Bringing in Rex Ryan would be smart for the Oakland Raiders
By Ryan Ratty
Rex Ryan would be a great fit for the Oakland Raiders
2014 was another porous year for the Oakland Raiders. Despite starting the season 0-10, the Raiders have a ton of positives to take away from their 2014 season. For starters, Oakland finished the season with a 3-3 record and although that isn’t amazing, it gives them hope for the future. The best things the Raiders can takeaway from their 2014 season is that they found their quarterback in Derek Carr and they got younger and better on the defensive side of the football.
Ever since their Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, the Raiders have not had a quality head coach. Al Davis, when he was alive, took chances on multiple head coaches, and Mark, his son, has also taken chances on lesser-known head coaches. Although Bill Callahan brought the Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2003, there’s no question that team was put together by Jon Gruden. Besides those two, who both had some success in their Oakland tenure, the Raiders have given the head coaching duties to Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, Dennis Allen, and, their interim head coach after Allen got fired, Tony Sparano.
After years of stagnancy and inconsistency, the Raiders need to bring in a head coach that is established and one that would immediately make this team a better one, rather than another coach who believes the Raiders are in the midst of a process. The head coach that could do that is Rex Ryan.
It may come as a surprise to many as Ryan has had a record of 12-20 in the past two years. But before that, Ryan had brought this team to two AFC Championship games with Mark Sanchez as his quarterback. General manager John Idzik never brought in enough talent for Ryan. In Oakland, the Davis family would be willing to spend all the money in the world for Ryan to have the most competitive team possible.
Yes, Ryan was fired by the Jets after a 4-12 season, but as I said before, the Jets’ downfall was much more because of Idzik’s ineptness than Ryan’s ability to coach. Defense is Rex’s strongpoint, but there were some key injuries and, again, a lack of talent at key positions. 2013 first-round pick and the Jets’ top cornerback Dee Milliner played just three games in 2014. When Milliner went down and the Jets released Dimitri Patterson because of his off-field troubles, the Jets relied on inexperienced players like Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen to play the cornerback positions.
The Jets gave up an average of 3.8 yards per rush, which was good enough for fifth in the league. However, their pass defense gave up a completion percentage 64%, which was the 12th worst in the league. This disparity just goes to show where Idzik failed to bring in talent. In Oakland, the Raiders have one of the youngest defenses in the league, but they also have some key pieces. Rex could turn these pieces into one of the league’s best defenses.
Khalil Mack has the makings of a defensive stud. Sio Moore has a ton of talent. Keith McGill, D.J. Hayden, and T.J. Carrie are excellent pieces at the cornerback position. They also have productive veterans in Justin Tuck and Andre Smith. Offense is Rex’s weakness, however, if the Raiders can bring in a smart offensive coordinator to pair with Rex, they will be golden.
Oakland has a quarterback and their offensive line isn’t bad, but they lack talent at the running back position and in the receiving corps. The good news is that they have a top-5 pick and they have the opportunity to bring in player like Amari Cooper in the first round and even a player like Todd Gurley in the second round. If the Raiders hit again on this year’s draft, and Rex is their head coach, Oakland could be relevant in the AFC in 2015.
Many Raiders fans won’t want Rex as he is very arrogant and his brother, Rob, went out on a bad note as the defensive coordinator in 2008. However, Rex is an excellent coach and many NFL insiders believe that as well. Gruden, who is obviously one of the best Raiders coaches of all-time, believes that the Jets were completely wrong to fire Rex.
The NFL is a league where decisions are based off success and being in the right position at the right time. Rex has had success in 2009 and 2010 when he brought the Jets to the AFC Championship. He has also won a Super Bowl in 2000 with the Baltimore Ravens when he was the defensive line coach. Rex is arrogant, but that is a part of his persona. Rex is a coach players love playing for. Oakland will not win the Super Bowl in 2015 and probably not in 2016 either, but the fact of the matter is that Rex is the coach who can get the Raiders back to the playoffs.
Next: Where do the Raiders fall on the greatest franchises of all-time?