After much speculation in the media, the Raiders have fired Hue Jackson after just one season as the team’s head coach. Jackson interviewed with new general manager Reggie McKenzie this week and apparently the interview did not go well.
Al Davis brought Jackson in as the offensive coordinator for the 2010 season. He was the coach-in-waiting for the Raiders, and after the team finished 8-8 that season, the Raiders fired then head coach Tom Cable and promoted Jackson to the position.
The Raiders had a disappointing season in 2011 that saw the team fall from the top of the AFC West to missing the playoffs with an 8-8 record. At times during the season, Jackson had issues with his game management but many people saw that as simply rookie mistakes. It appears now that he had too much on his plate after the passing of Al Davis.
Jackson assumed the role of interim general manager after Davis passed away. Shortly thereafter, he made the blockbuster trade that sent a first round pick and a conditional first round pick to Cincinnati in trade for quarterback Carson Palmer. The Raiders were in desperate need of a quarterback with the injury to Jason Campbell but the price was quite steep.
Following the trade, Jackson didn’t prepare backup quarterback Kyle Boller properly to start against the Chiefs. Boller threw three interceptions in the first half due in part to Jackson’s play calling and in part to his taking limited snaps during the week as Jackson attempted to keep the media guessing as to who would be starting the game.
After losing his first start with the Raiders, Palmer and the Raiders won three games in a row. But then things went bad as the Raiders would lose four of the last five games to miss the playoffs.
In the midst of this losing streak, Sports Illustrated put out an exclusive article about Jackson’s routine of getting a manicure and pedicure prior to every game. That article included a photo spread of Jackson getting his mani-pedi that drew a considerable amount of criticism.
New GM Reggie McKenzie no doubt took all of these things into consideration and in the end made the decision to cut ties with Jackson. The press conference to officially announce the hiring of McKenzie will be occurring at 2pm this afternoon. At that point, more details should be brought to light.
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