What Really Lead To Hue Jackson’s Firing?

 Posted by at 4:54 PM  5 Responses »
Jan 112012
 

Allow me for a moment to walk the Raider Nation through a timeline of Hue Jackson’s tenure with the Raiders.

2010

Al Davis hires Hue Jackson to revamp an offense that hadn’t been good in many years. With the aide of competent quarterback play and a healthy Darren McFadden, Jackson is wildly successful in his first year.

2011

Tom Cable is fired for an 8-8 season and Hue Jackson is promoted to Head Coach.

Situation

He is working with a roster constructed by Al Davis and defensive coaches hired by Al Davis.

October 8, 2011

Al Davis dies and Hue Jackson is forced to take a more active role in managing player personnel because-although unqualified-he is the most qualified person in the building. Mark Davis begins to gather his advisory team or John Madden, Ron Wolf and Ken Herock.

Problem 1

Hue Jackson loses his starting quarterback to injury for the season. Jackson knows with the passing of Al Davis that a new front office would be coming in and in all likelihood he would be fired if he didn’t make the playoffs and maybe he would even need to win a playoff game to keep his job.

Solution 1

Trade for Carson Palmer. Hue Jackson was looking out for himself, knowing that he had little chance of making a playoff run with Kyle Boller and knowing a losing record would mean he would be fired. Hue Jackson pressures Mark Davis to make a lopsided trade for the only decent quarterback available. Hue’s ego and power begin to grow within the organization and some question wether that is a good thing.

Problem 2

Hue Jackson and the Raiders lose the most explosive offensive weapon on the team for an extended period of time, Darren McFadden.

Solution 2

Ride Michael Bush and get the young receivers more involved in the offense.

Problem 3

Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore injured.

Solution 3

No good solution can be found as the Raiders continue to ride Michael Bush and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Meanwhile, John Madden, Ron Wolf, Ken Herock and Tom Flores are advising Mark Davis to interview Reggie McKenzie when the season ends. Mark’s advisors are telling him to be cautious about Hue Jackson’s ego and power grab within the organization.

Problem 4

Defensive secondary not playing well.

Solution 4

Hue crossed his fingers that Chuck Bresnahan, without the constant supervision of Al Davis, can turn the Raiders defense into something resembling a solid unit. Turns out to be a non-solution and one Hue Jackson can’t directly change.

Week 17

Hue Jackson heads into the final week of the season 8-7 after another epic defensive failure that he has little control over. His team has an outside chance to make the playoffs.

Hue Jackson, knowing his fate was now in limbo, his defensive coordinator incompetent and his team with a slim chance to make the playoffs, walks into Mark Davis’ office and asks for input on the General Manager hire as a last ditch effort to try to save his job. One he might have saved had he never walked though Mark’s office door.

Hue Jackson was acting in self-preservation and Mark Davis wisely refuses to grant Hue’s request. It was a slightly absurd request to begin with, allowing a head coach to have input in who is hired as his boss, but Mark Davis also viewed this as another Hue Jackson power grab. Mark Davis had been warned by his advisors to be careful regarding Hue Jackson’s ego and power aspirations.

The Raiders lose in week 17 and Hue Jackson voices his frustrations with the team and his lack of input on the general manager hiring process in his final two press conferences and in-so doing seals his fate with the Raiders. Mark Davis and his advisors collectively grumble at Hue’s final act and finishing the season 1-4 does not help Hue’s case, no matter how little he had to do with the collapse.

Reggie McKenzie is interviewed and Mark Davis and John Madden give McKenzie the impression that firing Hue Jackson and starting fresh is the best course of action. That makes things easier for McKenzie, because he likely desired the ability to hire his own guy, but would have considered keeping Hue around if Mark Davis had requested it. McKenzie gets a clean start instead of delaying the inevitable firing of Hue Jackson to hire his own coach.

