Dec 6, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders former coach John Madden poses with his Hall of Fame bust during halftime of the game against the Denver Broncos at the O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

As one of the greatest coaches in the history of the Oakland Raiders franchise – indeed the entire game of football as well – John Madden has more than earned the right to give his opinion on the state of Oakland’s current coaching staff. In fact his opinion should be and has been sought after by the Raiders when it comes to many questions concern the direction of the franchise.

So it’s not to be taken lightly that Madden has given Dennis Allen his endorsement going as far as saying the first year head coach was “playing without a full deck”.

Vic Tafur of the Chronicle had the great pleasure of spending some time with Madden at the ultimate man cave known to mankind and lifted some very telling quotes of the Raider coaching legend’s views on Allen.

“He’s got a ways to go. He was playing the game without a full deck. To be honest, they don’t have enough players. The cupboard was pretty bare. It would have been tough to do much more than what they did.

“If he’s going to do well, they gotta get a lot more … some teams need a quarterback or a running back, or a pass rusher … The Raiders need a whole barrel of guys.”

No arguing how thin the Raiders roster was this season. After all of the tough roster moves were made to get the team within cap compliance the squad had about the depth of an inflatable pool. That depth was tested in the first week of the season and snowballed as the weeks flew by.

However Madden does point out something that perhaps can be interpreted as critique of Allen as a coach when he said “He’s got a ways to go”. Not having the talent is one thing. However the Raiders routinely looked unprepared on Sundays including an embarrassing long snapper debacle that derailed the season opener. How that can happen coming out of training camp is inexcusable. In addition Allen’s decision to completely scrap a successful offense for one that produced next to nothing will be the main talking point of his first season.

But the players seem to respect Allen and this team did show some sign of life late in the season. It goes without saying 2013 is critical for the coaching staff and indeed the franchise. That said another listless season cannot be allowed simply because the “cupboard is bare”. This is big boy football and excuses aren’t allowed only results.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

John Madden didn’t become the icon of NFL football that he is by making things more difficult than they need to be. His everyman style in everything from coaching to commenting has endeared him to the public by making a complex game appear simple.

So it’s not too surprising to hear him say the obvious when asked about the Raiders chances in 2012.

In a recent interview Madden opened up on the keys to unlocking a winning season in Oakland. To the surprise of none he singled out two very important factors for the Raiders: Darren McFadden’s health and all those penalty problems.

When asked if McFadden was the key Madden kept it simple like he always does while also delivering a clear message to the entire team.

You hate to say it, but he (McFadden) has to stay healthy. You can say that about anyone, but if he doesn’t stay healthy, they still have to have a good running game. You have to be able to do that. Then you can play-action pass, and then stay out of really long yardage, and stop the stupid penalties.

To Madden it’s just that easy. Stay healthy and don’t commit “stupid penalties”. Of course addressing both of those issues has been anything but simple for the Raiders.

Chalk it up to whatever you want but McFadden’s inability to stay on the field is a broken record that keeps skipping. Of course he’s only been with the team for four years now. The penalty problem has been going on for far too long.

Yes, there is plenty of reason to think some of those flags on the field are a direct result of the colored history of the silver and black. However stereotypes have nothing to do with pre-snap penalties and personal fouls. If you jump offside or punch a QB in the face you’re going to get flagged no matter what logo appears on the side of your helmet.

While Madden appears to over simplify a complex problem you get the feeling that he’s pretty much right on the money. Keeping McFadden healthy is something that can’t be helped. That situation is what it is.

Now cleaning up all the laundry on the field is something this franchise, from top to bottom, must make a priority of. You’re not going to win if you’re battling the opposing team and yourself every Sunday. Oakland has been its own worst enemy for far too long. So you’ll excuse Madden if his frustration with his former franchise boils down a long running problem to a four word suggestion of how to fix it.

So I’m suggesting those four words from Madden should become Dennis Allen’s motto in camp. Keeping things simple is the right approach. Say it with me now:

Stop the stupid penalties!

Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Hue Jackson kept it real. A little too real on his way out of Oakland. He was right to call out his defense for their poor performance just wrong to do it at the end of the season. Timing is everything. Coaches throw other coaches and players under the bus all the time. Let’s not act like Jackson’s post-Charger press conference was the first time we’ve ever seen an NFL head coach name names.

Now, had he done that…oh…let’s say in week 2 when his defense folded against Buffalo then his words might be viewed much differently. For sure Jackson should have accepted blame too instead of only deflecting it. But he was saying what most of us were thinking.

Timing is indeed everything. Dennis Allen knows that. Jackson’s poorly timed tirade cost him a job but opened the door for Allen.

In steps the first head coach of the Raiders with a defensive pedigree since John Madden. Let that sink in for a second.

Some might think that means Al Davis put all his eggs in the offensive basket but truth be told defense was what he cared about most. That’s why the real defensive coordinator of the silver and black was never seen on the sideline on Sundays. Davis ran the defense or he at least told his coaches how it was going to be run. He also sank an obscene amount of money into his defense in recent years with bad to terrible results at best.

Davis was content to reward mediocre players with lucrative deals so long as they fit his formula. Now it is Allen’s job to reinvent the Raider defense. A new formula is badly needed.

Before you could blink Allen and Reggie McKenzie were diving in at the deep end of the problem pool. Stanford Routt took a one-way to Kansas City and its likely more well-paid defenders will be following him out of the East Bay.

According to Bill Williamson of ESPN

the Raiders are said to be aggressively looking for linebackers in free agency and the draft. That pretty much says Kamerion Wimbley and Aaron Curry should be updating their resumes. One of those two if not both will be going the Routt route. You’ve got to think Rolando McClain is getting the benefit of the doubt for now. It helps to be young, athletic and a top-10 draft choice. But his time could be coming at this time next year of some serious improvement isn’t seen.

During his combine presser Allen indicated that he’d be working hands-on with all areas of the team but especially the defense. Last year was Allen’s first as a defensive coordinator and in a short period of time he took the Denver Broncos from the bottom of the league to a respectable middle standing among NFL defenses. Not the kind of stuff that will remind you of what Buddy Ryan did for the Bears back in the day but none the less better than what we saw in Oakland.

Clearly Allen wasn’t too impressed with what he saw from the Raiders last season…at least not on defense. He has plenty of respect for Oakland’s explosive offense. That’s not the problem.

The problem is getting the right personnel in place for whatever system Allen plans to install. So far he’s been keeping it a secret just what kind of front the Raiders will utilize. But much of that will depend on what type of players they bring in through free agency and the draft.

The bigger problem is that the Raiders are well over the cap and are pretty much without any meaningful picks in the draft. McKenzie doesn’t have the franchise in such a place that Allen will be able to implement all the changes he’d like in one year so this is going to be a process.

The first priority has got to be retaining Tyvon Branch. Currently the clock is ticking on the deadline for franchise tags to be issued. Perhaps the Raiders are already working out some way to free up enough cash to negotiate a contract with Branch. That almost makes roster moves and restructuring contracts the first order of business. No matter how you slice it this will not be a pretty process. It’s necessary but not necessarily going to be enjoyable.