Fritz Pollard Alliance Responds To Raiders Ruling
The NFL has decided that the Raiders did not violate the Rooney Rule during the interview process that resulted in Jon Gruden‘s hiring. The Fritz Pollard Alliance is less than pleased. 
“We strongly disagree with the NFL’s conclusion that the Raiders did not violate the Rooney Rule,” the Fritz Pollard Alliance said in a statement (via PFT). “We believe the facts overwhelmingly point in the other direction. In his enthusiasm to hire Jon Gruden, Raiders’ owner Mark Davis failed to fulfill his obligation under the Rule and should step forward and acknowledge he violated the Rule.”
The league feels that the Raiders complied with the Rooney rule by interviewing a pair of minority candidates before officially hiring Gruden. But, it appears that Gruden verbally accepted the job and agreed to terms with the club well before Raiders tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin met with GM Reggie McKenzie. The Fritz Pollard Alliance says it will push to change the Rooney Rule to ensure that a black candidate is genuinely considered for every head coaching vacancy.
“The NFL broke ground when it created the Rooney Rule, but it made the wrong call in refusing to penalize Mark Davis in this instance,” the statement said. “Davis crossed the line, and we are disappointed in the League’s decision. The Rooney Rule and all of the League’s equal opportunity efforts need to be strengthened. We have called for meetings with the League to ensure that a process like this never happens again.”
The Fritz Pollard Alliance is led by John Wooten and U.S. civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri. Mehri, a tenacious lawyer who ran an aggressive campaign to take over the NFLPA last year, figures to fight hard for an update to Rooney Rule protocol.
NFL: Raiders Complied With Rooney Rule
When the Raiders seemingly agreed to hire Jon Gruden without interviewing any other candidates, black or otherwise, many wondered if the team would face sanctions for violating the Rooney Rule. The NFL investigated the matter and concluded on Friday that the team did comply with the rule, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The ruling is sure to draw eye rolls from many around the game. In Gruden’s introductory press conference, owner Mark Davis insinuated that he had reached agreement with the coach on Christmas Eve. Two minority candidates – Oakland tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin – were technically interviewed before Gruden signed a contract, but it seems that the job was already taken by the time they met with team brass in the New Year.
“I felt pretty confident that he was all-in,” Davis said of the Dec. 24 discussion. “And that’s the term that we were using in our discussions and everything, are you all-in? And I never wavered from all-in. And this time he didn’t waver, either.”
First implemented in 2003, the Rooney Rule stipulates that at least one minority candidate must be interviewed for all head coach or senior football operations positions in the NFL. It’s possible that there will be changes to the rule in response to the Raiders’ conduct.
Raiders Hire Four More Assistants
- Rumored to be a candidate to stay in Chicago despite the Bears‘ coaching change, Dave Ragone will indeed stay on as the team’s quarterbacks coach, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports. This comes after the Bears interviewed both ex-Raiders OC Todd Downing and Texans assistant Pat O’Hara for the job. Ragone could be in line for an extension, Biggs notes, with one year remaining on his Bears contract.
- The Raiders continued to add to their coaching staff this week, bringing aboard four new assistants to Jon Gruden 2.0’s first staff. Recently jettisoned Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac will land in Oakland as its D-line instructor, and Byron Storer will be the team’s assistant special teams coach. Trgovac coached Green Bay’s defensive lines from 2009-17. The 33-year-old Storer played for Gruden as a fullback in Tampa Bay from 2007-08 but hasn’t coached in the NFL since working with the 2013 Chargers. Additionally, Tim Berbenich and Travis Smith will be offensive and defensive quality control coaches, respectively. Smith’s been a Raiders assistant for most of this decade. He served as outside linebackers coach in 2017 after being promoted from the quality control group last year.
Raiders Want To Add To Front Office
Although the Raiders failed to lure ex-Packers executive Eliot Wolf to Oakland (Wolf ultimately accepted a new role with the Browns), they’re still aiming to hire a “young” assistant general manager and may also add an executive vice president of football operations, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Wolf would have seemingly been the ideal candidate for Oakland given his ties to general manager Reggie McKenzie, who is also a former Green Bay staffer. There’s no word as to whether the Raiders ever pursued yet another former Packers executive in Alonzo Highsmith, who — like Wolf — ultimately landed in Cleveland. No matter who Oakland hires, McKenzie is expected to share roster control with new head coach Jon Gruden.
