For Dennis Allen The Training Wheels Are Off

[blazin1]

2012 was always going to be a difficult year for the Oakland Raiders franchise. There was no way around it. No team in the history of football had the sort of reconstruction the Raiders faced last year. Al Davis was the alpha and omega of the Raider franchise for decades. The number of men hired to replace all of the duties he did speaks volumes.

With that said Reggie McKenzie and Dennis Allen took great liberties with the positions each was in during this past year.

McKenzie had a salary cap mess that permitted the removal of players no matter their importance to the franchise.

Allen had a roster with talent but no depth that allowed for a learn-on-the-job approach.

But that was then and this is now.

Then Allen thought he could somehow reinvent the wheel by scrapping an offensive system that produced for one he simply preferred. We all know how that ended and if Allen ever tries to prove he’s the smartest man in the room again it could likely be the end of his head coaching career.

Simply put the training wheels are off. You rarely get an entire year in pro football to figure things out. If you’re not sure coming out of camp then more than likely you won’t be given a full 16 games to do so. Allen had that luxury but the increasing angst of Mark Davis has made the leash even shorter.

In the first game of the season Allen’s team looked unprepared as evident by the long snapper debacle that derailed the season opener.

That too is something that cannot happen again. With all due respect to Allen his predecessor, Hue Jackson, didn’t even have an offseason due to the lockout yet he was able to get his team ready to go for the start of the season.

Allen has the respect of his players which is a good thing. But so too did Tom Cable and Jackson. We know where they ended up. If Allen wants to avoid a similar fate he’ll need to get with the program and understand that coaches on scholarship are only accepted in San Diego.

LINK: http://justblogbaby.com/2013/01/09/for-dennis-allen-the-training-wheels-are-off/

[Tenebrous]

Posts/articles like this are truly annoying. 2012 was always going to be a difficult year? Really? No, on the contrary 2012 could have been a playoff year, but for poor upper management decisions such as firing Jackson and bringing a first year HC who was a first year DC under a defensive minded coach - and I have not even brought up who they brought in for OC.

Bah, "Allen had a roster with talent but no depth that allowed for a learn-on-the-job approach" - correction, Allen/Knapp/RM had players such as DMC and they made him disappear. The problem was not so much with the roster, but with their blind determination to force a system that did not fit the strengths of the players on the team. This team, just a season ago went 8-8 even after having ridiculous injuries to key players mid-season and no off season together (Palmer arrived mid-season).

[DeadRinger]

Posts/articles like this are truly annoying. 2012 was always going to be a difficult year? Really? No, on the contrary 2012 could have been a playoff year, but for poor upper management decisions such as firing Jackson and bringing a first year HC who was a first year DC under a defensive minded coach - and I have not even brought up who they brought in for OC.

Bah, "Allen had a roster with talent but no depth that allowed for a learn-on-the-job approach" - correction, Allen/Knapp/RM had players such as DMC and they made him disappear. The problem was not so much with the roster, but with their blind determination to force a system that did not fit the strengths of the players on the team. This team, just a season ago went 8-8 even after having ridiculous injuries to key players mid-season and no off season together (Palmer arrived mid-season).

I couldn't agree more, and I was going to post something very similar to this. So I'll just throw in a few jabs because that's what I do.

"There was just no way around it." I call fucking BULLSHIT!!! How 'bout you start by NOT scrapping a largely solid coaching staff that had us on the path to contention? Or if you must scrap that coaching staff for some God-forsaken reason known only to the great Reggie McKenzie, how 'bout you NOT hire a 3rd grader as the new HC? Or even if you must hire a little boy as HC for some God-forsaken unknown reason, how 'bout you NOT hire a known, dyed-in-the-wool incompetent career FAILURE as OC??

In short, the pathetic results of the 2012 season, which netted us a #3 overall pick, were almost entirely of OUR OWN MAKING!! You think the Broncos are our worst enemy? Not even close. The Chiefs? Nah. WE are our own worst enemy. period.

[Tenebrous]

Posts/articles like this are truly annoying. 2012 was always going to be a difficult year? Really? No, on the contrary 2012 could have been a playoff year, but for poor upper management decisions such as firing Jackson and bringing a first year HC who was a first year DC under a defensive minded coach - and I have not even brought up who they brought in for OC.

Bah, "Allen had a roster with talent but no depth that allowed for a learn-on-the-job approach" - correction, Allen/Knapp/RM had players such as DMC and they made him disappear. The problem was not so much with the roster, but with their blind determination to force a system that did not fit the strengths of the players on the team. This team, just a season ago went 8-8 even after having ridiculous injuries to key players mid-season and no off season together (Palmer arrived mid-season).

I couldn't agree more, and I was going to post something very similar to this. So I'll just throw in a few jabs because that's what I do.

"There was just no way around it." I call fucking BULLSHIT!!! How 'bout you start by NOT scrapping a largely solid coaching staff that had us on the path to contention? Or if you must scrap that coaching staff for some God-forsaken reason known only to the great Reggie McKenzie, how 'bout you NOT hire a 3rd grader as the new HC? Or even if you must hire a little boy as HC for some God-forsaken unknown reason, how 'bout you NOT hire a known, dyed-in-the-wool incompetent career FAILURE as OC??

In short, the pathetic results of the 2012 season, which netted us a #3 overall pick, were almost entirely of OUR OWN MAKING!! You think the Broncos are our worst enemy? Not even close. The Chiefs? Nah. WE are our own worst enemy. period.

Lol, agreed - but, that last shot was not a jab - but a hay-maker.

[DeadRinger]

Well, being such a passionate Raiders fan, I feel like I'M the one who's the victim of a haymaker after this season. Like being kicked in the balls.

Cocksuckers.