Let The Coaching Search Begin

Art Shell became the Raiders latest coaching casualty today, and while I agree with the move, Al Davis has to make sure he finds the right guy this time. Our coaching situation has been dismal over the last few years, and besides Gruden's short stint, the Raiders have suffered through inept coaching staffs for a long time now.

So who will be the newest person to try and turn this team around? A lot of people are saying that it will be Rob Ryan, the current defensive coordinator. And while he has done a great job with the defense, that doesn't always lead to head coaching success. I think it would be safer to keep Ryan on as defensive coordinator, and allow him to worry about the defense, and only the defense. If he becomes the head coach, he will have much more to worry about than the defense, and it could cause that unit to suffer.

No, it won't be Rob Ryan. It will almost certainly be an offensive minded coach. Al Davis knows what this team needs in order to compete. They need offense, and bringing in an offensive guy would be best for this team. Sure, he could move Ryan up to head coach, and bring in a good offensive coordinator. But that isn't what this team needs. This team needs a guy who is thinking offense all the time.

So, who will this coach be? Well, a lot of NFL "experts" keep playing that same tune. "No one wants to coach the Raiders". Well, these so called experts are wrong 95% of the time. How many of these same analysts were saying that Art wouldn't get fired. Following Sunday's loss to the Jets, a majority of the news world was saying that Shell would be staying. Money is what makes a majority of human beings tick, and all Al needs to do is throw a decent salary at some of the high quality coaches out there and he will get a solid replacement for Shell.

Of course, you will hear the names that you hear every year the Raiders go on a coaching search. Jim Fassel's name has already come up, like it does every time. He could get the job, but I think one of two things will happen. Either we will sign a guy that will blow our minds, like Bobby Petrino, or we will get a guy that nobody saw coming. It will not be one of those hires where you sit there with a blank face and say "oh". You know the hire I'm talking about, see Norv Turner and Art Shell. This hire will either be a guy that gets you excited, or someone that you have to google in order to find out what his credentials are.