NFL Oakland Raiders

Tony Sparano Deserves the Chance to Win Oakland Raiders HC Job

Fresh Videos

By @Kevin_Saito

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Harbaugh. Mike Holmgren. Jon Gruden. It’s inevitable that whenever there is a head coaching vacancy in the NFL, coaches with any history of success are bandied about as potential replacements. And given the state of the Oakland Raiders over the past two decades, there have been a lot of names bandied about. Following Dennis Allen‘s firing, the rumor mill has worked overtime with endless speculation about Oakland’s next head coach.

The answer to that question though, is possibly a lot closer than many people may think.

In the wake of Allen’s dismissal, we’ve seen a number of coaches mentioned with the Raiders. Of course, Gruden’s name has come up given his history with the team. Some are lobbying for Harbaugh to get the job, given his own tenuous status with the San Francisco 49ers. And, of course, because he was in the building, speaking with Oakland’s brass, some are positive that it will be Holmgren. But the one name nobody really seems to talk about as the Raiders’ next head coach is the current interim head coach – Tony Sparano.

Most seem to believe that Sparano is just keeping the seat warm for whoever the next big-name coach will be. But a big-name coach like a Gruden or a Harbaugh is not a guarantee of success. It does not lend instant credibility and respectability to a franchise. Only winning can do that. While coaches like Gruden, Holmgren, Harbaugh or any of the others who are trotted out whenever there is a coaching vacancy were able to push all the right buttons with their former teams and win some games, there is no such guarantee that they’ll find that same success with the Raiders. Does anybody remember Mike Ditka‘s stint with the New Orleans Saints?

The most successful of the Raiders head coaches, guys like John Madden and Tom Flores, came from within the ranks of the coaching staff already in place. The players already knew and trusted them. They bought into those guys as coaches because they’d been there, working and sweating alongside them already. There is no guarantee that the players will automatically buy into a guy simply because he’s named Gruden or Harbaugh.

But the early returns on Sparano have been encouraging. It’s shown that the players, veteran and rookies alike, are buying into his philosophies and his program. Judging by their words, they respect Sparano in a way, perhaps, they never respected Allen. In numerous interviews over the past week, they seem to be more on board with Sparano’s program than they ever were with Allen’s.

Of course, words are meaningless without the actions to back them up. We’ll find out Sunday whether the team is truly buying into Sparano’s program. We’ll see if the team comes out with an effort and heart they haven’t shown yet this season, if they play with a sense of urgency that they rarely showed under Allen.

Ultimately, Sparano may not be the right choice as Oakland’s head coach. The team may not respond to him on the field, the way they seem to be responding to him through the media. It’s entirely possible that instead of Sparano providing a spark and some fire, the Raiders play much like they’ve played thus far this season – which is, in a word, lifeless. And if that’s the case, so be it. Cast Sparano out into the wilds and be done with him.

But – what if the team actually responds to him? What if this team reverses course and comes closer to resembling LaMarr Woodleyn Pittsburgh Steelers last year who started off 0-4 before rebounding to finish out 8-8? What if this team, under Sparano, shows the marked improvement that owner Mark Davis demanded before the season began – the type of growth and improvement it never showed under Allen? If the team plays well under Sparano, will people still be calling for Gruden, Harbaugh or Holmgren?

The next 12 games will serve as an extended audition for Tony Sparano, and should the team respond to him and salvage some respectability this season, he deserves to have a shot at keeping the gig – sans the interim tag.

Kevin Saito is a fiction writer, sports junkie, history nerd, and NFL contributor to www.RantSports.com  Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on