Raiders Negotiating To Hire Broncos' Allen As New Coach
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- The Oakland Raiders hope to hire Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for their head coach position and were trying to negotiate an agreement on Tuesday, according to an ESPN report.
The Raiders have been tightlipped about their search, but general manager Reggie McKenzie has said that a hiring could come this week. McKenzie is at the Senior Bowl scouting for the draft, which is where he was said to be meeting with Allen to discuss the Raiders job opening.
Philadelphia offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will reportedly finish as a runner-up in the search.
League sources said Mornhinweg, along with the Raiders other coaching candidates - former Miami interim coach Todd Bowles, New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice and Green Bay linebackers coach Winston Moss - were all told that they were no longer under consideration because Oakland had found the man they intended to hire.
Under Allen, the Broncos finished 20th in the league in total defense this season and were 24th in the league in scoring defense at 24.4 points per game in his first year as coordinator in Denver.
Allen had been the secondary coach the previous three seasons with the Broncos. He has also coached for the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.
His background as a defensive coach would put him in good, though rare, company with the Raiders. John Madden, the last head coach in Oakland with defensive coaching on his resume, led the team's linebackers when he was hired by the Raiders in 1969.
The Raiders recorded an 8-8 record for the second straight season in 2011, and are searching for their seventh coach since 2003. Oakland has not been to the playoffs or had a winning record since playing in the Super Bowl following the 2002 season under coach Bill Callahan.
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