Oakland Raiders promote Chuck Bresnahan from defensive assistant to defensive coordinator
Oakland Raiders have promoted Chuck Bresnahan from defensive assistant to defensive coordinator.
This decision comes just one month after Bresnahan was hired as defensive assistant, joining the Raiders for the second time in his career.
The Raiders new head coach Hue Jackson said that he spoke with candidates outside of the franchise for the job but decided to stick with his old friend from the Cincinnati Bengals.
“The fact that I've had the chance to be in defensive meetings with Chuck and watch him lead the defensive staff made it an easy decision to name him our defensive coordinator,” Jackson said in a statement released by the Raiders. “I am impressed with his
passion, attention to detail and energy. This staff gives us the opportunity to have one of the top defenses in the NFL.”
Since Jackson replaced Tom Cable in January 2011, the team has made many changes to their staff, the most significant being on the defensive side of the ball. They have promoted Greg Biekert to linebackers coach and hired Hall of Famer Rod Woodson to be
cornerbacks coach.
Biekert and Woodson both played for Bresnahan the first time he was defensive coordinator for Oakland, from 2000 to 2003. In Bresnahan’s first three seasons, the Raiders won their division, the American Football Conference West and then went to the Super
Bowl after his third year in 2002.
“This is an incredible opportunity for me to come back to the Raiders and work again where we had so many great years,” said Bresnahan.
The Raiders have also been working hard to keep their defensive playmakers off of the free agent market and on the roster. They franchised linebacker Kamerion Wimbley for $11.312 million and signed other players. The Silver-and-Black have agreed on a two-year,
$8 million contract with defensive tackle John Henderson and have signed defensive tackle Richard Seymour to a two-year, $30 million contract and cornerback Stanford Routt to a three-year, $31.5 million contract.
The Raiders also want to keep safety Michael Huff and Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha on their roster but cant do anything about them until and unless a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is made.
Bresnahan will have to improve a defence that has been struggling for years. The Raiders allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game with an average of 133.6 rushing yards per game in the 2010 season.
Statistically, the franchise has had the worst defence since Bresnahan at the end of the 2003 season. They have allowed a league-worst 139 rushing touchdown and have allowed an average of 140.4 rushing yards per game since the 2004 season.
However, their passing defence was ranked second in the entire National Football League and they were tied for second for most sacks in the league with 47.
Bresnahan spent last season in the United Football League as defensive coordinator for the Florida Huskers.
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