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As it stands the Oakland Raiders won’t be on the clock in the 2012 NFL Draft until well after Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have successfully clichéd each other to death. Of course with the way that Reggie McKenzie has come into the East Bay with guns-a-blazin’ I wouldn’t put it past him to find a way to sneak back into the first round.

We’ll have to wait to see how that unfolds.

Right now we can at least begin to speculate how the draft might unfold as the order stands now. Now I don’t pretend to be a draft expert, I’ll save that for the good folks over at NFL Mocks and With The First Pick. Still, I’m confident that all my hours of watching college football have prepared me for moments like this. So without further adieu I give you my first pass at the 2012 Draft.

Now if you can’t get enough draft mockery then cruise over to DC Pro Sports Report to get all the mocks you can handle.

Here we go…

1. Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck
QB, Stanford

2. St. Louis Rams
Matt Kalil
OT, USC

3. Minnesota Vikings
Justin Blackmon
WR, Oklahoma State

4. Cleveland Browns
Robert Griffin III
QB, Baylor

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Morris Claiborne
CB, LSU

6. Washington Redskins
Dre Kirkpatrick
CB, Alabama

7. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jonathan Martin
OT, Stanford

8. Carolina Panthers
Michael Floyd
WR, Notre Dame

9. Miami Dolphins
Riley Reiff
OT, Iowa

10. Buffalo Bills
Alshon Jeffery
WR, South Carolina
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In case you haven’t noticed, we’re entering a very different era of Raider football. Just how different things will be remains to be seen. Sure, all of the changes to the coaching staff and perhaps the roster will make this a different team, but will the results differ?

We won’t begin to know any of that until the team takes the field. Until then we’re left to speculate and debate.

Currently simmering on the front burner is the unofficial new head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Dennis Allen.

What little we know of the one year defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos is slowly being revealed by those that know him and his pedigree.

On the one hand you’ve got Shane Lechler who actually played with Allen during their time together at Texas A&M. Allen played safety for the Aggies and earned the reputation as a no nonsense defender. Lechler touts Allen’s intelligence in the following quote given to the AP.

“He’s a smart guy. He knows defenses well. He schemes really good.”

While Lechler knows Allen the player, it’s the men he coached in Denver that got to know the newest Raider coach the best. Earning high praise from an All-Pro like Champ Bailey is really saying something. In fact, Bailey sees his AFC West rivals becoming a tough test with Allen at the helm.

“He knew how to get us ready. He’s one of the most intense coaches I’ve had. I know what type of team he’s going to have. Very intense, hard-nosed, tough. That’s the way he is. That’s what I expect his team to be.”

All of those qualities will be well received if they translate in Oakland. Hue Jackson sought to build a bully but by the sound of things Allen is looking to brand a beast.

While toughness and intensity are welcomed there is another issue that the Raiders in dire need of rebuilding – discipline.
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One day we may learn all the reasons why Reggie McKenzie chose to relieve Hue Jackson of his duties after only one year as the head coach. You’ve got to believe the manner in which Jackson mishandled Rolando McClain’s arrest during the season was one of the reasons why Jackson was shown the exit.

After entering a not guilty plea and waving his arraignment, today McClain’s trial date was set for May 17^th.

No matter the outcome of the case Hue Jackson failed to properly discipline his young defender. McClain could very well be cleared of all charges but that hardly clears his image in the eyes of Roger Goodell. A teaching moment that could have been instrumental in McClain’s maturity instead turned into the right to be a starting middle linebacker for a playoff contender for the remainder of the season.

I was of the belief that McClain should have been suspended by Jackson for the rest of the season if for no other reason than poor judgment. While that may seem a harsh punishment Jackson owed it to his players and McClain himself to at least sit the immature millionaire for a minimum of one game.

As we’ve seen in recent years, Goodell’s law is not tied to the legal system. If the commissioner feels a player has violated the NFL’s conduct code then he won’t hesitate to administer punishment regardless of the legal outcome.

Naturally my hope is that McClain will not find himself facing a punishment that could rob him of his future earnings. Until we learn more the only thing he’s truly guilty of is bad decision making. For people like you and me that might not mean much. For public figures like McClain it can bring about life-changing circumstances.

McClain is young and has much to learn. This could be a tough way to wise up but that is just life. The man who truly failed him was Jackson. Hue’s selfish desire to win (which didn’t happen) trumped common sense. Yes, winning is everything in the NFL but taking a loss in the game of life is infinitely more tragic.

So, Dennis Allen has agreed to become the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Good! Great! Grand! Wonderful! Everyone on the bus!

