The Denver Broncos named John Fox as their head coach Thursday, leaving the Raiders as the only team in the NFL without a head coach officially in place.
In contrast to the Broncos, who actually updated prospective candidates who went through the interview process through Twitter updates through new exec John Elway, the Raiders have made no public comment other than senior executive John Herrera’s declaration that “We have begun the process.”
The Raiders will not confirm whether that process has included an actual candidate for head coach, or if that candidate is Hue Jackson _ considered the heavy favorite to ascend to the position.
With no other NFL head coaching jobs available, owner Al Davis can wait as long as he wishes to actually name Jackson, given he is already under contract as offensive coordinator and is already in all likelihood the acting head coach.
This week Davis has been going through the process of staff evaluations, and there have been no changes on the team’s coaching roster on its Web site.
A couple notes:
— According to an item in the San Diego Union-Tribune, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is on the radar of the San Diego Chargers. Coach Norv Turner is a big Asomugha fan, lauding his skill level, work ethic and skill twice every year on conference calls with Bay Area media.
Should Asomugha (and other unrestricted free agents) sign elsewhere, the Raiders could be in line for compensatory selections in the 2012 draft. That would depend on how many free agents the Raiders actually lost, whether they signed any themselves, and if the same provisions are included in a new collective bargaining agreement.
— Stanford also got its head coach in line before the Raiders, and it’s David Shaw, an assistant coach in Oakland from 1998-2001.
Shaw was Jon Gruden’s offensive quality control coach in Philadelphia and joined him with the Raiders. He was also an assistant with the Baltimore Ravens from 2002 through 2005.
David Shaw was in the awkward position of working for the Raiders at the same time as his father, defensive coordinator Willie Shaw, when the elder Shaw was fired following the 1999 season.
— Wow. The South.
It might be time for Tennessee to get over Lane Kiffin, based on his Deadspin.com item.
No word on whether the Raiders will be dispatching anyone to represent the organization at “Shoot Lane Kiffin’s Bobblehead Day.”