Raiders Fire Jackson, Continue Coaching Turnover Tradition
ALAMEDA (CBS SF) -- New Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie on Tuesday continued the football team's tradition of firing its head coaches by dismissing Hue Jackson after Jackson had held the job for only one year.
The firing of Jackson, 46, marks the sixth time the Raiders, who haven't had a winning season since 2002, have fired their head coach in the last eight years.
The Raiders finished with 8 wins and 8 losses for the second straight year but Jackson came under fire after the team lost four of its last five games and failed to make the playoffs.
McKenzie, a former Raiders linebacker who was named the team's general manager last Friday after spending 18 years in the front office of the Green Bay Packers, said at a news conference at the Raiders' headquarters in Alameda that he wants to select his own head coach.
Referring to Jackson, who was hired by former Raiders owner Al Davis last January, McKenzie said, "I won't go into details point by point about what he did and didn't do" and said his decision to replace Jackson mainly had to do with "my wanting to bring my own guy in."
McKenzie said Raiders owner Mark Davis, who took over the team after Al Davis, his father, died in October, "was OK with that."
He said he wants to have "a new guy put his imprint on the system."
However, McKenzie didn't disclose any possible candidates for the head coach's job.
Interview w/ SF Chronicle Sports Writer Vitorrio Tafur:
The Raiders started the season by winning seven of their first 11 games but faltered down the stretch and failed to live up to Jackson's pledge that they would have a great year.
When Al Davis introduced him as head coach at a news conference last Jan. 18, Jackson said, "We're chasing greatness" and claimed, "There's no question that we will win our division and get in the playoffs and challenge for the Super Bowl."
Jackson also said he was confident he would last longer than previous head coaches, saying, "I plan on being here for a long time."
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