NFL Rumors: Oakland Raiders Should Think Hard Before Retaining Hue Jackson

Reports out of the Oakland Raiders' camp claim that management—which now includes new general manager Reggie McKenzie—met with head coach Hue Jackson today, Monday. According to ESPN.com, as part of McKenzie’s first order of business, an assessment of all the current coaches has already begun. Determining which members of the staff will carry over is the next step.

McKenzie was hired last week and will be formally introduced as the Raiders’ new general manager on Tuesday. He inherits a desperate yet promising team, one that struggled mightily toward the end of the season, concluding in a missed opportunity for a playoff berth. Despite Jackson’s tall bravado, which was congruent with the expectations of a once-successful franchise, the Raiders stumbled across the finish line, going 1-4 in their last five games to screech to an 8-8 overall record. They missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season.

In assigning blame to the collapse, many critics and fans have in their crosshairs defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan, whose defense was guilty of allowing three fourth-quarter comebacks to opponents during the year.

Yet in reality, much light should be shone on the master of ceremonies, Hue Jackson. After all, the first-year head coach was the one steering his own bandwagon the entire time...who frittered the team’s draft picks to acquire a semi-retired quarterback, Carson Palmer.

It was Jackson’s overconfident demeanor that created such lofty prospects for the postseason. But when such high standards are created and unmet, it’s necessary to evaluate the performance of whomever set and failed to meet them. In this case, that person is Jackson, whose unflappability led to the team’s downfall this season.

Yes, there were some encouraging accomplishments throughout the year. Some memorable moments and positive performances that should be lauded. And Jackson will be praised for bringing out the best of such offensive players as Michael Bush, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Marcell Reece.

But ultimately the barometer of a head coach’s work is the team’s overall win-loss record—and reaching the playoffs. And the Raiders obviously did not succeed in either area. So why not take a long hard look at possibly letting Jackson go?

After all, this is the same squad that went 8-8 the previous season under Tom Cable. There was crystallized positive sentiment surrounding the ballclub that the Raiders would make the playoffs that year. Following seven straight seasons with losing records, 2010 was supposed to be the return to glory. Instead, when Oakland indeed missed the postseason, Cable was dismissed—despite turning the team into a competitive unit for the first time since 2002.

Sound familiar? The exact same review could apply to Coach Jackson after this season.

Hopefully, the Raiders will thoroughly examine the benefit of keeping Jackson, who was unable to completely right the Raiders’ ship. Though he was able to preach about the new culture that was supposedly implemented within the clubhouse, there were signs that the memo was not received by players.

A testament to the lack of discipline and self-control, the Raiders led the league with 163 penalties for 1,358 yards—both new NFL records. There was also the incident where linebacker Ronaldo McClain was arrested for brandishing and firing a handgun (he was not cited by the team for his actions). And obviously, the signings of former offensive colleagues, Palmer and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, were perceived as loyalist moves.

Jackson’s over-zealousness was not tempered, and it was reflected in a cocksure team that thoroughly underachieved—but landed where they should have given the multitude of variables that remained out of their control, i.e., injuries.

It’s those missing parts—Darren McFadden, Jacoby Ford, Taiwan Jones, et al.—that provide a caveat for Jackson. He could have guided them to a better result had they just been a smidgen healthier. As such, it’s likely he’ll be afforded a second opportunity to get the Raiders to the postseason. Reports from CSN BayArea suggest that McKenzie and Oakland management will retain Jackson for next season. It certainly helps that McKenzie and Jackson share the same agent. It sounds as though Jackson is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

But Oakland shouldn’t be so rushed to keep Jackson on. They should weigh their options and consider if he’s really the right man for the job for next season and beyond.

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