The hiring of Jack Del Rio as the new head coach of the Raiders drew quizzical looks from NFL observers across the nation this week.
As Adam Schein of NFL.com wrote – echoing the voices of many -- the choice of Del Rio was hardly inspiring. “Raiders fans dreamed of Jon Gruden or Jim Harbaugh,” he wrote. “Instead, it’s Jack Del Rio.”
Del Rio, of course – once a hot commodity in coaching circles – lost a lot of his luster after a nine-year head coaching tenure in Jacksonville that ended with more of a whimper than a bang.
But Del Rio has some strong qualities, and owner Mark Davis is so excited about him he stated Thursday that, “I have no doubt that he will make a significant impact and help reach the goal of everyone in this building, which is to win championships.”
And Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, who played for Del Rio in Denver, spoke for many other Broncos when he tweeted this week that, “The Raiders got better” with his hire.
One thing Del Rio should have in his favor will be his ability to put together a strong staff. The Raiders were 3-13 in 2014, but they have some good young players to build around – quarterback Derek Carr, running back Latavius Murray, linebackers Sio Moore and Khalil Mack and cornerback DJ Hayden – and an experienced staff will be a key. They’ll need to be coached up and put in the best schemes to succeed.
And Del Rio, a longtime player, assistant and head coach in the league, has contacts galore. He may be able to attract coaches such as Mike Smith, the former Falcons head coach who has been a strong defensive coach; former Bears head coach Marc Trestman, a good offensive mind; or Kyle Shanahan, who last season was the offensive coordinator at Cleveland. Plus, with the firing of head coach John Fox in Denver, many of the Broncos assistants who worked with Del Rio there could come west.
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Del Rio, of course, has been a defensive-focused coach, so that may be the strength of this team going forward. But bringing in some creative offensive minds to help Carr grow into a franchise quarterback will be a key to whether Del Rio succeeds or is just another in a long line of failed Raiders head coaches.
