Coaching Speculations

In my last post I said that our new choice of head coach would either be someone that gets you excited, or someone that you have to google to find out who he is. With news coming out that Al Davis is interested in Steve Sarkisian, I think he is a guy that fits the second description. Most average football fans don't know too much about this guy, and many probably don't know that he was an assistant in Oakland. That gives this guy an edge over the other candidates. Plus the fact that he fits a mold of guys that Davis has gone after in the past. Think Gruden or Shanahan. I think he is a good choice, but I do have some reservations about him. I think that it could be difficult for some of the egos on this team to handle having such a young coach. I don't care how good he is, I just can't see guys like Porter and Moss taking him seriously. Because of this, Al would have to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. If the malcontents start to act up, Sarkisian has to be given the ability to get rid of these guys, and the players need to know it was his decision. You see, the players on this team aren't dumb, no matter what Bill Callahan says. They have used the fact that Al Davis holds the players in higher regard than the coach to their advantage. While I don't think Art was the guy for the job, it should not have been the players that resulted in his demise. It should have been his coaching ability. If the players start complaining about this head coach, Al needs to realize that it has more to do with the players he brings to this team, and not entirely the coaches. This is the third coach that the players have cried about. It's getting out of control.

Al Davis has also interviewed Fassel, and Rob Ryan is getting an interview today. I don't expect either of these guys to get the job. Some of the players have given Ryan their support. In the past, Al has given the players the guy they want, and it has not ended so well. The reason this time will be different is because Al Davis wants this offense fixed, and an offensive minded head coach would be best for that. In fact, Fassel has a better shot at the vacancy than Ryan does.

Look for the Raiders to interview a few more coaches, get their minority interview out of the way, and hire somebody by the end of next week.