The decision was made to start fresh under McKenzie. It is naïve to think that either Mark Davis or Reggie McKenzie made the decision to fire Jackson on their own. It was a collective decision and ultimately it was a series of events that went against Hue Jackson. Jackson is still a good coach and will land on his feet somewhere. His defense, his ego and his act of self-preservation ended his short tenure with the Raiders. The Raiders will be better for it and Hue Jackson will be a better coach for it.

Just Balance, Baby!

 Posted by at 4:00 PM  No Responses »
Nov 082011
 

Every year around this time something happens in the NFL, but not usually in Oakland. Al Davis had a grip on the Raiders for decades so it hadn’t quite taken root until now. The influence of the Head Coach begins to percolate through the team’s play and demeanor. Hue Jackson is making the Raiders an image of himself. Jackson is aggressive and undisciplined on defense and conservative and bland on offense (outside of “trick plays”). Balance is not on his list of personality traits. Hue Jackson’s inconsistent nature only works if he is actively supervised and held in check. Up until October 8th he was.

Coming into the Kansas City game, dating back to 2009, the Raiders had an 8-game wining streak inside the AFC West. Now, regardless of what the records say, the Raiders are playing the worst football in arguably the worst division in football.

It’s still interesting in Oakland, but the attention Oakland is getting is reminiscent of 2002-2009. Darrius Hayward-Bey was in the midst of proving why he was picked so highly in the draft, was demoted for a veteran who hasn’t played in months. Louis Murphy, who led all Raiders wide receivers in catches and yards over the past two years has been minimized to special teams and mop up duty. Even before Palmer arrival, Kevin Boss was not being used in the passing game.

Defense is all about mentality and Jackson’s lack of balance on offense is dictating the Raiders defensive play. The Raiders held Arian Foster, last year’s NFL leading rusher, to 68 yards with 20 coming on one run. For eight weeks the Raiders only let Fred Jackson, who is the midst of a pro-bowl year, put up more than 100 rushing yards on them. Then the Raiders let Willis McGahee, who was let go by Baltimore and was replaced by Ricky Williams, put up 163 yards rushing and  Tim Tebow add 118 more. Most of those yards came from the Raiders inability to stop the same play run over and over. The Raiders undisciplined defense made Tebow and the Denver offense instantly respectable. The Raiders ridiculous penalty problems on defense are no secret.

Hue Jackson is a lot things: he’s fiery, passionate, and usually aggressive at the right time and conservative at the right time. He’s just not balanced or disciplined. The more Jackson shapes his Raiders the more they become like him. There are eight games left and the division is up for grabs, all hope for this season is not lost.

Balance is needed to be consistent in the NFL as balance is one of the few ingredients that playoff contenders have. Just Balance, Baby!

Hue-yuck!

 Posted by at 10:33 PM  9 Responses »
Nov 062011
 

Hue Jackson essentially benched Darrius Heyward-Bey, the team’s most productive receiver, in favor freshly signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh and rookie Denarius Moore. Moore’s production has dipped since taking over punt return duties and was targeted on three of the six interceptions against the Chiefs and another one Sunday against the Broncos. Benching a guy just starting to get confidence is terrible mistake if he is to be part of the Raiders future. Al Davis wouldn’t have let this happen and by pulling this move Jackson is essentially urinating on whatever legacy Al Davis left behind.

Houshmandzadeh hasn’t played a down in months and he gets more action than your top receiver? Palmer is paid to throw the receivers on the roster. Houshmandzadeh was not a terrible sign, but it’s subtraction by addition if he plays more than your top receiver. The only valid reason to bench Heyward-Bey was for discipline reasons. By all accounts Heyward-Bey is a model teammate.

Jackson has no one to contest his authority and the rookie head coach is full of himself. He is accountable to no one on the moves he makes. He has more power than any coach in the league right now. Carson Palmer, Houshmandzadeh, and Aaron Curry moves are prime examples. Quickly out were Al Davis’ pet projects on defense Joe Porter and Bruce Davis Jr. Louis Murphy has been shoved aside and now Heyward-Bey. When does someone chew Hue Jackson out? Even a good CEO has to answer to the board of directors. Jackson will soon be answering to boos of the home crowd.