Raiders Interviewed Kevin Sumlin
- Before accepting a job as the Arizona Wildcats head coach, Kevin Sumlin interviewed to be the Raiders wide receivers coach, reports Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (via Twitter). The Raiders have yet to fill the role, but Jerry McDonald of the Mercury News believes Sanjay Lal could be an option. The 48-year-old spent 2017 as the Colts receivers coach, and he served in the same role with the Raiders from 2009 through 2011.
- The Raiders have filled one hole, as Doug Samuels of FootballScoop.com reports that the team has hired Alabama secondary coach Derrick Ansley for the same role. Ansley had previously agreed to become Colorado State’s defensive coordinator.
- The Browns announced that senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach Al Saunders will transition to an advisory role with the franchise, as he’s been named senior assistant/special projects. Saunders served as the Chargers head coach back in the 1980s, and he’s since spent time with the Chiefs, Rams, Redskins, Ravens, Raiders, and Dolphins.
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Raiders Notes: Gruden, Bennett, Cable
On Friday, the Raiders announced the hiring of Rams quarterbacks coach Greg Olson as the team’s offensive coordinator. The 31-year NFL veteran coach, and Raiders offensive coordinator from 2013-14, won’t have to worry about calling plays. That duty instead will go to new head coach Jon Gruden, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes.
Gruden, who hasn’t coached in the NFL in nine seasons, has been preparing for the moment he would return to the sidelines for some time. He reportedly spends countless hours studying NFL and college plays and is expected to work closely with Derek Carr and the other Raiders quarterbacks.
Though he spurned advances for a role with Gruden, former quarterback Rich Gannon has full confidence that the former Super Bowl-winning coach won’t skip a beat.
“Jon has a system where he’s really going to count on the quarterback to be a big decision maker. He’s going to have a lot more flexibility and freedom at the line of scrimmage to change protections, to change plays. It’s going to be a fun offense to watch. He’s got a quarterback that can do it. That’s a big reason why he decided to come back.”
From the sounds of it, Carr will have more responsibility than ever before as he hopes to rebound from a disappointing 2017.
Here is more news from Oakland:
- Gruden interviewed one person for the vacant offensive line coach position and had another meeting set up for Monday but dropped everything once the Seahawks fired Tom Cable, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reports (Twitter link). After being fired as head coach in Oakland in 2010, Cable moved to Seattle and served as offensive line coach for seven seasons. Under his direction, Seattle established itself as one of the best running teams in NFL. His return could reunite him with Marshawn Lynch, should the Raiders retain the veteran back.
- The Raiders continued to clean house on former head coach Jack Del Rio‘s staff, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). Among the expected departures are cornerbacks coach Rod Woodson, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, assistant special teams coach Tracy Smith, wide receivers coach Rob Moore and safeties coach Brett Vieselmeyer.
- Former Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett didn’t have to wait long to find a new gig. He will be joining the Raiders as the team’s new receivers coach, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports (Twitter link). A former Packers running back, Bennett has spent 23 of his 25 seasons in the league as a player and coach in Green Bay.
Raiders To Bring Back Tom Cable
Jon Gruden won’t be the only former Raiders head coach on the 2018 Silver and Black staff. The Raiders reached an agreement to bring back Tom Cable, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Raiders’ head coach for a two-plus-season stint from 2008-10, Cable will be in charge of Oakland’s offensive linemen next season. The Seahawks fired Cable after seven seasons earlier this week, but it didn’t take long for the veteran coach to land on his feet.
The 2018 season will mark the 12th straight campaign in which Cable will coach with the Raiders or Seahawks, with his most recent job outside those two western-based franchises coming with the 2006 Falcons. Cable will have a chance to coach a Raiders offensive line that’s seen historic finances poured into it. Donald Penn, Kelechi Osemele, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson are all under contract for next season.
This would also reunite Cable with Marshawn Lynch. Although, it shouldn’t be considered a lock Lynch — whose cap number jumps from $2.7MM to $6MM — will be part of the 2018 Raiders. But he thrived during most of his previous stint with Cable.
The Raiders underwhelmed last season despite the resources put into their offensive front, finishing 25th in rushing offense. While the Seahawks have struggled on the ground in recent years, they did not spent nearly the kind of money the Raiders did up front.
Cable went 17-27 as Raiders HC and was replaced by Hue Jackson despite an 8-8 season in 2010. The 53-year-old Cable interviewed for the 49ers’ HC job last year but stayed on as Seattle’s O-line coach.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Broncos, Dolphins
Now that newly-hired Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has begun filling out his staff, a lot of his work will now shift to the personnel side of the franchise. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Journal-Review previewed many of the decisions that Gruden and the front office will have to work through this offseason.
