First, a review of the coaches already hired and then a look at some possible hires for the remaining open positions:
Head Coach Jack Del Rio: Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you are aware that the Raiders named Jack Del Rio as their head coach, with Mark Davis being much more involved and much more invested in Del Rio than he ever was with Dennis Allen.
Davis consistently referred to Allen as “Reggie’s guy” throughout Allen’s time with the team. Davis struck a markedly different tone when introducing Del Rio, however, calling him “our guy” and inferring that Davis and McKenzie were both involved and pleased with the decision to make Del Rio the head coach.
Del Rio brings with him a large amount of previous head coaching experience, having been the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 through 2011. For the last three years, Del Rio served as the Broncos defensive coordinator, coincidentally also following Allen to that role.
In his 9 years in Jacksonville, Del Rio’s Jaguars earned a 68 – 71 record (.489). The team also made the playoffs twice in that span. Two playoff runs in 9 years may not sound too impressive but it’s worth noting that this was during the same time that Peyton Manning and the Colts were the top dog in the AFC South, where the Jaguars play.
Likewise, Del Rio’s record as a head coach is not a winning record, but consider this stat: Since Del Rio was fired, the Jaguars have gone a terrible 11-42 to end 2011 and over the next three subsequent years.
Del Rio was a linebacker in the NFL before beginning his coaching career and he is well-respected in the league. One of the advantages of bringing Del Rio in was that he could, perhaps, bring in a higher quality of coaches than previous, unexperienced candidates. He has had mixed success with this, so far.
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave: Musgrave joins Del Rio’s staff for the second time as he was Del Rio’s offensive coordinator in Jacksonville from 2003-04, where he worked with just-drafted Byron Leftwich and running back Fred Jackson in an offense that gained a lot of yards but struggled to put points up on the board.
Musgrave also worked with Adrian Peterson in Minnesota and was the offensive coordinator during the 2012 season, when Peterson ran for over 2000 yards and was named the NFL MVP and the offensive player of the year.
Last year, Musgrave worked under offensive guru Chip Kelly in Philadelphia as quarterbacks coach. Starter Nick Foles struggled more than in the previous year early in the season, got hurt, and was replaced by Mark Sanchez.
Sanchez well exceeded expectations and ended up having his most productive season, statistically. Sanchez completed 64% of his passes in 2014 (his previous high was 56.7%) and threw for over 2400 yards, beating his previous career-high yard per throw average by almost a yard per throw. He threw 14 TDs to 11 interceptions, which is not good but it was only the third time in his NFL career that he had more TDs than INTs.
Musgrave, like Del Rio, was also an NFL player prior to being a coach. He played quarterback at Oregon before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 4th round.
Musgrave’s first coaching job was with Oakland, as well, when he broke into the NFL coaching ranks as the Raiders’ QB coach in 1997.
Defensive coordinator: To be determined, see below
Special Teams coordinator Brad Seely: Seely makes the jump across the Bay to join the Raiders after serving as the 49ers special teams coordinator from 2011-2014.
Seely is one of the most tenured coaches in the NFL, having been a coach for 37 years, much of that as an NFL special teams coordinator.
Seely began his NFL special teams career in 1989 when he joined the Indianapolis Colts’ coaching staff. He has also been a special teams coordinator for the Jets, Panthers, Patriots, and Browns. In his last two stops – Cleveland from 2009-2010 and San Francisco – Seely also served as the teams’ assistant head coach.
Seely has been named Special Teams coach of the year twice by Dallas Morning News’ Rick Gosselin, a respected evaluator of special teams work, in 2009 with the Browns and in 2011 with the 49ers.
OL coach Mike Tice: The first of Del Rio’s hires was Tice. It was not surprise because Tice coached under Del Rio in Jacksonville as tight ends coach and assistant head coach.
Tice has previous head coaching experience, as well. He was named the interim head coach in Minnesota in 2001 and was eventually named the head coach of the Vikings, serving in that position from 2002 – 2005.
Tice, like Del Rio and Musgrave, was also a player in the NFL before becoming a coach. He played as a tight end with Seattle, Minnesota and Washington.
Despite his playing experience as a tight end, Tice is one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the NFL and he brings 18 years of NFL coaching experience with him.
QB coach Todd Downing: The Raiders have added the 34 year old to their staff to work with promising second year QB Derek Carr. Downing, despite being in only his middle 30s, has 12 years of NFL coaching experience, starting under Mike Tice with the Vikings in 2003 as a football systems analyst before being promoted to offensive quality control coach in 2005.
He was first named quarterbacks coach with the Detroit Lions in 2011 and he served in that capacity, working with Matthew Stafford from 2011 to 2013 and helped Stafford become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL during that timespan.
Last year, Downing was quarterbacks coach under Doug Marrone in Buffalo last year before Marrone opted out of his 2015 contract.
WR coach: To be determined
TE coach: To be determined
RB coach: To be determined
DL coach: To be determined
LB coach Sal Sunseri: Sunseri has 31 years of experience at coaching, and a previous 7 years in the NFL. He was the Carolina defensive line coach from 2002-2008 and has also served as a defensive assistant under Nick Saban in Alabama and Jimbo Fisher at Florida State University. He won college football National Championships with both.
Defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson: Robertson was the team’s assistant DB coach in 2014 and he was credited by Charles Woodson as a reason that Woodson would want to return to the team in 2015. Robertson has been promoted to the primary position coach with the turnover on the coaching staff. Robertson has been a secondary coach for many years, serving in that position with the Lions and the Titans, previously.
Robertson was an NFL player before his coaching career began, drafted as a safety by the Houston Oilers in the fourth round in 1991. He moved with the team to Tennessee and spent most of his career with them (1991-2000). He did play for a year with the Seattle Seahawks (2001-02).
He was twice named an All-Pro when with the Titans – in 1993 and again in 1997.
Speculation on positions as-yet unfilled:
Defensive coordinator: NBC’s Dianna Russini, who has been on-point with the Raiders this season, says that Del Rio is targeting a college coach for defensive coordinator. Due to sensitivity with college coaches and recruitment, she has declined to name the coach but there is some speculation that it may be Notre Dame’s current defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
In Oakland, Del Rio targeting a college coach for DC. Interview set up for Sunday. The name is being kept close to the chest #Raiders
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) January 23, 2015
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VanGorder was linebacker coach under Del Rio in 2005 before leaving the team to become the head coach at Georgia Southern. He has served as defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL and as DC for college powerhouse Auburn as well.
DL coach: No talk about this position but Ray Hamilton seems as good a guess as any. Del Rio has shown a tendency to re-team with staff he had under him in Jacksonville and Hamilton was his defensive line coach, there. Hamilton served in the same role for the Atlanta Falcons under Mike Smith from 2008-2013.
Hamilton also has a Raiders connection, having been defensive line coach in 1993-94 when the team was in LA and helping develop Chester McGlockton during that time.
WR coach: Former Raiders player and coach Terry Robiskie could be tabbed, here. He most recently served as wide receiver coach for the Atlanta Falcons but played as a running back for the Raiders from 1977-79 and began his coaching career as the Raiders RB coach as well.
He is looking for a job, has years of experience, and has connections to Del Rio through Mike Smith and connections to the team.
Robiskie is still under contract and may be retained by expected head coach Dan Quinn. If so, Sanjay Lal could return for another go-around with Oakland. Lal was recently on the Jets’ staff but was in charge of the Raiders receivers from 2009-2011 and got more out of less than the Raiders were able to get recently including somewhat decent performances from Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy, and Chaz Schilens.
RB coach: Tyrone Wheatley – The former Raiders running back was on Doug Marrone’s staff in Buffalo last year, along with new Raiders QB coach Todd Downing. He has Raiders connections and would be a good fit.
Additional notes: Tice is likely to be named Assistant Head Coach with the Raiders, as well, but that team continues to hold off announcing that position in case they need the title to seal the deal for another candidate – someone like former Atlanta head coach Mike Smith as defensive coordinator – wants the Assistant title to sign.
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