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"Tony Sparano has a strong presence in this organization," McKenzie said. "His experience and leadership qualities will serve the team well in helping reach the goal of everyone here, which is to win football games."
They were expected to steady a franchise that ran into disrepair during Davis' final years as owner. Instead, the team has only gotten worse.
Allen and McKenzie were hired after the team finished 8-8 under coach Hue Jackson in 2011,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, falling one game short of a playoff bid.
General manager Reggie McKenzie announced the move to Sparano after cutting ties to Allen four games into his third season as coach.
The Raiders are off this week after losing 38-14 to Miami in London on Sunday for their 10th straight loss dating to last season. Oakland next plays at home against San Diego on Oct. 12.
The defense, instead, has gotten worse. Allen has overseen two of the three highest-scoring seasons by opponents in franchise history. The Raiders have yielded 27.8 points per game since the start of the 2012 season,Cheap NFL Jerseys, allowing opponents to complete 67.6 percent of their passes with a 101.6 passer rating.
With Allen out, the pressure is now on McKenzie, who has two seasons left on his contract. McKenzie's first two draft classes have had almost no impact, with the biggest disappointment being 2013 first-round cornerback DJ Hayden, who has struggled with injuries. Hayden was exposed in eight games as a rookie and hasn't played at all this season because of a foot injury.
Allen was the first head coach hired by Oakland after Al Davis' death in October 2011. His 8-28 record is the worst for the franchise since before Davis arrived in 1963,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping. His contract was set to run through next season.
Instead, the Raiders have looked overmatched at times. They fell behind 27-0 after three quarters of their only home game against Houston and trailed by 31 points after three quarters against the Dolphins.
This year's draft class appears to be much stronger,Nike Air Max 1 Womens Sale, led by first-round linebacker Khalil Mack and second-round quarterback Derek Carr. But whether that will be enough for McKenzie to keep his job remains to be seen.
In all, Allen had more losses by at least 20 points (nine) than wins. It was performances like those that Mark Davis said he no longer wanted to see in Allen's third season and that ultimately led to his downfall.
"After thorough evaluation, we have determined to move in another direction,China NFL Jerseys," McKenzie said. "We appreciate Dennis Allen's dedication to the organization and wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future."
Sparano becomes Oakland's eighth coach in the past 12 seasons. The Raiders have not made the playoffs or had a winning record since winning the 2002 AFC championship.
Allen is the third coach fired during the season by Oakland since Davis arrived. Mike Shanahan was fired after four games in 1989 and Lane Kiffin was let go four games into the 2008 season.
The two were hamstrung their first two seasons by a lack of premium draft picks and a difficult salary-cap situation due to bad contracts handed out by Davis.
But after spending their first two years tearing down the team, owner Mark Davis expected the Raiders to be much more competitive this season after having ample salary cap room in the offseason and a near-full complement of draft picks.
Sparano had a 29-32 record as head coach in Miami from 2008-11. He took over a one-win team in 2008 and led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and an AFC East title. That was his only winning season and he was fired with three games remaining in 2011.
The Raiders have had 11 straight seasons without a winning record or a playoff berth. Oakland will now have its eighth coach since 2003.
Sparano has been offensive line coach the past two seasons in Oakland.
ALAMEDA,Cheap Air Force 1, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders promoted offensive line coach Tony Sparano to interim coach on Tuesday, a day after firing head coach Dennis Allen.
Allen was a former defensive coordinator in Denver who was expected to modernize a defense that ran what were considered outdated schemes under Al Davis' watch.
McKenzie also has botched two offseason trades for quarterbacks, with Matt Flynn in 2013 and Matt Schaub this year failing to win starting jobs after being acquired to start. |
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