Just because he was with the Broncos and not many people ever heard of him is no reason to condemn him. After all, remember....Gruden was a QB's coach with the Packers....and no one ever heard of him when Al Davis hired him.
Allen is now the youngest head coach in the NFL, just like Gruden was. Just like Al Davis was when he was head coach. Just like John Madden was when he was hired. If he turns out to be good, he could be here for a LONG time. That's what we want, isn't it? Continuity? Just because he's supposedly a disciplinarian isn't a reason to slam him either....especially since he hasn't even started yet. The team who just set the all-time record for penalties may need a little more discipline. Comments I've read from Broncos players seem to be positive. They liked him. The Broncos fans are pissed that he's coming to us. Look on their forums. I'm pretty excited about his potential actually. I'd rather have a 39 year old up-and-comer than a 58 year old Brian Billick who might decide to retire again in a couple of years, or return to broadcasting.
Look at this video that was recorded just after the Broncos hired Allen as their defensive coordinator. The things he says about what he wants his defenses to be.....they sound pretty good for the Raiders. He said,
"we're going to be build off of speed and athleticism. We want to be a very fast, violent, aggressive type of defense." I know he won't be our DC, but I'm sure he'll have an influence on our defense....I hope.
Watch the video:http://www.denverbroncos.com/multimedia/videos/Catching-up-with-Dennis-Allen/860882eb-9ec9-4e5f-ad34-9faa843fb98fBroncos cornerback Champ Bailey, in Honolulu for the Pro Bowl, was disappointed when he heard the news.
"He knew how to get us ready," Bailey told the NFL Network. "I give him a lot of credit for the success we had this year. ... He's one of the most intense coaches I've had.
"I know what type of team he's going to have (with the Raiders). Very intense, hard-nosed, tough. That's the way he is. That's what I expect his team to be."I know that as a player, Allen didn't make it in the NFL, but that doesn't mean anything either. You know what the old saying is.....
Those who CAN.......DO, and those who CAN'T.........TEACH.
Guys who were
great athletes are often
not great teachers, and guys who weren't the greatest athletes often
ARE great teachers. John Madden played in College, but never the NFL. Bellichick never played pro football. He played it in college, but he favored lacrosse. Anyone know if Al Davis played football?
Dennis Allen wasn't a completely crappy football player either. He was good. He was a DB who was highly recruited out of high school in Texas, played DB for Texas A & M, and played on the defense that was known as the "Wrecking Crew"....and went to three consecutive Cotton Bowls. They made one of those bowl games due to a 4th quarter interception by Dennis Allen.
From what I hear, Allen is a great teacher, who always made sure that every member of his defense understood their role and how to achieve it.
He's probably going to seem awkward in his public speaking at first, most new head coaches are....but they improve in that area pretty fast. The way he relates to his team is the important thing.
Maybe we made a coup! The Broncos had 6 new defensive coordinators in 6 years prior to Allen, and their defense was terrible. He almost instantly improved them....but now they'll have to find their 7th new coordinator in 7 years!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/wires/01/25/2020.ap.fbn.broncos.d.coordinator.1st.ld.writethru.0775/index.htmlHere's a radio interview with Ex-Broncos, Ex-49ers Alfred Williams on Dennis Allen...by Greg Papa and John Lund today on 95.7 "The Game":
DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN to mp3:http://www.raidernationpodcast.com/audio/forum/957thegame/Alfred_Williams_on_Dennis_Allen.mp3Here's another radio interview, this one with Ex-Broncos 3-time Pro Bowl DE Chad Brown which also aired today on 95.7 "The Game" (Chad Brown hosts his own radio show in Denver):
DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN to mp3:http://www.raidernationpodcast.com/audio/forum/957thegame/Chad_Brown_on_Dennis_Allen.mp3