Reggie McKenzie to start as the general manager for Oakland Raiders soon – NFL News
Director of football operations for Green Bay Packers Reggie McKenzie will now take on the role of the new general manager of the Oakland Raiders, the team announced on Friday.
The announcement confirmed earlier reports that were circulating that McKenzie will be the new general manager.
The team has been without a proper general manger since 2003, when Bruce Allen a senior assistant to owner Al Davis left the Raiders to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since then Al Davis had taken on the role of general manager making the final decisions in all big matters of the organisation such as the hiring of coaches and draft picks.
Since the death of Al Davis in October, the team had decided to bring in a general manager.
Coach Hue Jackson had been dispensing the responsibilities of a general manager since Davis’s death.
Three executives of the Raiders, Ron Wolf, Ken Herock and John Madden, had been assigned the task of looking for a new manager and all three gave their decisions in favour of McKenzie.
Wolf even publicly declared his support.
"Reggie's a tremendous evaluator. He can tell you who can play and who can't play. That's what it's all about. Some can write reports but can't tell you who can play. Whatever that is, he has that. He has a feel," Wolf said.
Talks of McKenzie’s hiring had been going on for a week and the final agreement was made on Friday.
Raiders are not a new team for McKenzie, who has spent four seasons with the Raiders, from 1985 to 1988.
McKenzie had then left to play for the Arizona Cardinals in 1989.
Jackson who is confident of his future with the Raiders didn’t feel threatened by McKenzie’s arrival.
"I know people say, 'If they hire a G.M. then he's going to want to bring in his head coach.' Whoever comes here, I think it's going to be somebody who wants to share the same vision as I do." Jackson said.
The former Raiders' linebacker has been working with the Packers for 18 years.
Packers' GM, Ted Thompson thanked McKenzie for doing much for the team, saying his contributions to the team were “numerous”.
He even called McKenzie a “tremendous talent”. T
hompson was generous enough to allow McKenzie start his new job immediately rather than have him wait till the post season was over.
Changes are also expected in the defence line-up of the team. The defence of the Raiders has been at its weakest this season. The Raiders have given in the most number of penalties this season breaking the record previously held
by the Kansas City Chiefs since 1998. And the defence has been allowing 5.0 yards per carry. Currently it seems that the heat would fall on defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan but so far no decisions have been made.
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