Post by The Razor Roman Empire on Sept 30, 2014 14:18:50 GMT
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders have fired coach Dennis Allen, the team announced Monday night.
Allen, 42, was 8-28 as Oakland's coach. He was fired after the Raiders, who retooled their roster this past offseason, started 0-4.
An announcement on the interim coach will come Tuesday, with offensive line coach Tony Sparano expected to be the first assistant offered the interim job. However, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder that offensive coordinator Greg Olson is campaigning heavily for the job. Senior offensive assistant Al Saunders is also an option.
Oakland has lost an NFL-high 10 straight games dating back to November 2013 and is 0-4 for the first time since 2006, when it finished with the worst record in the NFL at 2-14. The final straw for Allen was an embarrassing 38-14 loss to Miami on Sunday in London. The Raiders now are on their bye week.
"It's a tough deal, especially for him," tight end David Ausberry told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "As we all know, this is the NFL and it keeps growing. So we just all got to as a team pull together and keep going forward. That's all we really can do."
The failure to be competitive was what doomed Allen, whose contract was set to run through next season. Oakland owner Mark Davis, who took control of the franchise when his legendary father, Al, died in October 2011, was on the record saying he was tired of the team losing in lopsided fashion, and that didn't change this season. The Raiders lost by 20 or more points in nine of Allen's 36 games as coach, including two in 2014.
The Raiders were 8-8 in the two seasons before Allen became coach. Firing Allen is a major pockmark for Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie, as Allen was his first hire after being picked to succeed Al Davis as the football decision-maker in Oakland in January 2012.
A source told ESPN that Allen learned he was being fired in a phone call from McKenzie.
Allen was Denver's defensive coordinator before being hired in Oakland and was the Raiders' seventh coach since they traded Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay after the 2001 season. It's the most in the NFL in that span.
FoxSports.com first reported Allen's firing earlier Monday night.
ESPN.com
Allen, 42, was 8-28 as Oakland's coach. He was fired after the Raiders, who retooled their roster this past offseason, started 0-4.
An announcement on the interim coach will come Tuesday, with offensive line coach Tony Sparano expected to be the first assistant offered the interim job. However, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder that offensive coordinator Greg Olson is campaigning heavily for the job. Senior offensive assistant Al Saunders is also an option.
Oakland has lost an NFL-high 10 straight games dating back to November 2013 and is 0-4 for the first time since 2006, when it finished with the worst record in the NFL at 2-14. The final straw for Allen was an embarrassing 38-14 loss to Miami on Sunday in London. The Raiders now are on their bye week.
"It's a tough deal, especially for him," tight end David Ausberry told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "As we all know, this is the NFL and it keeps growing. So we just all got to as a team pull together and keep going forward. That's all we really can do."
The failure to be competitive was what doomed Allen, whose contract was set to run through next season. Oakland owner Mark Davis, who took control of the franchise when his legendary father, Al, died in October 2011, was on the record saying he was tired of the team losing in lopsided fashion, and that didn't change this season. The Raiders lost by 20 or more points in nine of Allen's 36 games as coach, including two in 2014.
The Raiders were 8-8 in the two seasons before Allen became coach. Firing Allen is a major pockmark for Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie, as Allen was his first hire after being picked to succeed Al Davis as the football decision-maker in Oakland in January 2012.
A source told ESPN that Allen learned he was being fired in a phone call from McKenzie.
Allen was Denver's defensive coordinator before being hired in Oakland and was the Raiders' seventh coach since they traded Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay after the 2001 season. It's the most in the NFL in that span.
FoxSports.com first reported Allen's firing earlier Monday night.
ESPN.com
