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When Reggie McKenzie was hired in January 2012, the Raiders had a myriad of salary cap issues, a dearth of draft picks and no elite players. Nearly two and half years later, two of those three issues have been alleviated, but the most important remains; the Raiders have no elite players. Most look at the Raiders barren cupboard of talent as an indictment against McKenzie, which to a degree is foolish. Team building is about trade-offs. Pre-McKenzie, Al Davis traded in continuity, long-term stability and salary cap flexibility year after year in his futile attempts to win now. He signed mediocre talent to mega-deals and continually swung and missed on high draft picks. His failure had significant long-term ramifications and everybody knew it. When he passed away, Hue Jackson ascended to power and traded 843 draft picks for Carson Palmer, who came fully equipped with pick-sixes aplenty and yet another terrible contract. The pre-McKenzie Raiders were kind of like hoarders. Their house was...

[caption id="attachment_2965" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Reggie "Lil Wayne" McKenzie[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2966" align="aligncenter" width="300"] It's "Breaking Bad" for the Raiders[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1023"] Al's Millions[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="456"] Reggie's Poker Face[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Scrooge McKenzie[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="599"] World Series of Reggie[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Crabby McKenzie[/caption]

When Reggie McKenzie was hired he spoke of the fact that he planned to make changes within the Raiders front office. He brought up his vision of having everyone within the organization from front office employees to players on the field having one goal in mind and that is winning a championship. He went on to say that while not all changes would be immediate he would evaluate every position and make changes where and when he saw fit. We now know that at the very least you know Reggie is a man of his word. Shortly after Reggie was hired the first front office change came in the form of John Herrera "taking a break" from his job. What that means is only really known by people inside the Raiders organization, but don't be surprised if he was encouraged to take that break. Lets just say it didn't take most people long to get over that move and Reggie wasted no time in filling the void. On March 24th it was announced that Zak Gilbert was hired as director of media relation...

The Oakland Raiders came into the offseason with salary cap issues and needing to improve a team that finished a disappointing 8-8 last season. New general manager Reggie McKenzie was hired to reshape the Raiders' front office and establish a new philosophy to guide the team into the future. McKenzie has a plan and as time passes his philosophies will slowly be revealed. So far, McKenzie has made a flurry of moves designed to help the Raiders reach short-term and long-term goals such as getting under the salary cap and shedding back-loaded contracts that would have handicapped his plans in 2013 and beyond. A lot of activity doesn't always indicate a lot of change. As it stands, the Raiders will return 16 of 22 starters.   What does the Raiders activity or lack of activity mean for the team in 2012?   1. Reggie McKenzie wants to win and knows how to build a team to do it. Overreacting, overvaluing and overpaying is not a recipe for success in the NFL. The most successful teams ...

The Raiders aren't making much noise in free agency and will attempt to build through the draft. Missing are five of their original seven draft selections and in their place are five players that may contribute in 2012. A couple more selections may be awarded as compensatory selections, but that is yet to be determined. What is the best case and worse case scenarios for the Raiders' 2012 draft? Not only does it depend on the players they draft, but how many they draft and how the players perform they obtained for those picks.   1st Round: Carson Palmer Hue Jackson orchestrated a trade that brought Palmer to Oakland. It was too much to give up, but what's done is done. The Raiders have their franchise quarterback, right? That's the hope. The new regime is hitching their wagon to Palmer and putting a new offense around him. There wasn't many other options for the Raiders. Best Case:  Palmer, with an offseason with the receivers and studying the offense, turns in a pro...

This is the time of year where general managers earn their money. They are paid to make the right decisions for the team, whether it's the most popular one or not. It is also the time of year when fans like to express their feelings on how the roster should be shaped. While the Raider Nation does know the Raiders very well, the reasoning behind each decision goes way deeper than whether or not the player fits under the salary cap. Here are just a few of the questions that coaches and general managers have to answer before making a decision on any given player. How does the player fit into the scheme? The amount of success a player has on the field has a lot to do with how their skill set fits the scheme they are playing in. The Raiders are in the middle of a complete overhaul this off-season. There are changes across the board from new general manager all the way down to the strength and conditioning program of the players. Those changes bring even more uncertainty when your trying...

