With the Oakland Raiders firing Dennis Allen late Monday night, one of the next big decisions for owner Mark Davis is deciding who will be Allen's permanent replacement. (Another big decision, obviously, is whether general manager Reggie McKenzie, who's probably more to blame for the Raiders' woes this year than even Allen, will keep his job in 2015.)
The name that has almost immediately risen to the top of the discussion is Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, who currently sits in the color analyst's chair on ESPN's Monday Night Football.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora mentioned it in the above video, and other league analysts have weighed in on the topic since the Allen news surfaced.
But the chances of Davis landing Gruden -- who is 95-81 overall in his career, including a 38-26 stint in Oakland from 1998-2001 -- do not seem all that great. Gruden would want all kinds of power -- and all kinds of money -- and even then, La Canfora says, Gruden would need some big assurances that the team has the right kind of plan and commitment in place that would allow it to compete with the NFL's top teams.
Would Jon Gruden have any interest in returning to Oakland? (Getty Images)
Another possibility is Tony Sparano, who was named the team's interim coach Tuesday and had a modicum of success as the Dolphins head coach from 2008-11. But if Davis wants to make a big splash with his next head coach, Sparano likely won't be the choice.
Jim Harbaugh would also be a candidate, though it's hard to tell if he'd have any interest if his tenure with the 49ers ends after this season, and Bleacher Report's Jason Cole mentioned that Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter also could have interest.
Two other names to consider: former Packers and Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and current Stanford head coach David Shaw.
But as La Canfora says, Davis might be focused on something bigger: "Davis now has his eyes on big-time prizes: where he's going to move his franchise, how he'll restructure his organization and what big fish he can get to come in there and some credibility and stability to what's been a lackluster front office for quite some time."
Until then, we feel confident saying this: The Raiders are still light years away from turning around their organization.
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Browns TE Jordan Cameron says he'll play through shoulder issues
Browns beat writer Nate Ulrich reported on his Twitter feed Tuesday that tight end Jordan Cameron admits that his shoulder (AC joint) is something that's probably going to affect him all season, but that the team's Week 4 bye was good for the injury. "I feel good. I feel healthy," Cameron was quoted as saying.Cameron has just three catches for 70 yards and has yet to reach the end zone in 2014.
Cameron is still an elite tight end. If you have him on your team, you probably drafted him as such. Until WR Josh Gordon returns from his suspension, Cameron should be the Browns top-targeted passing threat. Due to the injury, he's about as high-risk/high-reward as a player can get right now.As long as he's active, and unless you were lucky enough to pick up someone like Larry Donnell, you're almost forced to throw him in your lineup on a weekly basis. Regard his as a weekly TE1 with risk.
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