Oakland Raiders hire Hue Jackson as head coach
The Oakland Raiders team has decided to promote Hue Jackson from offensive coordinator to head coach, after the franchise more than doubled its scoring in his first year as offensive coordinator.
There will be a formal press conference on Tuesday to introduce Jackson to the media, coming exactly two weeks after the Raiders announced that ex-head coach Tom Cable would not be back for another season.
Raiders owner Al Davis said in a statement, "The fire in Hue will set a flame that will burn for a long time in the hearts and minds of the Raiders football team and the Raider Nation."
Jackson was considered the best candidate for the job as soon as Cable was let go. This will be the first head coaching job for Jackson.
He was hired one year ago to oversee the offensive line and created an immediate transformation in the team. The Silver-and-Black scored twice as many points in the 2010 season than they did in the 2009 season, and avoided an eighth successive losing streak
by winning eight games this season. The players are also eager to play under Hue.
"I'm excited about Hue getting the head coaching job," Raiders tight end Zach Miller said. "I really like the direction our offence is going and how much we improved. This was the best offensive year we've had since I've been a Raider. I'm excited to have
the continuity."
The team scored 410 points this season, putting them sixth in the league. Big plays from Jacoby Ford, a standout season from Darren McFadden, and being led by Jason Campbell made a big change this year in terms of offence.
Jackson has great relationships with the entire team, on both sides of the ball. The defence enjoys the competitiveness that he brought with him to daily practices. Quentin Groves, linebacker, posted on his Twitter feed, "Congrats to Hue Jackson ... This
is gonna be a great ride!!!"
The Raiders won all six of the games in their own division, the American Football Conference (AFC) West, but only two games out of their ten other ones. They are the first team since the modern football league was created to have a perfect record against
their division and still not make the playoffs.
Tags: