While there have been numerous names mentioned as potential links to the job, Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock appear to be zeroing in on a handful of candidates in their hopes of filling the vacancy quickly.
Whoever gets the job will be inheriting a huge mess. Under Paul Guenther’s direction for a little more than 2 ½ seasons, the Raiders defense was abysmal in 2020 and a prime reason the team once again failed to make it to the postseason.
From a pass rush that has been mostly nonexistent to a run defense that leaked like a sieve on nearly every play to a secondary that missed tackles on a routine basis, not to mention an entire defensive unit that looked lost at times, the new coordinator will not have much time to ease into the gig.
Gruden, whose success from here on out in his second tenure with the Raiders will depend greatly upon picking the right candidate, ticked off a list of traits he wants in whomever he picks for the job.
“I think number one, great communication,” Gruden said. “A guy that can develop players, a man that will utilize his assistant coaches and allow them to express themselves and get more out of their units and a guy that has a history of success, a guy that has a great day-to-day work ethic and knowledge of the offenses that he has stop. Somebody that can really adapt to Lamar Jackson and the style of offense they play to the next week where you got to get ready for Pat Mahomes and then it’s on to Philip Rivers. There’s a lot of different variables that you have to deal with and adapt to. A people person, great drive and a real desire to be a Raider.”
With apologies to veteran coordinators like Wade Phillips (who has privately campaigned for the job), Romeo Crennel, Marvin Lewis, Matt Patricia and Dan Quinn, all of whom are capable coordinators, Gruden has whittled the list of candidates to a select few.
Before the first round of the playoffs had even begun, the Raiders had already interviewed former Jaguars head coach and current Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and ex-Cowboys secondary coach Kris Richard. Close Gruden friend and former assistant Raheem Morris, who served as the Atlanta Falcons interim coach after Quinn was fired early in the 2020 season, may also be brought in, provided he doesn’t get the permanent job. Joe Barry, the Rams assistant head coach and linebackers coach, is almost certain to get a look as well.
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‘We have to be a much more detailed football team'
Like so many Raiders fans, coach Jon Gruden found himself searching for answers after the Raiders’ second-half collapse that cost the team a spot in the expanded playoffs.
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The Raiders had one of the easier schedules in 2020 and got only eight wins to show for it. Things won’t get any easier in 2021, either.
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The 2020 season will absolutely be remembered for being one of the strangest and most disappointing in franchise history.
Gruden feeling the heat?
“I know there is a big bull’s-eye on my chest, certainly. If the people want to use that as an incentive, then so be it. I worked for Al Davis in 1998. That was pressure. I was 34 years old. I’ve dealt with pressure before. I don’t really feel pressure. I love the excitement and thrill of competing, and I can’t worry about things I can’t control in that regard. I know people will want to step on me and beat me, and that is just the way this league is.”
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S&BI continually scans the message boards across Raider Nation to see what Raider fans are talking about now that the 2020 season has ended for the Raiders. We chose some of the better posts and present them here.
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