In a hiring season of confusion, misdirection, and uncertainty, one thing has become clear: The Raiders are still doing things their own way. Which means that they’re either smarter than everyone else . . . or that everyone else is smarter than them.
The two main candidates for the head-coaching job in Oakland didn’t even get a sniff for any of the other vacancies. Instead, only the Raiders wanted Tony Sparano and Jack Del Rio. Ultimately, Del Rio reportedly has gotten the job.
So why Del Rio? In the bizarro dynamic that fuels so many NFL coaching searches, owner Mark Davis opted to become directly involved in the search process this time, because last time he stayed out of it -- and ultimately felt no connection to coach Dennis Allen. Davis, as PFT noted over the weekend, “loves” Del Rio.
But can the ability of Del Rio to dazzle Davis translate to wins? Del Rio generated a record of 69-73 in eight-plus seasons with the Jaguars, including only two playoff appearances. While much better than Oakland’s fate during that same period of time, it’s still not the kind of move that will inspire awe among fans and strike fear in the hearts of foes.
Indeed, Del Rio essentially had been fired by the Broncos, who had no plans to consider Del Rio for the head-coaching job, even though he spent some time in 2013 as the interim head coach.
It remains possible that the Raiders are operating on a higher plane than everyone else. Or, based on the team’s performances since a Super Bowl run 12 years ago, everyone else is on the higher plane, and the Raiders are still trying to get out of their own way.
At least they’ll have a tree stump and an axe in the locker room.