Sources: Raiders to hire Dennis Allen
The Oakland Raiders will hire Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as head coach, according to league sources.
The two sides spent much of Tuesday night hammering out an agreement and the contract is agreed to in principle but has not been signed, sources said.
New general manager Reggie McKenzie decided on his new coach exactly two weeks after he was hired. He immediately fired Hue Jackson, who went 8-8 in his only season as coach, and began the search.
Allen, a relative unknown to fans, was a finalist for the Rams' coaching job, according to sources, and would have been under strong consideration had Jeff Fisher not opted for St. Louis.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7499385/sources-oakland-raiders-hire-dennis-allen-denver-broncos-coach
Raiders make high-risk, high-reward hire
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In his first move as the late Davis’ replacement at the helm of the Oakland Raiders, McKenzie, a longtime lieutenant in Green Bay, made a hire few could have guessed two weeks ago when he fired coach Hue Jackson after an 8-8 season. That man is Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Allen was hired despite having just one year experience as a coordinator and has no previous ties with McKenzie. At 39, Allen is the youngest active head coach in the NFL.
A former Raiders linebacker, McKenzie -- who was recommended to Oakland owner Mark Davis (Al Davis’ son) by former Oakland and Green Bay executives Ron Wolf and Ken Herock -- was expected to stick to his Green Bay roots. Packers assistant Winston Moss and Dom Capers were reportedly candidates, but it was Allen who emerged after an active 14-day search. McKenzie centered his search on Allen in the past day or so. An agreement was made after Allen was interviewed a second time Tuesday.
Allen is the first Raiders head coach who is a defensive specialist since Al Davis hired a 32-year-old John Madden in 1969. While Al Davis was partial to offensive minds, he certainly wasn’t afraid to hire a young coach and he no doubt would have saluted McKenzie for sticking to his gut and hiring the coach who he thought was the most impressive. This isn't the first time a hot-shot Denver assistant has become the Raiders’ head coach, either. Al Davis hired Denver assistant Mike Shanahan in 1988.
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/39151/raiders-make-high-risk-high-reward-hire
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