Kevin Boss. Not the boss lately. He’s not starting and hardly playing. Why would you throw all kinds of money at a tight end and then not use him when the team is trying to break in a new starting quarterback? It doesn’t make a lot of sense for Hue Jackson to turn to Brandon Myers over Kevin Boss, yet that’s what he is doing. Boss needs to be more involved going forward.

From too cute to too conservative. Jackson gets predictable the offensive series after a turnover. Never would he have given Jason Campbell the ability to audible as much as Palmer did on Sunday, so the excuse that he was easing Palmer into the offense rings hollow.  Run, run, incomplete pass, punt after the second interception. Carson Palmer made a few laser throws that saved the Raiders and Jackson’s play calling on more than one occasion. Why not go for it on fourth and one with the game on the line? Do you not have faith in your offensive line and Michael Bush? Hue punted and turned the ball over to his defense. The defense keeps letting him down.

That brings us to Chuck Bresnahan. Read option. The team swears they practiced to stop it all week. Bresnahan couldn’t get his players to execute his game plan or the plan to stop a college offensive scheme was terrible. Either issue reflects poorly on Bresnahan’s skill as a defensive coordinator. This wasn’t the Patriots offense. This was Tim Tebow. The Raiders continue to get exposed on defense against the run and pass. The Raiders couldn’t stop Tebow and let him get the edge on multiple occasions. The secondary seems lost in zone coverage and blown assignments resulted in two touchdown passes. The Broncos rushed for some ungodly amount of yards because the linebackers didn’t fill the right holes. It’s pathetic how many points the Raiders are allowing. The Raiders have the players to be way better than they have been on defense.

Mental penalties. Hue Jackson swears he is focusing on getting the penalty issue fixed, but it is getting ridiculous how many stupid penalties the Raiders are committing. The problem is particularly bad on defense. The message is not getting through. It’s a culture problem. Hue’s needs to hold players accountable, but his discipline is either non-existent, toothless or the players don’t have respect for him. It doesn’t really matter which problem, they are all cause of great concern. Hue himself is not being held accountable for two pathetic losses to division teams at home in front of sold out crowds and it’s about time someone tore into Hue Jackson.

Richard Seymour continues to be the biggest offender when it comes to mental penalties and yet remains a team captain. Jackson has allowed Seymour’s mentality to rub off on the rest of the team. While some if this is a good thing, the bad has also made itself known in terms on mental penalties. Hue’s mistake is allowing Seymour to remain a captain when he isn’t acting like one. At very least the Hue Jackson needs make an example of Seymour. Stripping him of his captain title wouldn’t be a bad idea if he doesn’t respond. We should probably already be to that point.

Special teams have saved the Raiders a few times, but not lately. Punt coverage has been terrible and Denarius Moore hasn’t a clue how to return a punt. Penalties finding their way into this unit as well. John Fassel isn’t getting the job done. How many years do we blame poor special teams on the players and not the coach?

Al Davis liked a football team that played with aggression, but does a face-mask penalty when the player is stacked up or a late push out-of-bounds or slamming a quarterback to the ground, or tossing a ball into the air or running into the punter help you win the game? Certainly not. That’s a recipe to Just Lose, Baby! and that’s just what Hue Jackson has done since Al Davis passed away.

The rookie coach may have made the right moves while playing GM, but he’s doing so at the detriment of learning how to coach a winning team. Fix the penalties Hue and get rid of the deadbeat coaches before Mark Davis and Amy Trask start thinking the problem is you.

Hue Jackson’s Window

 Posted by at 10:36 AM  No Responses »
Oct 282011
 

The most successful teams in the NFL have their franchise quarterback. No other position in the NFL is as valuable. Teams, however, don’t need a spectacular quarterback to win. Look at San Francisco, Tampa Bay and the Giants. More than anything, teams need a reliable quarterback to hold it together that does not give away the game. When NFL teams struggle for years, it’s largely due to the team’s perpetual ineptness at quarterback.

