Raiders Coaching Staff Coming Together

Williams was one of the few holdovers at Texas A&M after the firing of Mike Sherman as head coach. The Aggies were a solid defense under Williams. This year, they led the NCAA with 51.0 sacks, five more than any other team. They were ranked 32nd and 13th in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The year before Williams arrived, the Aggies had just 16.0 sacks and ranked 101st in the nation.

For more on Williams’ hire, be sure to check out Raiders blog Silver and Black Pride and Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man.

Under Tarver’s direction, Stanford’s defense was one of the best in the Pac-12. The Cardinal ranked first or second in six key areas, including rushing (1st, 84.4 yards per game), third-down conversion defense (1st, 31.1 percent) and scoring defense (2nd, 21.9 points per game).

For more on the hire, be sure to check out Raiders blog Silver and Black Pride.

This hire ends just a couple of weeks after McKenzie fired head coach Hue Jackson as his first act as the new general manager. Jackson coached just one year for the Raiders, finished 8-8 and missed out on the playoffs.

For more on this potential hire, be sure to check out Raiders blog Silver and Black Pride.

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has said the coaching search is close to finished and that a final decision could come as soon as Saturday.

The presence of Moss, himself a former Raiders linebacker, is further evidence that the team is looking to hire a defensive-minded coach to replace Hue Jackson. Every coach the Raiders have hired since John Madden in 1969 has come from the offensive side of the ball. Despite an 8-8 record last year, the Raiders were 29th in both points and yards allowed.

The hiring of Allen would be notable for several reasons. First off, he would be the first defensive coach the Raiders have hired since to be their head coach since Al Davis owned the team. John Madden, who was the linebackers coach prior to being hired as the team’s head coach in 1969, was the last non-offensive coach to be hired. Allen would also become the first former Broncos coach to be hired since the Raiders lured Mike Shanahan away from them in 1988.

The Broncos did not exactly have a shutdown defense, as they ranked 24th in points allowed (24.4) and 20th in yards per game (357.8). That said, both marks would be an improvement over the Raiders’ 2011 performance, as they ranked 29th in both areas.

Dennis Allen, the Broncos defensive coordinator, has already interviewed once and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports he’s been asked to come back for a second interview. That’s usually a good sign that you’re one of the finalists.

Marty Mornhinweg is another Raiders coaching candidate so there are a few names out there for the job.