As a lifelong member of Raider Nation I’ve seen an introductory press conference or 8 in my day. More often than not it is the same old promises of winning, blah, blah, blah, improving, blah, blah, blah, discipline, blah, blah, blah…

In order to help Allen on his first go-round as an NFL head coach, I’d like to offer some advice which I’d suggest he follow in his first year in the East Bay.

Win or lose, do not go .500 – Want to be back in the bread line this same time next year? Go out and win as many games as you lose. Nothing worse than being middle of the road in Oakland, just ask the last two men that coached in the East Bay. We want our Raiders to either suck more than a porn star when the rent is due or to win like Tiger Woods in a Hooter’s at closing time.

Don’t promise Super Bowls, promise to improve the defense – Allen arrives as the first defensive mind to be hired as a Raiders head coach since John Madden. That is saying something. It also says a lot that this defense has been dismal for a decade now. We don’t need to hear meaningless rhetoric of guaranteed success. Just give us a defense on par with the offense and things will work themselves out.

Keep Al Saunders – I realize Reggie McKenzie is new to this process. But Raider Nation is burnt out on learning new coaches like the son of the loosest chick on the block is tired of learning the names of new dads. I get that Dennis Allen will want to get his people in place but just cause you’ve got a new car doesn’t mean you need new shoes to drive it. Allen’s concentration needs to be on the defense. Oakland’s offense was a top 10 unit with Saunders calling the plays. Don’t go Josh McDaniels and try to reinvent the wheel. Stick with what has worked, make sure there is some continuity and let the better performing half of the team be rewarded with not having to learn another offense all over again.
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Allen had better be ready for all that comes with coaching in Oakland.

Today Reggie McKenzie was slated to sit down with Dennis Allen for a second time in as many weeks. If all goes well then Allen will become the next ex-coach of the Oakland Raiders.

You’ll excuse my lack of enthusiasm. Naturally I’ll be rooting for Allen to have success. I’m just dreading yet another of these bland introductory press conferences in which Allen and McKenzie will praise one another then promise a Super Bowl.

Yeah…ok…sure. We’ve heard it all before from Lane Kiffin, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson and every other stiff that walked the East Bay sideline since Chucky took his talents to Tampa. Wake me up when the trophy is being paraded through the streets of Oakland.

If I sound like I’m talking as if Allen already has the job it’s because it is his to lose. Like a frat boy hitting on the drunkest chick at the bar, at this point he can only talk himself out of sealing the deal. Winston Moss was thought to be the front runner but he only got one interview. Same goes for Marty Mornhinweg. So you do the math. I’ll be in the back of the room counting how many clichés Allen tosses out in his intro to Raider Nation.

If I sound bitter over this whole process it’s because I am.
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And then there were three…maybe…

Currently it is believed that Reggie McKenzie has finally narrowed his list of candidates for the Raiders coaching job down to three candidates. The good news is that of those supposed three none are named Marty Mornhinweg or Mike Tice. McKenzie came to his senses and told the two men thanks but no thanks.

In addition it is being reported that Pete Carmichael is also out of the running.

So, where does that leave us?

Through some patchwork journalism from various reports it would appear that Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, Packers assistant head coach Winston Moss and an alleged “mystery candidate” are still in the mix.

First let’s discuss Allen who, in some circles, is being called the front runner. As stated previously, the official JBB take is that McKenzie – at the behest of Mark Davis – will go with a defensive minded coach. Allen certainly fits that criteria even though he didn’t coach an elite NFL defense this past season.

The former DB at Texas A&M did make a drastic improvement for Denver’s woeful D of the previous season. In fact, a very large portion of the success the Donkeys enjoyed with Tim Tebow at the helm was directly a result of Denver’s defense keeping opponents out of the end zone and the game close so the Mile High Messiah could work his magic. Allen has never been a head coach but neither was Hue Jackson…not sure if that helps or hurts his cause.

With regards to Allen’s supposed standing as the top candidate it should be noted that over the weekend Marty Moron-weg was being called the front runner. So take that speculation with a grain of salt and a shot of Cuervo.

From the moment the Raiders job opened up the name Winston Moss was circled as the odd-on-favorite to get the gig. His working relationship with McKenzie plus his ties to the Raider organization made it all too easy to pencil in Moss as the new boss.

Without anyone knowing, McKenzie snuck in a 4-hour interview with Moss on the eve of Green Bay’s playoff loss. Whether or not that meeting violated any NFL tampering rules is debatable. Except from within the league office where there is no debate. They allowed the meeting to occur without issue.

Thanks for that, NFL. Now if only you guys can screw over the Pats with the tuck rule in the Super Bowl then you’ll be square with Raider Nation.
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McKenzie has got the Raiders franchsie in his hands.