This year Miami, Indianapolis and Minnesota have arguably the worst quarterback situations. It seems every week these teams get embarrassed like the Raiders did last week against Kansas City. Not since the inept team of 2006 have the Raiders been shutout at home versus an AFC West rival.

Hue Jackson has reminded everybody how valuable a stable, quarterback is. If the scrappy game against the Houston Texans was this emotional high of the season then the embarrassing loss in Oakland vs. Kansas City was the low. Hue Jackson’s “gamesmanship” caused a resurfacing of past quarterback woes. It is now up to Hue Jackson to right the ship.

The window for this Raiders team to win is over the next few seasons. On the defensive line, veterans Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly are at the near end of their prime. In the secondary Michael Huff and Stanford Routt at their prime. Darren McFadden will go through his prime and Michael Bush might still be affordable. Darius Hayward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore will provide enough speed to stretch the defense and enough skill catch the ball. During these years, the offensive line will be anchored by left tackle Jared Veldeer and center/guard Stefen Wisniewski . All the Raiders really need is a stable, reliable, not necessarily spectacular, quarterback.

Hue Jackson bet two valuable draft picks that Carson Palmer is stable, reliable and more. The truth is if Hue Jackson was not in Oakland, Carson Palmer would not be a Raider. An argument can also be made, if Al Davis was still alive, Palmer wouldn’t be a Raider. Palmer’s success will undoubtedly define Hue Jackson legacy.

If Palmer is not successful in Oakland, then Jackson and Palmer will likely get kicked out of Oakland with the same boot having missed the window Al Davis spent his final years building. If Palmer is successful during this window and leads the Raiders into the playoffs, Hue Jackson will become a new icon in Oakland and may never leave.

Always interesting in Oakland

 Posted by at 7:30 AM  No Responses »
Oct 212011
 

This year has been very interesting in Oakland.

On October 8, Al Davis passed away. The entire sports world focused on the life and accomplishments of Al Davis and the Raiders. The next day the Raiders responded with a win on the road against a quality opponent. Football fans everywhere will remember how the Raiders sealed the victory with only 10 defenders.

This week, the football world almost lost their minds when the Raiders pulled a Mike Ditka and gave up big time draft picks for one player, Carson Palmer. The trade showed Hue Jackson’s commitment to winning now. Good receivers rely on great quarterbacks to become great and once Palmer gets his legs under him, the sky is the limit for the Raiders young receiving corps.

Last week against the Browns, the Raider turned some heads when newly acquired Aaron Curry started after one practice. The Raiders then held Cleveland’s offense to 65 rushing yards and for the first time this season the Raiders defense held the opponent under 300 total yards. Gone was the Raiders linebacker problem. No doubt, Hue Jackson’s living on the edge mentality and play calling has rubbed off on defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan. Mixing up coverage packages and using exotic blitzes is exactly what the Raiders defense needed. When the secondary becomes healthy, the Raiders defense will be one of the league’s best.

For the first time since 2000, in the hay day of Tyrone Wheatley and Tim Brown, the Raiders have a good chance of boasting both a 1,000 yard rusher and a 1,000 yard receiver. A feat accomplished only seven times in the history of the Raiders. As it stands Darren McFadden leads the NFL in rushing with 610 yards, over a 100 yards per game average. Darrius Hayward-Bey has 345 yards a 57 yard per game average, but over the last three games DHB has 296 yards, nearly an 100 yard per game average. With a couple more 100 yard games, DHB will likely hit 1,000 yards. Hue Jackson is a varied and risky play caller so DHB and DMC have a great chance to make Raider history.

For years Al Davis made Oakland interesting. It may have been Davis’ infatuation with the vertical passing game, acquiring castoffs, resurrecting careers, benching star players, lawsuits, relocation, more lawsuits, intimidating opponents, cheating or simply winning superbowls. Even during times of irrelevancy, the Raiders remained interesting. For decades, the Oakland Raiders have been anything but boring.

In America’s favorite sport, there is no team quite like the Raiders. For decades NFL people around the nation, have said “The NFL is better when the Raiders are good.”