Jack Del Rio: Oakland Raiders Coaching Profile
Jack Del Rio is an early front runner to be the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Whether or not he is the right man for the job depends on how who you ask, but let’s take a closer look at his resume and see how he stacks up as a candidate.
Del Rio is a Bay Area native and noted Raiders fan. In fact, his parents are still season ticket holders to this day.
Background
He’s a USC graduate who enjoyed an 11-year career in the NFL, playing linebacker for five different teams.
Del Rio retired in 1996 and immediately became a coach. The year following his retirement, he joined the New Orleans Saints as a strength and conditioning coach.
He moved on to be a LB coach for the Baltimore Ravens, where he won a Super Bowl ring, and he then made a quick jump to John Fox’s staff as defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers. Del Rio led a unit that finished fifth in total defense. His early success landed him the head coaching position with the Jacksonville Jaguars, after just one year of being a coordinator.
More from Las Vegas Raiders News
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- Raiders: Bryan Edwards out, Henry Ruggs doubtful for Sunday
- Raiders: Damon Arnette re-injures thumb, could be headed to IR
- Raiders fall short in letdown Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots
- Raiders: Game breakdown and prediction for Week 3 at New England Patriots
Time as a Head Coach
The Jaguars showed gradual improvement in Del Rio’s early years, making the playoffs in their third season under his lead. The team actually posted an impressive 12-4 record in his third year, but he was bounced out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round by the New England Patriots.
The following season, QB Byron Leftwich‘s season ended in Week Six due to an ankle injury. David Garrard got off to a good start as Leftwich’s replacement, but the Jaguars ended up losing their final three games of the season, falling to 8-8 overall.
Garrard would get the call the following season, and the Jaguars returned to the playoffs. The team was 11-5 and finished in the top ten both offensively and defensively.
This time, the Jaguars got by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, but again, they would fall to the Patriots in their last game. This was during New England’s 16-0 season. This would be the last season the Jaguars would make a playoff appearance under Del Rio and also the last time they would have a winning season.
The following four years, Jacksonville posted records of 5-11, 7-9, 8-8 and 3-8 before Del Rio was let go during the season.
Del Rio’s overall record as a head coach is 68-71, with his team making the playoffs in two of nine seasons.
As Broncos Defensive Coordinator
Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio reacts during the first quarter in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
For the second time in his professional career, Del Rio was hired to be a part of Fox’s staff. Again, Del Rio was brought on board to be defensive coordinator, this time for the Denver Broncos.
Denver’s defense saw immediate improvement under Del Rio, going from 24th in points allowed (Dennis Allen’s team) to fourth.
In 2013 and 2014, the Broncos posted good, but not great, defensive numbers. The team posted middle-of-the-pack numbers in most defensive categories, including points allowed and takeaways.
System
Del Rio runs a 4-3 system that is simple, yet effective. Cornerbacks run press coverage and more often than not, Del Rio uses a four-man rush.
Because he relies on the four-man rush to pressure the quarterback, his defense uses a lot of stunts, which is basically when two defensive linemen criss-cross positions to hopefully confuse the offensive linemen, allowing someone to get free to rush the quarterback.
DeMarcus Ware played defensive end in Del Rio’s system, something Khalil Mack does plenty of already. After a few years of finding ways to use Ware and Von Miller, with a year of Elvis Dumervil at the beginning, Del Rio certainly would know how to best utilize Mack’s talents.
One area of strength that Del Rio’s defense seem to have is in total yardage allowed. In fact, Del Rio’s defenses have ranked in the top six in the NFL in yards per game allowed in nine of his 16 seasons as a position coach, coordinator or head coach.
During that time, he has coached 14 players to a total of 22 Pro Bowl selections, according to the Broncos team site.
Conclusion
Mark Davis and Reggie McKenzie seem to be looking for a head coach who has experience, and Del Rio has that. Only two playoff appearances in nine seasons is a large enough sample size to where you know what you are getting with Del Rio.
Given, he wasn’t coaching the most talented teams in Jacksonville, but the Raiders right now are no better than any of those teams. It’s reasonable to believe that if he did not have much success with those teams, he likely will not with Oakland.
On the plus side, his defenses do have a strong track record and there are several worse candidates reportedly linked to the job.
Keep an eye on Del Rio, though. He is pegged as an early favorite for the job by some NFL insiders, including Ian Rapaport.