Al Davis carefully planned his estate so his son could retain full control of the team. It will be Mark Davis who leads the team into an era of Raiders football without his legendary father. Mark Davis waited three months before making any changes on the football side of the organization, but changes were inevitable. Perhaps the best slogan for the 2012 Raiders would be, "Under New Management." The Raiders have hired 21 new people on the football side of the organization and whereas a quality control coach will have little to no impact on the immediate or long-term success of the team, a general manager will have significant impact.   21. Eric Sanders, Quality Control - Defense He's been with the team for two years and even the most die-hard fan doesn't recognize the name. Sanders coached linebackers at U.C. Davis for two seasons and he was a psychology major before joining the Raiders. He'll make copies of play sheets and get the rest of the staff coffee. That...

There is always going to be a good debate between fans on how the Raiders should scheme on defense. It really doesn't matter what side you are on, because there are good arguments for both sides. There has been speculation on what Reggie McKenzie prefers as his defense and he was asked in his introductory press conference if he preferred the 3-4 to the 4-3 defense and he indicated that he did not have a preference, although he later said "3-4 is what I know." McKenzie has made it clear many times to the public that he intends to let the head coach hire his own staff and that the coaching staff has the freedom to run what ever scheme they feel gives the team the best chance to win. We know that McKenzie comes over from Green Bay where they ran a 3-4 defense and won a Super Bowl while running the 3-4 defense. However, the Packers didn't always run that style of defense. In fact, they just recently made the transition to the 3-4 defense in 2009. What this means: 1) McKen...

Unlike in the past, the Raiders are not just looking to plug-in a new head coach to lead the team after the last one was fired. This time the Raiders are looking to rebuild from top to bottom. Starting with the hire of Reggie McKenzie as the new general manager, there are and will be a lot of things different in Oakland this time around. Reggie McKenzie isn't looking to hire a coach based on who has the best scheme or who has the most experience. While those things do matter, and will factor in on the final equation, they are not the only selling point. Reggie is looking for someone he can work closely with on a day-to-day basis. He wants someone who he can trust, who has the right mindset, and shares the same philosophies as he does. That is why he is making sure that the man he decides to hire as the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders is the "right guy". McKenzie comes over from Green Bay where Mike McCarthy has been the head coach since 2006. He is a guy who wants ...

Pete Carmichael Jr. Status: Interviewed 1/13, no longer under consideration Age: 40 Specialty: Offense/Quarterbacks Current Position: Offensive Coordinator, New Orleans Saints Head Coaching Experience: None McKenzie link: unknown Notes: Carmichael has been Sean Payton's offensive coordinator for many years. He's relatively young and took a greater role in playcalling this season when Sean Payton was injured. If the Raiders decide to go with an offensive mind, they could do much worse. Todd Bowles Status: Interviewed 1/14 Age: 48 Specialty: Defensive Backs Previous Position: Defensive Backs Coach & Interim Head Coach, Miami Dolphins Head Coaching Experience: 2-1 (2011 Dolphins) McKenzie link: unknown Notes: Bowles seems to be a rising star, but he's never been a coordinator at the NFL level. If hired, Bowles will need to bring in strong offensive and defensive coordinator. He's got a long history with the Bill Parcells coaching and front office tree. Has potential to...

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 ...

Hue Jackson had been with the Raiders for two years. One as the offensive coordinator and one as the head coach. Both seasons ended with a record of 8-8 and no postseason play. The offense has improved since Hue has gotten to town, which I think is why most want to see him stay at least for the short-term. Maybe that's why Hue be kept around for at least one more year to see if he can build on what he started. A new head coach should be given three seasons to prove his worth in the NFL and it is difficult to evaluate a coach based on a team that someone else put together. Even though Jackson may deserve another year to prove himself, you have to ask why does a franchise hire a general manager? Many Raider fans have been lobbying for a GM for years and they finally got one, and a very good one at that. Now, fans are upset because Hue Jackson was let go by Reggie McKenzie. The reason you hire a GM is because you feel they know what is best for the team and you TRUST that they will ma...

Green Bay Packers director of football operations Reggie McKenzie will be the Raiders next general manager according to an ESPN report. The Raiders general manager had been owner Al Davis since 1963. Thus a new era of Raiders football begins behind a man for which there is little negative to be said. McKenzie is an ex-Raiders linebacker, drafted by Al Davis with the assistance of then front office executive Ron Wolf. Wolf hired McKenzie again in Green Bay in 1994 as a scout and he's spent the past 18 years working his way up in the Green Bay front office . It has been speculated that McKenzie would attempt to bring Eliot Wolf (pictured above left) who is Ron Wolf's son to Oakland with a promotion. The Packers would have the ability to block the Raiders as to avoid their entire front office from being raided in one offseason. Mark Davis and Amy Trask are not football people, but have been consulting with Ron Wolf, John Madden and Ken Herock.  Herock's son - Shaun Herock  a...