Our new GM will keep Hue Jackson, Palmer and Seymour... and stay the course

[als_shadow]

When we traded for Palmer and gave all those big contracts to guys like Seymour and Huff, the decision was already made to try and win NOW.

So many fans think that we can't win with Hue... or Seymour... or Huff... etc. But that decision, right or wrong, won't be made by the new GM. It was already made by AL, Hue and AL's wife. The new GM will be somebody who is willing to work with what we have.

We can't trade compensory draft picks and those are all we've really got in the 2012 draft.

Because of the salary cap, we can't trade or cut most of our top 10 salaried players.

Yes, AL is gone. But AL made sure that things wouldn't change much immediately after his death.

Hue will have a big say in who gets hired as GM. You can bet that AL wanted it that way. Mark and Amy most certainly have had discussions with AL. Why would they want wholesale changes? Why would [edit:]Mark fire Hue?

We aren't 1 player away from the Super Bowl... but we aren't 22 players away either. The fans who want to 'blow up' the team with a big name GM aren't thinking straight. 'Blowing up' this team means going 4-12 next season. Palmer would just retire, as he did before, if we went this route. Palmer doesn't want to play on a rebuilding team. You can bet that Hue promised him a playoff roster. Same goes for Seymour. You can bet that AL promised him a playoff roster.

Many fans are going to be mighty disappointed when they see for themselves that the memory of AL DOESN'T get erased from this team with the hiring of an anti-AL GM.

Sorry, but the handwriting on the wall is all too obvious to miss.

My money is on a former Raider as the next GM. It only makes logical sense to keep the GM 'in the family'.

That is all.

[als_shadow]

AL always made sure that there was a designated scapegoat in case things went bad. When AL promoted Cable, CABLE was the designated scapegoat. When AL hired Bresnahan, BRESNAHAN was the designated scapegoat.

Who will be the next designated scapegoat?

If I were the new GM, I'd be worried that it was me.

AL also believed that 'winner's WIN and loser's LOSE' and he hated .500 because it violated his sense of value. AL kept track by looking at a team's/ player's record. AL made sure that Campbell had a winning record as a starter. If I counted correctly, Palmer ended up 5-4. The pattern repeats.

Hue ended up 8-8. Hue's playoff record is 0-0. AL's secret strategy given to Hue was - finish at least .500 for the regular season and at least .500 in the playoffs... anybody believe that we'd have beaten Pittsburg? [I'm not saying we lost on purpose, but it's hard to argue after the fact that the way we finished the season fit AL's strategy]

AL is still in charge, de facto of course. The 2012 Raiders will look remarkably similar to AL's Raiders, with a few tweeks and a few new faces.

I predict it.

[raidertone]

C'mon now...this isn't even a rumor...its just your opinion.

[ottomatic1]

I like it.

[als_shadow]

C'mon now...this isn't even a rumor...its just your opinion.

Predicting that something will happen before it happens, when the topic is human behavior, IS a rumor.

The difference between opinions and rumors... all rumors are opinions, but not all opinions are rumors.

Many of the threads in the discussion room belong in this room, but the mods let 'em slide.

[als_shadow]

Here's something else to chew on - the new GM WILL NOT have the authority to fire Hue Jackson.

But als_shadow, that can't be right.

Unless Hue agrees to change his contract, it IS right. Hue reported to AL, not to a designated GM. AL did this on purpose because he wanted Hue to keep his job and finish his contract - anybody got a better reason why AL wrote Hue's contract this way?

[astrospacepirat]

This supports my theory that Mr. Davis no doubt had contingency plans for after his time.

[Live.B.A.Raida]

Al's Shadow got 1 right so far.... the Raiders new GM is a former Raider

[NWTF]

There was a report making the rounds last night that Raiders coach Hue Jackson already has received an assurance from new G.M. Reggie McKenzie that Jackson will return in 2012. Though it’s possible that Jackson eventually will receive such a guarantee, a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells us that hasn’t happened, yet.

While tracking down the truth on this one, we’ve learned that McKenzie will indeed have full control over the football operations, notwithstanding any power or influence Jackson may have acquired and/or usurped following the passing of owner Al Davis. And we’ve confirmed that McKenzie will have the power to hire and fire the head coach of the team.

McKenzie, who’ll be officially introduced as the new G.M. on Tuesday, and Jackson soon will commence a series of meetings and communications, which may have already begun, regarding the future of the team. Agent Kennard McGuire, who represents both men, is believed to be working hard to ensure that the two men are on the same page. And despite speculation and/or rumors that Jackson could be on the way out, there’s no reason — yet — to believe that McKenzie will decide to move on from Jackson.

Still, it’s not impossible that a change will be made. And in large part the outcome will hinge on whether Jackson is willing to retreat from being an NFL head coach with considerable power over personnel to simply being an NFL head coach. When the alternative is being a former NFL head coach, it would be wise for Jackson to kiss McKenzie’s ring (or other regions) and comply with the wishes of the new boss.

Rumor Mill | ProFootballTalk