Raiders’ Rob Ryan Jetting to New York?

By Anthony Carroll  |   Wednesday, January 18, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Oakland Raiders
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Since the departure of head coach Herman Edwards, the New York Jets have painstakingly assessed candidate after candidate to fill their vacancy at head coach. Unfortunately for the Oakland Raiders, the Jets selected Eric Mangini, an assistant who worked closely with Oakland's defensive coordinator Rob Ryan during Ryan's four-year stay with the New England Patriots. In tandem, while Ryan was coaching the linebackers of New England, Mangini was working nearby with the defensive backs.

Before selecting Mangini as their new head coach, the Jets interviewed six additional candidates. The laundry list of interviewees included: former Saints coach Jim Haslett, former Rams head coach Joe Vitt, Jets offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff, and previous Vikings head coach Mike Tice.

The NFL's new youngest head coach now has the assignment of selecting the crew in which he will operate his team under. Naturally, Mangini will look to those who he has previously worked with and feels a reassurance with. As offensive coordinator, Mangini is anticipated to look closely at Saints offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard, who he had worked closely with for two years under the Cleveland Browns. The next major question mark comes at defensive coordinator, where the Raiders' Rob Ryan seems to be the top candidate to work in conjunction with Mangini.

Ryan left the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots two short years ago to work under Norv Turner as the defensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders. Son of NFL coaching legend Buddy Ryan, Ryan implemented a 3-4 defensive scheme in his rookie season, but the unit lacked the personnel necessary to operate efficiently in that set. In his next season, Ryan moved back into a 4-3 system that improved greatly, considering injuries to starters Charles Woodson, Derrick Gibson, and Warren Sapp and the profusion of inexperience on the Oakland Raiders' defense-particularly in the secondary.

The recent interview of Tampa Bay's defensive line coach of ten years also has fans in question. Monday's interview with Rod Marinelli may, in fact, become an interview for the defensive coordinator position. With Al Saunders, the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, appearing as the foremost candidate for Oakland's head coaching vacancy, Marinelli could likely become an old hand leader over a youthful Oakland defense.

Despite recent player support shown within the Oakland Raiders Organization, Al Davis has shown no open intention over extending the tenure of Rob Ryan's contract. With the contract expiring next month, it should be interesting to see what Al Davis views to be best for the team. And remember, what Al Davis views as the correct move will undoubtedly become the next move.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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