Jack Del Rio “Will Make Raiders Look Like a Pro Team” Says Dennis Green

Jan 16, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Jack Del Rio (right) poses with Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie at press conference to announce his hiring as Raiders head coach at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Green has been out of the head coaching ranks for a few years now, famously leaving the NFL with an epic rant following a collapse to the then undefeated Chicago Bears on Monday Night football during his final head coaching gig with the Arizona Cardinals. Now, Green speaks to the media from time to time as most former coaches do, and on Monday he appeared on 95.7 The Game to discuss Jack Del Rio.

Green has a deep respect for Del Rio, who he coached on the Minnesota Vikings during the early 1990’s, and feels that he will be able to turn the Raiders around. However Green gave the praise for his former player by taking a slight shot at the recent coaches in Oakland who were never quite able to put the team on course.

“He knows exactly how to set things up. I think a lot of times, you look at the Raiders and think, `What the heck are they doing,’ ” Green said during his radio appearance. “I don’t think you’ll ever say that with Jack Del Rio. They’ll be sound on defense. You won’t have guys running around wide open . . . I think you’ll look at them and say they look like a pro team.”

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The former Vikings and Cardinals coach also mentioned how he told Del Rio to get into coaching as his playing career was winding down, now Green has faith that Del Rio will be able to get the Raiders back to a place they were under Hue Jackson were they were close to making the playoffs before a losing streak at the end of the season continued their postseason drought.

“I said, you’re a coach on the field, you’re a captain on the field, you’ve got to go into coaching,” Green said. “I think he will be what the Raiders need. A few years ago they were 8-8 and I think Hue Jackson did a great job for ‘em and I think they just kind of lost their way. Jack Del Rio will get ‘em back there.”

It is no shock that Green is backing Del Rio based on their relationship, but the former Vikings head coach has a point that his former player knows how to focus on the details needed to win. Del Rio had playoff success in Jacksonville playing sound football on teams that lacked star power and were generally well coached. Those playoff successes also came between many years of missing out on the postseason, but Green feels that with a young nucleus to work with that his former player will be back to making the most out of rosters and thriving again as a head coach in no time.