It was just two years ago this month that the Oakland Raiders were horrible and general manager Reggie McKenzie was on the hot seat.
The Raiders in 2014 started out 0-10. They didn’t win their first game until November 20 and would go on to finish 3-13. Head coach Dennis Allen was fired early in the year and replaced by interim head coach Tony Sparano, who also would be gone at the end of the year.
Fans weren’t happy with McKenzie, who’d been brought in from Green Bay to turn the franchise around, yet hadn’t yet found the magic potion. Before that first victory in 2014, the Raiders were just 8-34 under McKenzie’s watch since his hiring in 2012.
“A lot of it rides on me,” McKenzie told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time. “I brought Dennis in to win championships here and to win, period. That did not materialize.”
Many in Raiders Nation wanted owner Mark Davis to make a bold move.
Instead, Davis made a smart and patient move to give McKenzie more time to engineer a turnaround.
Now, two years later, the Raiders are 7-2 and tied atop the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs and just ahead of the 7-3 Denver Broncos. The Raiders have an electric offense led by quarterback Derek Carr and a talented roster. As Oakland comes off its bye week and begins to prepare for its game with the Houston Texans on Monday night, Nov. 21, the Raiders appear headed toward their first playoff appearance since the 2002 season.
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And the No. 1 reason has been Davis’ decision to put his faith in McKenzie, whose drafts and free-agent moves the past three years have been deep and productive.
Former Packers general manager Ron Wolf says it’s no surprise that McKenzie – given time – would produce a winner because of his abilities as an “exceptional” talent evaluator. Now the Raiders are rolling under his guidance.
Wolf told Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com that McKenzie had done a fantastic job in Oakland.
“Reggie found the quarterback, he found a dynamic pass rusher and he is using all the tools available to build through the draft, free agency, the trade market if necessary,” said Wolf. “Just look at the offensive line. It’s one of the best in football. He’s used free agency and the draft to build it pretty quickly. If you don’t have five of those guys up front, your quarterback won’t have a chance to display those skills.
“The exciting part is that Reggie has built a strong personnel department and, because of his own skills, what he is doing is very sustainable. He weathered the storm of those first two years. I’m just delighted for him. It’s exciting. It’s exciting for the Raiders. It’s exciting for the NFL.”
The Raiders will face the 6-3 Texans Monday night in Mexico City. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
