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.