Oakland Raiders opt for Dennis Allen as new head coach – NFL News Update
The long search by Oakland Raiders seems to have culminated as they are now set to hire the defensive coordinator of Denver Broncos, Dennis Allen as their new head coach.
This was reported by ESPN and Fox News, along with some other news sources. Though the details are still being chalked out, an agreement is imminent.
Allen becomes the first defensive coach to be hired by the Raiders since John Madden who was hired in 1969 by owner, Al Davis.
After Madden, the Raiders have restricted their hiring to offensive coaches.
However, that has now changed under Mark Davis, who took over the team after his father’s death in October.
The Raiders defence has been at its weakest this season, conceding an average of 5.0 yards per carry, and has gone on to allow 30 touchdown passes this season, thereby becoming one of the only four teams in the National Football League (NFL) to do so.
Being the main reason for Raiders' elimination from playoffs, it was likely that the Raiders would hire a defensive minded coach in order to take a shot at their weakest point.
Although general manager, Reggie McKenzie had earlier stated that the search for a head coach will not be driven by the offensive or defensive needs of the team, it now seems that the Raiders desire to primarily address their defensive problems.
McKenzie fired coach, Hue Jackson, on the first day he took over as the general manager as he wanted to bring his own man in. Jackson had led the team, 8-8, this season and failed to lead Raiders to the playoffs.
The former interim coach of the Miami Dolphins, Todd Bowles had been interviewed in this regard and seemed to be a strong contender for the head coach slot as he was a respected defence specialist, but the Raiders have now sidelined him.
Offensive coordinator of Chicago Bears, Mike Tice had been recently sidelined as well as three Green Bay Packers’ coaches, Winston Moss, Dom Capers and Tom Clements, who were earlier interviewed by McKenzie.
The long search for a head coach by McKenzie also included offensive coordinator of Philadelphia Eagles, Marty Mornhinweg, and offensive coordinator of New Orleans, Pete Carmichael Jr.
Meanwhile, Allen helped the Broncos reach the playoffs and clinch the AFC West title this season.
He helped improve Broncos' rankings in NFL to 24th in terms of points allowed, from an earlier position when they were ranked as the worst side, conceding 29.4 points per game.
Broncos also improved in terms of yards allowed, from conceding 390.8 yards per game to 357.8 yards, which saw them getting placed at the 20th place in NFL.
Allen remained New Orleans' secondary coach for five seasons while he also worked as the defensive assistant for Atlanta Falcons, prior to joining Denver Broncos.
Now he seems to be headed to a new outfit to prove his worth by lifting the Raiders from their status last season and bringing some respite to the Oakland-based franchise.
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