Reggie McKenzie..... The Man At The Top.....

Well, if you have not yet heard, the Raiders, who have not yet confirmed the hiring, are set to hire the first GM to the Raiders since Al Davis lost his mind and tool complete control of Player Personell. The report of the agreement was  reported by ESPN Thursday night by Adam Schefter, and subsequantly McKenzie confirmed the hiring through text message through ESPN Milwaukee.

 

So, who is McKenzie you ask..... Well here are some of his details:

 

With the Raiders: 

• Chosen by Ron Wolf as a 10th-round pick from Tennessee in 1985, he enjoyed a seven-year playing career as a linebacker, suiting up for the then-Los Angeles Raiders
• Became an immediate starter and won all-rookie honors.
• Unfortunately, all records were not really kept as far as tackles were concerned, but he had 3 career sacks and 2 interception which he returned for 35 yards.

 

Inbetween Raiders/Packers:

• Spent two injury-plagued seasons (1989-90) with the then-Phoenix Cardinals and one year (1992) with the San Francisco 49ers.
• Prior to signing with the 49ers, he played with the World League’s Montreal Machine in the spring of 1992. While out of football in 1991, McKenzie spent a season as a defensive coach for Dorsey High School in south central Los Angeles.
• In 1993, McKenzie returned to Tennessee and served as an assistant under head coach Philip Fulmer. That year, the Volunteers appeared in the Florida Citrus Bowl and landed one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, highlighted by QB Peyton Manning. While back in Knoxville, McKenzie also pursued a master’s degree in education administration

 

With The Packers:

• First joined Packers in 1994 as a pro personnel assistant; promoted to director of pro personnel in 1997.
• Finishing his 25th year in the NFL and had 18th season as a member of the Packers’ personnel department. Since he joined the team’s front office in 1994, Green Bay’s 170 regular-season wins over that period rank tied for third most with Indianapolis, trailing only Pittsburgh (172) and New England (180).
• Oversees Green Bay’s scouting efforts of all professional football leagues, including the NFL, CFL and Arena Football League, as well as all other pro leagues and international players.
• Played an integral role in judging the Packers’ current players and evaluating potential free agents across the league.
• Was heavily involved in all of the team’s moves on a daily basis, including all tryouts and transactions. Provided advance scouting reports on upcoming opponents, working closely with Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff.
• He also contributed to the scouting of college prospects, made school visits in both the fall and spring, and worked in conjunction with the General Manager of the Packers, Ted Thompson, in preparation for the annual draft.
• Named director – football operations May 27, 2008.
• During McKenzie’s tenure, the Packers have captured seven division titles, three conference championships and Super Bowls XXXI and XLV

 

The Personal Side:

• President of the ‘McKenzie Foundation,’ a non-profit youth foundation in Knoxville.
• A two-way star as a prep at Austin East High School in Knoxville, was valedictorian of his 1981 graduating class.
• Born in Knoxville, Tenn., on Feb. 8, 1963, McKenzie earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in personnel management at Tennessee. 
• McKenzie and his wife, June, a Green Bay attorney, have two daughters, Jasmin, 19, who attends Wheaton College in Illinois and Mahkayla, 17, who will enroll at Duke University in the fall. He also has two sons, Reginald Kahlil, 14, and Jalen Elijah, 12.

 

It is not yet clear whether McKenzie will take over immediately as he is still under contract with Green Bay. Because they are still in the playoffs, they will need to decide whether or not he is able to leave and at what time.

 

By the way, his Super Bowl ring was stolen on May 3, 2009. Sucks for him, but maybe with him at the helm for the Raiders, we can bring him a shiny new one for his finger.

What do you think of the hire? Leave me your comments.

Chaotic View

 

 

 

Keys to Victory Against The Pack......

I know you have all heard the term, "Any Given Sunday" right?

If you have lived under a rock for a while, that means that any team can beat any team on Sunday when you are playing between the sidelines and end zones.

People, like myself, will always point to stats and other things that have happened in the past that can potentially lead us to the type of game plan that the Raiders can use to actually pull out a improbable win against an almost unbeatable team. But are they really unbeatable?

I think the Giants exposed them last week. So I will tell you what the Raiders are going to do that will contain these guys.

1. Contain Jordy Nelson. This guy is on par for a Pro Bowl year and he isn't slowing down. The objective with this guy is to let him know that if he thinks he is going to have easy receptions over the middle of the field, Rolando McClain, Aaron Curry and the rest of the defensive backfield is going to impose some punishment that will make him think twice the next time.

2. Control, not shut down Greg Jennings. He is the leading receiver this year with 65 receptions for 969 yards. Limit him in his touches and zone in on him when he does catch it. Everyone has to attack this guy when he gets the ball. That includes Defensive linemen hustling to make tackles down field. Play Championship defense!

3. GET PRESSURE ON AARON RODGERS! You have to remember, Rodgers was sacked 50 times in 2009, 31 times in 2010 and 29 in 2011 and didn't have nearly as much success as he is now. This will be key to defeating Green Bay this weekend. Hit him and hit him often. Wimbley, Seymour and Desmond Bryant should have big games

4. Re-Establish the Run. Bush needs to have a minimum of 100 yards and dominate the line of scrimmage. The problem I saw last week was that Miami had more corner speed and because McFadden and Jones are hurt, the defense knew that Bush was going to be running between the tackles. Green Bay is soft up the middle, so even if they stack the box, our line has to make room for Bush to get to the second level and smash these linebackers.

5. Use a minimum if 4 trick plays through the game. Whether it be a reverse, halfback option, fake punt or whatever. Jackson has to keep these guys on their toes and not allow the defense to key in on what we are doing. Lets get back to being unpredictable and score points. These plays will open it up for Bush to run and for Palmer to complete normally impossible throws.

6. CONVERT 3rd downs. We have sucked in 3rd down territory. This year, the Raiders are  54 for 153 or 35%. This has impacted our Offensive time of possession with an average of 29 minutes a game and also opens the flood gates for teams to rip apart our often exposed defense. We need to limit the Offensive opportunities of Green Bay via the time of possession.

7. CONTAIN GREEN BAYS SPECIAL TEAMS!!!!! We need to dominate field position in this game. Force deep 3 and outs and get our offense the ball back.

All in all, this is going to have to be the most flawless game we play. We can't get frustrated if they get up on us. We have to dig deep and stay in tune with the game and force the momentum back to our side of the ball. Whether that's scoring touchdowns on offense, getting turnovers on defense or just running the ball, find the momentum and maintain the game. No mistake football.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY!

Photo Courtesy of Bob Carr - Raidersfans.net

Let me know what you think.... 

Chaotic View