The Raiders "have gone the new-guy route many times in recent years, with mixed results -- some bad, some horrible," but the team went the other route yesterday by hiring Jack Del Rio as coach, according to Scott Ostler of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Del Rio is the first coach "with previous NFL head-coaching experience the Raiders have hired since Norv Turner" in '04. Late team Owner Al Davis' MO "was to hire inexperienced coaches, on the cheap, then groom them." So the Del Rio hire "is a departure, one more way" that current Owner Mark Davis "is putting his own stamp on the team" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/15). CSN Bay Area's Jim Bair noted there has been a "lot of talk about this real kind of schism" between Davis and GM Reggie McKenzie," but he added he did not believe "that these guys are anywhere close to being able to put on gloves and fight it out." Bair: "Inside football organizations, there's always healthy debate, and I like that ... Reggie Mackenzie isn't afraid to speak his mind, even though Mark Davis made a point during this hiring process that he wanted to be more involved than he was in 2012, when Reggie McKenzie almost unilaterally hired Dennis Allen on his own. I think it's good that Mark Davis wanted to get involved. I do think that probably for the Raiders, it's unfortunate that it became public, because sometimes spirited debate leads to the best possible decision . And really, right now, these Raiders are on the same page and are a united front moving forward” (“Yahoo Sports Talk Live,” CSN Bay Area, 1/14).
BUFFALO SOLD 'YA: In Buffalo, Tim Graham in a front-page piece reports the Bills Owner Terry Pegula yesterday during a press conference to introduce Rex Ryan as the team's new coach announced a new management structure in which Ryan, President & CEO Russ Brandon and GM Doug Whaley "each will report directly to him." Brandon "will oversee all business decisions and budgets, including football operations," while Whaley "will be in charge of the Bills’ roster." Ryan "is in charge of his coaching staff and all game-related decisions, but his voice likely will be the most influential" (BUFFALO NEWS, 1/15). In N.Y., Matt Higgins writes Ryan’s "larger-than-life persona should help bestow an identity on a franchise that has lacked one" since QB Doug Flutie departed following the '00 season (N.Y. TIMES, 1/15).
BOWLED OVER: With the Jets this week hiring Todd Bowles as their new coach and Mike Maccagnan as GM, SNY's Sal Licata said Jets Owner Woody Johnson "does deserve a lot of credit, because we ripped him up to the end of the year." Licata noted Johnson by bringing Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf in and "letting them do their jobs bringing in the football guys, he did the right thing, clearly.” SNY’s Adam Schein: "Charley Casserly’s impact and influence is all over these moves. ... This is such a great 24 hours if you're a fan of the Jets" ("Loud Mouths,” SNY, 1/14).
