Kim Klement- USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders have finally finished filling out their coaching staff and they did so with some excellent hires.
Oakland’s most pressing need was finding an offensive coordinator and it was able to secure the services of Greg Olson for that position. Olson spent last season as the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but has been the offensive coordinator for three different teams before that. He was responsible for some of the best offensive seasons in St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ history. Olson also was the quarterbacks coach for Drew Brees when the quarterback was in college.
Olson’s emphasis on the run is a much needed change for the Raiders who have a premier back in Darren McFadden. Oakland got a little too pass happy last season and it cost it dearly. McFadden is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but the Raiders did not use him effectively last season. That should all change under Olson, who is able to use the power running game to help set up an electric passing attack presumably led by Carson Palmer.
The Raiders also made a splash with the hiring of Bobby April as the special teams coordinator. April is one of the best special teams coaches in the league and helped make the Buffalo Bills the best unit in the NFL three times according to the system calculated by Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News. Oakland already has the best specialist duo in the league and April should make the coverage and return units among the best in the NFL next season.
Oakland may have had a quiet offseason thus far, but it has made a splash with these hires. The Raiders are headed in the right direction and that can be credited to Reggie McKenzie.
