Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Hue Jackson hired as Raiders head coach




The Oakland Raiders have made it official, promoting offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to head coach, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.
UPDATE: The Raiders have now announced the deal on their official Twitter account.
Jackson is a former Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach who rejuvenated the Raiders' offense as they improved to 8-8 last season.
Now, Raiders owner Al Davis is looking for further improvement.
Jackson is a former Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals assistant.
He's highly regarded for his play-calling and how he relates to players.
The Raiders declined to extend Tom Cable's contract.
Jackson interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching job that went to Jim Harbaugh.
Jackson was hired by the Raiders during the Senior Bowl last year, interviewing with Davis for both the offensive coordinator and head coaching job.
The entire season was an audition for Jackson, and he passed Davis' test with flying colors.
The Raiders' offense did well this season despite using several quarterbacks, including Bruce Gradkowski and Jason Campbell.
The running game was the strength of the offense behind running backs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.
Jackson is expected to tap into his connections with the Ravens for staffers.
Among the potential candidates for jobs: Al Saunders, Chuck Pagano, Wilbert Montgomery and Wade Harman.

source:  National Football Post

author:  Aaron Wilson

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