Reggie McKenzie has hit the Easy Bay running (or swimming if you prefer) since becoming Oakland’s general manager. He wasted no time in firing Hue Jackson but has since taken his time in searching for qualified candidates. With names like Marty Mornhinweg and Mike Tice floating around the term “qualified” becomes a relative one. But that is a different topic.

No matter my opinion of the Raiders’ known candidates the fact remains that the business of football moves forward…rapidly. Already the NFL season is nearing its conclusion which means free agency and the draft are right around the corner.

Generally you need a head coach in place well in advance in order to get up to speed. But when you’re searching for your third head coach in as many years you’d hope McKenzie is taking his sweet time for a good reason.

As reports slowly filter out regarding just who the Raiders have interviewed the logical question every member of Raider Nation wants to know is when a decision will be made. Luckily Paul Gutierrez asked that exact question of McKenzie.

When Gutierrez asked McKenzie if a coaching announcement was in the cards for this week, the new football boss of the East Bay responding with the following.

Yeah. Yeah. It could happen. It could happen by Saturday.

Not exactly a quote to plaster across billboards but it at least indicates where McKenzie is in the process. Then again, the interview with Winston Moss passed by without so much as a blurb appearing on any of the NFL gossip sites.

So how do we know what is what? Well, it’s the Oakland Raiders. You’ll find out when they want you to. Now take your bread and get out of the line.
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I don’t pretend to know more than NFL player personnel executives. They’ve certainly forgotten more football than I’ll ever know. But that doesn’t mean from time to time a fan can’t out-smart a paid professional.

Raiders were first to recognize Moore's talent and first to give up on it too.

Many members of Raider Nation were completely confused by many of the decisions made when the Raiders broke camp and cut the roster down to 53. Among the most troubling of all was the decision to cut promising rookie Sterling Moore for underachieving vet Joe Porter.

Porter parlayed a blocked kick in the preseason finale into a spot on the roster. Meanwhile Moore flashed all kinds of potential yet was shown the exit.

As inexplicable as that move was the Raiders went out and topped themselves. Initially they brought Moore back by adding him to the practice squad. As injuries in the secondary began to pile up you’d have thought he might get his shot at playing. Instead Oakland again parted ways with the Bay Area native choosing instead to bring in other options at DB. Eventually Porter was also released giving way for one of the many DBs that suited up in Silver and Black.

Well, it didn’t take long for another team desperate to add to a weakened defense to sign Moore. Just in case you checked out of the NFL once the Raiders’ season concluded then you missed that same Sterling Moore coming up big for the New England Patriots in the AFC title game.

Now before burying the Raiders for their lack of vision it is only right to offer an honest critique of Moore.
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Dennis Allen gets a second chance to make his best impression.

It is hard to know which phase the Oakland Raiders are currently entering in the on going coaching search. With reports of Dennis Allen getting a second interview this week it would seem as if Reggie McKenzie is narrowing his list of candidates. Of course learning that Winston Moss had already interviewed over a week ago without any word leaking out it stands to reason that we have no idea what the thought process currently is.

That’s just fine. Nothing new for the Oakland Raiders to be more secretive than Russian diplomats at a White House fundraiser. That has been the standard for years now. Why should it change with McKenzie and Mark Davis running the show?

With Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy taking himself out of the running for the job after assuming he would be calling the shots in Miami, Denver’s defensive boss is now assumed to be the Oakland frontrunner. Again, how anyone can speculate who is the top candidate for the Raiders is beyond me.

Dennis Allen’s second interview means he’s at least got one leg up on Marty Mornhinweg…hopefully. Prior to the news of Allen’s second sit down there were those that saw Moron-weg as the top choice.
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While the Raiders slowly interview candidates for their new head coach they’re slowly losing assistants from the previous regime. First it was Sanjay Lal who chose to seek employment elsewhere. Now it’s defensive line coach Mike Waufle who is making his exit from the East Bay.

Waufle is reported to be on his way to St. Louis where he’ll assume the same position under Jeff Fisher. Waufle ends his second stint with Oakland in the same capacity having coached the silver and black D-line in the late 90’s.

No real surprise that assistants are abandoning ship in Oakland. Absolutely nothing guarantees they’d be retained once a new head coach is in place. That is why it’s so vital they jump on employment opportunities that arise.

Of course Lal was not hired by Hue Jackson yet was able to keep his job despite Jackson replacing Tom Cable. That Lal would depart for the New York Jets to do the same job of coaching receivers says a lot about how Reggie McKenzie is going about starting his career as a GM. Clearly both Lal and Waufle see the writing on the wall. McKenzie is cleaning house. Unlike Al Davis, McKenzie will let his new coach assemble his own staff.