The Raiders have found their GM and head coach, but the search is beginning to drag out for their next offensive coordinator.
Maybe they have interest in one of the coaches on staff with the 49ers or Chiefs, or it could be a larger issue that is slowing down the hiring process.
Jason Fitz is one of the most articulate and well-respected analysts on the Raiders, and he brought up an interesting point this week on the Raiders’ ongoing search for an offensive coordinator.
Appearing on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate, Fitz said that he gets concerned when a particular scenario plays out that seems a little like what might be going on right now with the Raiders…
“I’m going to be really consistent in this because this is something that I’m not just talking about Antonio Pierce here, so let me be clear about that…
Every single time that I have covered a coaching hire, I’ve said the same thing. I become really concerned if we start to hear ‘Oh, they didn’t land their offensive coordinator they wanted, or this or that. That hasn’t been the narrative yet, but anytime you see a new coach come in and you hear ‘Oh, they brought this guy into the building and they didn’t land him. He has taken this job, instead.’
Understand part of the hiring process is coming in and explaining what your vision looks like for an offense. So you’ve got offensive coordinators in mind. If you’re not landing them, that becomes a bigger and bigger problem to me.
I think there’s a fine line. That hasn’t been the story here yet, but if the Raiders don’t have somebody in place within a few days, I’d start to get nervous because they first thing they have to do is self-scout and figure out how they want to run things, what their identity is going to look like. And these are all really complicated questions…
Kliff Kingsbury runs a wildly different offense than anybody else, so I just think that we have to understand that… it’s not just as simple as coordinator versus coordinator. It speaks to your entire style, which is then going to speak to everybody’s job moving forward. What are we looking for? What kind of offensive line coach do we want? All of these things are going to have to happen, so I’m becoming less patient and I’m becoming more concerned every single day.”
We don’t know what is going on behind closed doors in the Raiders search for an OC, but we do know the decision is complicated by the fact that they don’t know who their starting quarterback is going to be.
The Raiders are expected to invest heavily in a quarterback in the offseason, but it’s difficult to know what kind of offense will be most effective when you don’t know the quarterback that will be running the offense.
It could be Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels starting week 1 for the Raiders, or it could be a veteran like Justin Fields or Kirk Cousins. It might also be Aidan O’Connell again, depending on how the offseason plays out.
So to Fitz’s point, the Raiders might be having a difficult time deciding on what kind of offensive coordinator they are looking for, and it’s also possible that they have missed on one or two that they were targeting.
One name to watch if the Raiders are willing to wait might be 49ers passing game specialist Clint Kubiak, but it will be at least another 12 days before that official interview can happen.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I read where Chip Kelly, head coach of UCLA, might be interested. I wrote about him a couple days ago. He coached the U of OR several years ago. He was the most creative coach I have watched, but I am not an expert. If he is interested, he would be the first coach I would look at. As I mentioned, he moved to the pros as a head coach, and it did not work out. But he made it at UCLA. I don’t have a clue why he would be interested in coming to the Raiders. HOWEVER that is for our administration to find out. Interview him and he MAY be the right guy.
I think it’s a mistake to wait. If it is Kubiak and they still have to interview him to see if he is a fit. If not then what? It’s not looking good…
Find your guy and pay him. He may not be cheap, but find the right guy. It’s a lot more difficult not knowing who your QB is going to be.
I would LOVE to see an “Air Raid” attacking offense come to the Raiders! Such an offense can still run the ball hard and control the clock, but become a feared offense to play against and ESPECIALLY with the WR’s we have! Keep Renfro and have him out there with Adams and Jacobi Myers AND Tre Tucker! Then Michael Meyer in on many plays as well, what kind of defense would one have to use to slow this 5 headed monster down much?
Let us not get to freaked out in Raiders World. Some recent people let go, I was personally pulling for. But, I am thousands of miles, and millions of dollars, away from influencing ownership, with my personal thoughts.
I AM thankful that Mark Davis FINALLY hired a coach the the players are behind. Of course, he is also to blame for not keeping ANOTHER recent, interm coach, that was highly respected by the players. And need I remind readers of the Quarterback controversies, that have torn up Raiders World, in the last few years.
I am NOT a fan of Mr. Davis. To wear his former bowl cut, you must either be a genius, or a stand-in for Jim Carrie, in a movie about a couple of retards. And he does not seem like a genius. Nepo baby is more likely.
And it may be his fingers in the pie, again, regarding current decisions. Of course, just because the fans, management, or even ownership may want a certain person (I say “person” not out of some equity thing, but there are now a noticeable number of qualified women, who could be contenders for some positions), it does not mean that, that person want to be a Raider, or feels like they can buy into what it means to be a Raider, etc.
Or, the money, terms, or term, etc, may not be right, for them.
I think that between the passion of the fans, the passion of the players, and that Mr. Davis is either willing to bend, put his ego aside, or understand that, you have to give the paying public, and employees what they want, once and awhile at least, got Coach Pierce HIS job.
Along with the facts that Coach Pierce IS an embodiment of RAIDERS. And said embodiment, along with his qualifications (as time limited previously, as they are -less than 5 years coaching in the big league), are something that the big names on the team, who ALSO seems to be REAL Raiders, are EAGER to follow, then, it is likely that Coach Pierce will have an oversized hand, in deciding who HE wants. And to my way of thinking, he knows that the fans and players got him were he is (along with his own talent). And he understands that. BUT, I ALSO believe that, Coach Pierce (with the current oversized hand, his personal background, and the experience and knowledge that he has) will want to pull in OTHER coaching talent, that understands that it is not as important, as to whose name is on the BACK of the jersey, but that they are second to the name (and attitude), on the FRONT of the jersey.
I believe that RAIDERS fans would almost accept a Pop Warner coach to be placed into nearly ANY position, over a “universally” loved co-ordinator, or advisor, or any other title, or salary, if Coach Pierce claimed that they embodied the “RAIDER WAY”.