National Football League

Jackson keeping Raiders on course

Published Nov. 23, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

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Reid Forgrave

Let’s recap one of the wildest seasons for a rookie NFL head coach in a long, long time:

In Week 1, Hue Jackson, in his first game since he got his dream job as the Oakland Raiders head coach, eked out a victory in Denver as Jason Campbell barely surpassed 100 yards passing. In Week 3, running back Darren McFadden romped for 171 yards as the Raiders put away the favored New York Jets.

Then, before Week 5, Al Davis — the Raiders iron-fisted owner and general manager, the face of the franchise for half a century, the man who gave Jackson his big chance — died of heart failure at the age of 82. Jackson’s team paid tribute in the only way Davis would have wanted, with an emotional victory over the Houston Texans.

Then came Week 6, when Campbell broke his collarbone and looked to be lost for the season. So Jackson, taking Davis’ mantle in personnel moves, went all-in on Carson Palmer, sending two top draft picks to the Cincinnati Bengals. Criticism rained down, especially after Palmer’s first-game flop against the Kansas City Chiefs. Worse yet, McFadden sprained his foot in that game and hasn’t played since.

These ingredients should not add up to a successful first season as an NFL head coach. And yet here Hue Jackson sits, mighty pretty with his Raiders improbably atop the AFC West with a 6-4 record going into this weekend’s home game against the 7-3 Chicago Bears (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX).

Admittedly, this is premature to say. But if things keep going in this direction, the 46-year-old Jackson could soon find himself in a situation unthinkable only a couple months ago: As the new king of Raider Nation. As the man who ably filled the power void when the icon passed away. And as the man who took Davis’ longtime mantra — “Just win, baby!” — and made it real for the first time in a decade.

“It’s a lot to throw at a guy right off the bat, and he’s done a pretty commendable job,” said Jim Plunkett, who quarterbacked the Raiders to two Super Bowl wins in the 1980s. “He’s been thrust into a situation he didn’t expect to be thrust into, having to make personnel decisions now. Now, the ball is in their court. When they play well they’re as good as anyone in this league.”

Now, it’s no longer a pipe dream to suggest these Raiders could run away with this division. They have a couple middling teams remaining on their road schedule — the Miami Dolphins and the Chiefs — as well as three very winnable home games: the Jay Cutler-less Bears, the suddenly struggling Detroit Lions, the enigmatic San Diego Chargers. Right now, the only remaining game where picking the Raiders seems far-fetched is versus the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau. There’s space for mistakes; this division could well be won with a 9-7 record.

Win the division and Hue Jackson will be canonized in Raider Nation. Heck, a 3-3 finish and Jackson will still bring the franchise its first winning season since the Raiders went 11-5 and made the Super Bowl in 2002. This is one of the most recognizable franchises in sports, yet the final decade of Davis’ tenure was forgettable, borderline embarrassing. They went 37-91 from 2003 through 2010, with five coaches in six seasons.

With Jackson, the Raiders may have their new rock.

“It’s been a state of flux for the Raiders, and Hue brought some continuity when he moved from offensive coordinator to coach,” said James Lofton, the former All-Pro wide receiver who was a candidate for the Raiders head coaching job a few years ago. “On that team, no team leader is in place as a player ... Hue has done a phenomenal job. You see it in real subtle terms. When players are leaving the field, who they talk to, Hue is always there.”

That’s the M.O. on Hue: that he’s a players’ coach, positive and likable and encouraging. He’s known for running crisp, business-like practices, which he hopes will rub off on the historically penalty-prone Raiders — who, despite their success, are the most-penalized team in the league headed into Week 12. On the sidelines Jackson is a creative and aggressive offensive mind. He’s opening up the Raiders’ hard-nosed offense with more downfield shots. He’s taking chances with fake punts and fake field goals.

That aggressiveness was mirrored by the one personnel move that will define his time in Oakland. After Campbell broke his collarbone, Jackson went to what he knew. Jackson had been the Bengals’ wide receivers coach early in Palmer’s career. Yes, he gave up a lot, more than he should have and probably more than Davis, who coveted his draft picks, would have. And he knew the move could backfire. But Jackson took an injury that could have sunk this team and turned it into a net positive, improving their quarterback position on the fly and giving them an opportunity to win this year.

“It was, ‘Oh, you think you're Al Davis,’” Jackson told Bay Area reporters this week. “I knew all that was coming. So I had to saddle myself up ... and listen to my inner self and what I truly believed.”

And since Palmer’s disastrous Raiders’ debut — three interceptions in one half — things have started clicking, with the improving Palmer throwing to spots and anticipating cuts, and Jackson’s looked like a genius. Palmer has finished each of the past two games with a passer rating over 100, both Raiders wins.

There’s plenty of credit to be passed around: Michael Bush filling in admirably in the NFL’s third-ranked rushing attack. Rookie offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski learning to play guard after playing center at Penn State. But Jackson’s aggressive moves top the list.

This could be a silly argument a month from now. The Raiders could implode. But the way things are going — the offense clicking and McFadden due back soon — that’s doubtful.

“The old adage has always been real football starts on Thanksgiving, but this year it’s really magnified” with the lockout, said Matt Millen, the former Raiders linebacker and later president of the Lions. “You’re just now starting to see who your teams are. This is probably the latest teams have defined themselves. When I look at the Raiders, I still see them developing into what they’re going to be.”

And right now, it looks like Jackson’s first Raiders squad is going to be this: A playoff team.

You can follow Reid Forgrave on Twitter @reidforgrave or email him at reidforgrave@gmail.com.

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