ESPN reporter Bill Williamson on the Oakland Raiders 0-4 heading into the bye week and say bye bye to Head Coach Dennis Allen who was just fired late Monday

ESPN Oakland Raiders reporter Bill Williamson broke the story that late monday night, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen has been fired after just 2 seasons. During his tenure, Dennis Allen lead his Raiders team to victory just eight times in a span of 36 games. After just two full seasons with the Oakland Raiders as Head Coach and an abysmal 0-4 record to begin the regular season, the Raiders organization has pulled the plug on Allen making the announcement on Monday. In those two season, the Raiders have unfortunately held the second to worst win percentage in the NFL. The only team with a lower win percentage than Oakland (.222 win percentage) is the Jacksonville Jaguars at .167 percentile.

Mark Davis, son of the famous former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, whom now owns the Raider organization was reported as stating that he was weary from his beloved Raiders team continously losing in lopsided fashion and in big blowout games. A statement that would continue to reoccur as under Dennis Allen's tutelage the Raiders were blownout in 9 games of Allen's 36 and lost by more than twenty points. It appeared the loss on Sunday in Webley Stadium, UK against the Miami Dolphins was the tipping point leading to the firing of Allen, it was loss recorded at 38-14 making it another 20 point plus loss for Oakland. Former legendary owner Al Davis was no stranger to firing and replacing head coaches and as his son Mark Davis fires Allen that makes 7 head coaches fired since they traded Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay in 2001. The seven Raider head coaches axed makes it the longest streak of firing head coaches in the NFL. An ugly statistic added on to an even uglier slew of problems for Oakland.

When you don't win games in the NFL, you simply will not be coaching for long. Even Bill Williamson remarked that Allen's inability to keep the Raiders competitive and relevant was his downfall. This is a process that happens all too often in the NFL. Nevertheless, Mark Davis and the Raiders Organization had sound reasons for the firing. The two seasons before Dennis Allen was made head coach the Raiders were 8-8, not a great record but one that is often good enough to be in the playoff hunt/picture.  Questioning eyes are now on the Oakland Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie who personally picked Dennis Allen with confidence to lead the Raiders back to former glory of the Madden Era/ Al Davis era of smashmouth Raiders football. The 0-4 start this season paired with an NFL high of ten straight losses and an overall 8-28 record is reason enough for any NFL managers to send Allen the boot. The unfortunate truth is that Oakland heavily recycled and tried to improve their roster in the off-season last year and has found themselves in another dreadful season. As Oakland Raiders head into their bye week for the season (which they will definitelty need) they say 'bye bye' to Dennis Allen and look forward (so to speak) to another rebuilding year.

References:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11615699/dennis-allen-fired-head-coach-oakland-raiders

Photography/ Image Courtesy:

Dear Al: Ron Hall