A Clean Slate

Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson was fired.

At the conclusion of the 2011 NFL regular season, there were several coaches who jobs were definitely on the line. Initially, it didn't appear Hue Jackson of the Oakland Raiders was one of them. After the Raiders hired Reggie McKenzie to be their new general manager, he immediately went to work, firing Jackson after just one season. While the Raiders finished at 8-8, they were very undisciplined, setting an NFL record for most penalties in an NFL season.

Jackson took over a team that finished 8-8, largely due to the addition of Jason Campbell at quarterback. He did split time with Bruce Gradkowski because of inconsistent play, as they succeeded in getting their first .500 or better record since 2002. Jackson was hired as the offensive coordinator that season, and when Tom Cable was let go in the offseason, Jackson was promoted to head coach.

The Raiders looked good early, jumping out to a 4-2 record and looking as if they were going to compete with the San Diego Chargers for the AFC West crown. However, once Jason Campbell got hurt against the Cleveland Browns, it sort of went south from there. Shortly after, the Raiders acquired Carson Palmer from the Cincinnati Bengals for a number of draft picks. Jackson showed a ton of confidence in Palmer, especially since they were together in Cincinnati and at USC, where Palmer went to college.

All of a sudden, Campbell was thrown to the side while Palmer was getting a lot of praise from Jackson. People questioned Jackson's thinking, and rightfully so. Palmer did not turn out to improve the Raiders, and he threw a number of interceptions in a brief season. With a chance to win the division during the last game of the season, the Raiders didn't play with the energy needed in order to win the game, a home game against the Chargers. The Denver Broncos ended up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, so if the Raiders had beat the Chargers, the Raiders would've been division winners.

Ultimately, the decision to give up so many draft picks to the Bengals to acquire Palmer may have been the reason McKenzie decided to rid the team of Jackson. This was a huge gamble, and it's safe to say it doesn't look like it will pay off. Other than that move, Jackson had this team headed in the right direction. Jackson should not have been fired because the players were certainly responding to him, especially during the tough times during the season.

Owner and general manager Al Davis died during the season, and then Campbell ended up breaking his collarbone not too long after. Had Campbell been the starter for the entire season, the Raiders most likely would've won the division. Darren McFadden also battled through injuries all season, and that was at a point where he was the leading rusher in the league. Despite all of that, the Raiders were still a team capable of beating most teams on any given Sunday.

It'll be interesting to see who McKenzie replaces Jackson with. The Raiders also informed the rest of the coaches left over that they will not be retained, essentially starting anew. McKenzie, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, may bring pieces from them over to the Black Hole to get the team on a winning track. Only time will tell how successful this move turns out to be.