

Although the Raiders finished the season losing four of six, an 8-8 finish marks their best record since 2002. Cable took over as interim coach in 2008 and has directed Oakland to some improvement in his two full seasons as head coach. They went 5-11 last year, but improved to 8-8 in 2010. While the playoff miss is disappointing, the biggest disappointment is the poor finish. As several players on the team emerged as legit playmakers, the QB position was a bit of a disappointment. The Raiders bounced between Jason Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski. If they had more than Kyle Boller in their back pocket they might have gone full time to a third QB at some point.

These reports have only surfaced today so we'll keep a close eye on the situation as it develops. Give the team's struggles earlier in the month, one would have expected prior revelations. We'll see if this is just a temporary moment of crazy in the long history of Al Davis crazy, or if he's prepared to play this all the way out. For more on the subject, head over to Silver and Black Pride's thread.