Gehlken starts by stating that the team is likely to move on from number one wide receiver Michael Crabtree and cornerback Sean Smith. Releasing both players would save money and allow the team to continue to get younger at both positions.
However, a more difficult decision may lie with soon-to-be 32-year-old running back Marshawn Lynch. His salary will jump from $1.35MM to $4MM in 2018. On March 18, he will receive a $1MM roster bonus if he is still on the roster. Lynch’s season was rather inconsistent and running backs that play into their 30’s don’t have the best track record, but it would still be difficult to move on from a talent like Lynch.
“You know, I’ve never met Marshawn Lynch,” Gruden said. “Even as a broadcaster, I asked for Marshawn Lynch in production meetings and I never got to meet him. So I’m anxious to sit down with Marshawn and meet him. We’ll talk about his future and the Raiders. I can’t wait. He came back to the Raiders for similar, I think, reasons that I did.”
In recent seasons, the Raiders have used free agency as a primary source of getting key players, and while the defense has been arguably the main area of concern, Gehlken passes along that Gruden is also is looking to bring new ideas to the offensive side of the ball.
“We are going to have to look at our roster carefully and see, do we have a fullback? Who is the feature back? Who are the receivers?” Gruden said Tuesday. “A lot of things have to be determined, and I think you have to have an offense that is adaptable, that is versatile and can adjust to a number of certain areas. That is what we need to do. Get through today, lock the doors and get to work.”
Here’s more stories from around the AFC:
- In news from another AFC West club, the Broncos recently inked former head coach Gary Kubiak to a larger front office role. However, Kubiak could still draw interest from teams looking for a new offensive coordinator, speculates Mike Klis of 9News. Though Klis mostly shuts down that notion because the former Super Bowl winning coach is currently under contract for one more year in Denver, which would force a prospective team to pay up a draft pick in order to pry him away.
- The Broncos also have a decision to make regarding star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. The 30-year-old pass catcher has two years remaining on his current deal should his $4MM option for next season be picked up before the first day of the 2018 league year, reports Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post (Twitter link). However, if the Broncos do decline the option, the final two years would voided and he would become a free agent this offseason. This would also result in $3.1MM of dead money. His salary figures for the next two years are $12.03MM and $17.5MM, respectively. The Broncos need to get younger at the wide receiver position and could be served well letting Thomas walk as he enters the wrong side of his 30’s.
- The Dolphins offensive line could undergo somewhat of a makeover this offseason and one part of that could come from one of their veterans switching positions. Ted Larsen played in the team’s final eight games at left guard after missing the first half of the season with an injury. However, the 30-year-old would like to switch to right guard in 2018, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Larsen told Jackson “That’s my preference, I played there since 2014.” Jackson notes that fellow starting guard Jesse Davis has shown no reservations about changing roles, so it’s a real possibility that Larsen could have his wish granted in training camp. Although, the writer did add that the team will likely bring in some competition through the draft or free agency. Miami is also not likely to hold onto right tackle Ja’Wuan James for his $9MM 2018 salary figure. Veteran tackle Jermon Bushrod was injured at the end of the year and will be a free agent this offseason as well. This could open up a spot for a prospective high round draft pick with the Dolphins currently holding the 11th overall selection.
Raiders Bring Back One Coach
- Raiders new head coach Jon Gruden has brought in a number of new coaches to join his staff for the 2018 season. But there is one coach that is definitely being retained from Jack Del Rio’s previous coaching crew. Assistant wide receivers coach Nick Holz is being retained, per Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link). While Holz is the only holdover as of now, Caplan does note that many other Del Rio staffers are currently being reviewed by the organization.
- Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown is expected to return to the team in 2018, sources tell Todd Archer of ESPN.com. It was previously reported that while Dallas had wanted to retain him, he had also drawn interest from the Raiders and Texans.
Raiders Hire Ex-49ers DC Jim O’Neil
Jim O’Neil‘s next NFL coaching position will be in the Bay Area, just as his most recent one was. The Raiders are hiring the former 49ers defensive coordinator as a senior defensive assistant, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
O’Neil will work with Oakland’s linebackers and secondary, per Caplan. He was also in contention for a job with the Packers under Mike Pettine, whom O’Neil worked for as Browns DC from 2014-15.
He will now work under newly hired DC Paul Guenther. O’Neil’s most recent defensive work ended with the 2016 49ers ranking last in total defense. His final Browns unit ranked 27th.
Guenther and O’Neil will be in charge of a Raiders unit that struggled over the past three years. Its 2017 showing (23rd in total defense) bettered the 2016 playoff team’s ranking.