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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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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Raiders, Moss interviewed on the down low.

From the moment Reggie McKenzie rolled into the East Bay it was widely assumed that he was going to tap Packers’ assistant head coach Winston Moss to replace Hue Jackson. Two weeks into the interviewing process and McKenzie had yet to sit with his supposed top choice. Or so we all thought…

According to a report, Moss interviewed for four hours with McKenzie last Saturday.

As surprising as that may seem what is even more amazing is that Moss did so while his team was preparing to play the Giants. As well all know that didn’t end too well for Green Bay. However Moss could land on his feet as a full fledged head coach in the NFL.

That is unless Marty Mornhinweg gets the gig. As unbelievable as it sounds, rumor is Moron-weg has a legit shot at earning himself another head coaching opportunity. You’ll excuse me while I wash the taste of vomit from my mouth…

Getting back to Moss, a couple of things come to mind with regards to his interview.
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