Raiders ready to go mainstream

ALAMEDA

If speeches count, Raiders new head coach Dennis Allen should be in the Hall of Fame. The Raiders introduced him Monday and Allen spoke forcefully and earnestly about the Raiders.

Here is a quick digest of what he said:

"It's a new beginning for us."

"We have enough talent to compete for a championship."

He did not promise a championship but he used all-important championship lingo.

"The only way you create habits is through consistency. If you're committing penalties, that's a habit."

You have to admit, that's a good line.

On being just 39: "I don't think you can ever apologize for being young." (Another good one.)

These are the words he used the most: disciplined, tough, up-tempo, passion, committed, explosive, attacking, motivate, inspire, at the end of the day.

Note: They are the standard coach words. I believe coaches go to school to learn those words.

He wouldn't say who his offensive coordinator will be. He didn't say who any of his assistants will be.

After praising Carson Palmer to the skies, he spoke about Jason Campbell in lowered tones - as if Campbell is deceased. General manager Reggie McKenzie jumped in and said Campbell is a free agent and the Raiders will make decisions on free agents at some future date. Do you get the feeling Campbell is out of here?

Allen said he admires the New Orleans offense - he used to be an assistant with the Saints. Hey, if the Raiders can get the Saints' offense, that would be nice. Throw in the 49ers' defense and they will win the Super Bowl.

Am I making fun of the Allen news conference? Well, just a little, and in a good spirit.

All new coaches speak in motivational clich? and they expect - hope - you know what they're talking about, that you get the feel for what they're seeing more than the sense of what they say.

So, this was a normal introduce-the-new-coach news conference. In the past, things weren't always so normal in Raiderland because it was not a normal franchise. It was different, quirky, eccentric. When the Raiders were great, their differences were a point of pride. Recently, when the Raiders weren't so great, the differences made them look weird.

The fact that Allen's news conference seemed standard is praiseworthy. It means the Raiders are joining the mainstream in all the good ways.

The news conference began with two elderly Raiders fans seated in the audience asking questions of the new coach. They were questions from Raiders season-ticket holders chosen from Raiders.com.

The questions and answers were not astonishing, but the mere fact of fan involvement indicated a kinder, gentler Raiders - more fan involvement, more homey, those sorts of things.

After that, the media questioned Allen and McKenzie a long time. Allen and McKenzie were patient and eager. At no time did a screen come down with a letter attempting to destroy someone's reputation. Nor did anyone talk about a former coach's love life or how he secretly brought a woman on the road.

The news conferences where someone got damaged were so much. more fun than the Allen intro, but what happened on Monday is more appropriate and indicates a new level of professionalism and balance on the part of the Raiders.

It is also worth noting the new coach did not resemble a beer-truck driver, like Tom Cable. Nor did he use a line of shtick - "Coach Davis (blah, blah), like Hue Jackson.

Allen seems perfectly normal. It's just that his eyes are slightly wild, in a military way. He looks like a gunner in a machine-gun nest. Or maybe he's a World War II lieutenant in a black-and-white movie, rallying his men for the final charge in a do-or-die battle. You'll see his eyes for yourself. They are wide eyes, and he stares and he takes in every word you say.

We don't know what kind of coach he will be. He is a first-time head coach and McKenzie is a first-time general manager. And that means the Raiders have opened up all the windows and taken down the curtains and allowed new life and new ideas to rush into the building.

That is good and that is normal. But none of it will mean anything until Allen makes the offense more efficient, gets the defense to stop the run dead and forces the team to knock off the penalties.

Asked how he'll be judged on the Allen hire, McKenzie replied, "This is the NFL, guys. We win, it's a good decision. We lose, not so good."

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.