Winston Moss: Oakland Raiders Could Do a Lot Worse Than Packers Coach

It didn't take long for Reggie McKenzie, new general manager of the Oakland Raiders, to send a message. Mere days after getting the job, McKenzie fired head coach Hue Jackson on Tuesday.

When asked why he decided to lower the axe on Jackson, McKenzie kept it simple.

“This decision centered around my wanting to bring my own guy in,” he said, via Pro Football Talk.

So who is McKenzie's guy?

NFL.com's Jason La Canfora has an idea.

Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times agrees.

So does Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com.

And so on, and so on, and so on.

So who exactly is this Winston Moss guy?

For starters, he is indeed a former Raiders linebacker. He played with the Silver and Black from 1991 to 1994 when they were still in Los Angeles. Right now, he's Green Bay's inside linebackers' coach and Mike McCarthy's assistant head coach.

What really matters here is that Moss, like McKenzie, has experience working for the most powerful powerhouse team the NFL has to offer at the moment. The Packers have developed into the league's best team, and Moss has had a hand in it.

To be sure, the Raiders could be linked to sexier names. Jeff Fisher is still a free agent, as is Bill Cowher. Heck, maybe even Jon Gruden would be open to coming back to Oakland (not likely). 

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the Raiders are not an attractive option for big-name head coaches at the moment. The team on the field has more than its fair share of issues, and the franchise itself is standing on shaky ground.

The best the Raiders can do is scour the land for a head coaching prospect with plenty of savvy and a high-ceiling. To this end, they could do much, much worse than Moss.

More than anything, what you have to like about Moss is that he would be coming from a team with a winning culture. To boot, the Packers cultivated their winning culture by drafting and developing players—something the Raiders have been struggling with for over a decade at this point.

In addition, you have to like that Moss is a defensive-minded coach. The Packers had their issues on defense during the regular season in 2011, but it's certainly worth noting that they were among the very best defensive teams in the league 2010.

Lastly, it goes without saying that Moss and McKenzie would be on the same page as far as the direction of the franchise is concerned. 

Using the above criteria, there really aren't many coaches out there who make the grade, and Moss appears to be the best candidate on the list anyway. If the Raiders end up hiring him, the franchise will be on the right track toward stability.

Stability is a luxury the Raiders haven't enjoyed in a long time. If they have to make an un-sexy hire to achieve it, so be it.