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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Call it whatever you will but Jackson’s efforts resulted in a minor miracle of sorts. That is precisely why McKenzie is said to be looking in all places possible to find the next ex-coach of the Oakland Raiders. That even includes trying to tap fellow AFC West rivals for potential candidates.

According to reports the Raiders are interested in both the defensive and offensive coordinators of the Denver Broncos. Both Mike McCoy and Dennis Allen have popped up on Oakland’s radar. The two men were responsible for coaching up the offense and defense respectively of the defending AFC West champs.

McCoy gets props for reinventing the Donkey offense on the fly when Touchdown Jesus ascended to the throne in Denver. Of course none of the success achieved by God’s Son would have been possible this year without Allen’s work with the Denver defense.

Perhaps just looking to pick the brains of a few rivals, McKenzie can’t possibly be considering installing an offense similar to the high school scheme the Broncos ran this year. However there is no reason why the silver and black wouldn’t be better served with a defensive mind installing a modern defensive scheme. At this point about anything would be better than Al Davis’ outdated, draw-it-up-in-the-dirt defense (with all due respect to what those defensive philosophies meant to the progression of the game).

Beyond the rival Donkeys, the Raiders are also said to be pursuing one of the hotter coaching commodities in the NFL.

New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is expected to interview now that his team is out of the playoffs. Not that he needs much selling but Carmichael has been working with Sean Payton in designing one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. Safe to say the thought of a great offensive mind getting his hands on Darren McFadden has got to be very tempting. That is if Run DMC can remain healthy.
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