John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

In the end Dennis Allen took his first L of 2013 as he watched his North squad lose to the South 21-16 yesterday in the Senior Bowl. Far from pretty and largely boring the game featured some sloppy and sluggish offense and an all too common sight for Raider Nation as Allen’s team fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter.

But for Allen and his coaching staff the game itself was nothing more than a formality. It was the week of practice with the future NFLers that made this experience all the more enriching for the Raiders.

Considering Allen and his staff weren’t even supposed to be in Alabama for the game makes it even more of a gift. With coaching changes being made to the two teams drafting in front of the Raiders the Senior Bowl organizers had to extend an invite to teams with coaching staffs in place. Though Oakland didn’t finalize their full staff until two days ago, they still had enough coaches on the payroll to put on practices that gave them valuable insight into the upcoming draft.

No doubt Reggie McKenzie was licking his chops at the thought of getting an up close view of prospects he’d otherwise only see on tape. After having only a few token picks in his first draft as the Raiders GM McKenzie can actually prepare for what is more or less a real draft class.

Of course none of this guarantees the Raiders will be able to secure the services of a future All-Pro. There are far too many variables on draft day and as we know there is no more inexact science than the NFL Draft. But at this point any advantage given must be taken full advantage of. Something tells me McKenzie and Allen exploited every opportunity they got over the past week after getting the rare gift of being front and center for a preview of what could be the future of the Silver and Black.

Jan 24, 2013; Fairhope AL, USA; Senior Bowl north squad head coach Dennis Allen of the Oakland Raiders watches his players during Senior Bowl practice at Fairhope municipal stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Today the Raiders coaching staff led by head coach Dennis Allen will take the North team into action against the South in the Senior Bowl. For the Raiders’ staff it’s been a week of practice but more importantly it’s been a week of getting an up close look at future NFL players.

The upcoming draft is a crucial one for Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders. After last year’s very minimal draft that didn’t have Oakland on the clock until the end of the third round, this mark McKenzie’s first foray into the draft waters as the Raiders pick third overall.

While you won’t likely see anyone Oakland will consider using that third pick on in action today there are plenty of other prospects Coach Allen and company have had the great pleasure of coaching that could fit nicely in Silver and Black.

Cornerback is certainly a position of great need for Oakland so make sure to keep your eye on Washington’s Desmond Trufant a cover corner with an NFL bloodline. Another member of the North’s defensive backfield who could become a Raider if things go well on draft day is USC safety T.J. McDonald who also has an NFL pedigree thanks to his father’s years of service in the pro game.

Of course there are also holes on the offensive line that must be filled so make sure to focus on Central Michigan tackle Eric Fisher. Despite playing for a non-BCS school Fisher is among the top prospects in the draft at tackle.

Then there are intriguing talents like Michigan’s Denard Robinson who will be featured in a multitude of ways the most obvious of which is wide receiver.

And those are just some of the players the Raiders staff has been working with. On the other side of the ball the South will also have plenty of prospects sure to catch the eye of the Oakland brass and perhaps make an impression that will be felt on draft day.

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

2012 was always going to be a difficult year for the Oakland Raiders franchise. There was no way around it. No team in the history of football had the sort of reconstruction the Raiders faced last year. Al Davis was the alpha and omega of the Raider franchise for decades. The number of men hired to replace all of the duties he did speaks volumes.

With that said Reggie McKenzie and Dennis Allen took great liberties with the positions each was in during this past year.

McKenzie had a salary cap mess that permitted the removal of players no matter their importance to the franchise.

Allen had a roster with talent but no depth that allowed for a learn-on-the-job approach.

But that was then and this is now.

Then Allen thought he could somehow reinvent the wheel by scrapping an offensive system that produced for one he simply preferred. We all know how that ended and if Allen ever tries to prove he’s the smartest man in the room again it could likely be the end of his head coaching career.

Simply put the training wheels are off. You rarely get an entire year in pro football to figure things out. If you’re not sure coming out of camp then more than likely you won’t be given a full 16 games to do so. Allen had that luxury but the increasing angst of Mark Davis has made the leash even shorter.

In the first game of the season Allen’s team looked unprepared as evident by the long snapper debacle that derailed the season opener.

That too is something that cannot happen again. With all due respect to Allen his predecessor, Hue Jackson, didn’t even have an offseason due to the lockout yet he was able to get his team ready to go for the start of the season.

Allen has the respect of his players which is a good thing. But so too did Tom Cable and Jackson. We know where they ended up. If Allen wants to avoid a similar fate he’ll need to get with the program and understand that coaches on scholarship are only accepted in San Diego.