NIPS
10-12-2009, 01:02 PM
Known for his intense work ethic and aptitude in breaking down opponents’ tendencies, Hanson was a highly regarded offensive assistant during a three-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings from 2003 to 2005.
“Randy Hanson’s a great coach,” said former Vikings center Matt Birk(notes), a perennial Pro Bowl selection now with the Baltimore Ravens. “He would break down opposing defenses for us, and he was outstanding. He’s an extremely hard worker. That used to be the joke – he never stopped. He’d sleep in the office and watch every bit of tape he could find.”
Added former Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson(notes): “I really enjoyed being around him. He brought a lot of flavor to the room and to the field, and I thought he had a lot of insights into game plans.”
Rams-coach Scott Linehan was aware of his devotion to the Raiders. In Oakland, he worked as an assistant secondary coach in charge of third-down defenses and impressed his fellow coaches with his knowledge of opposing offenses and his ability to convey his insights to the players.
“He knows what the opposing team’s gonna do before they know what they’re gonna do,” said one former Raiders assistant who worked closely with Hanson. “That’s how much tape he watches. And he’s a damn good football coach, too.”
the coach apparently wowed the owner with his grasp of football and with his knowledge of Raiders history.
We met for more than two-and-a-half hours,” Hanson recalled. “At the start of the meeting, he said, ‘I know you’re a hard worker and you love the Raiders, but I don’t know what you do that helps this football team. I do not know if you can coach or not.’ By the end he had given me a raise and told me he wanted me to stay on as ‘assistant coach-defense.’ My role would be to teach the new defensive coaches what we did on defense last year so they’ll know some of the things I like. He also said he wanted to groom me on the personnel side. He said he wanted me to play an important role in the future of the organization.”
Shortly before training camp, Davis grilled Marshall, the team’s new defensive coordinator, during a meeting. As Marshall struggled to answer a question from the owner, Hanson assisted the veteran coach by giving hand signals from the back of the room. Cable, Hanson said, seemed to have been angered by his actions.
"We had changed the blitz package two or three times over a short period, and everybody was really confused and frustrated,” Hanson said. “We ended up changing it a fourth time – back to the way it was in OTAs (organized team activities) – and one of the players said in a meeting, ‘This is confusing.’ I said, ‘You guys are [f——-] right – we’re all confused, and that includes the coaches. We’ve got to get on the same page. Don’t worry. We’ll get it right.’ ”
Yet despite his frustration, Hanson has remained loyal to the organization. Late last month McGuinn, his attorney, told NFL.com that several Raiders players had solicited Hanson’s input about upcoming opponents, with one even giving him a team laptop that used to belong to Brown. “Al Davis doesn’t know [Hanson has] been providing detailed coaching for these guys, and Randy has not gotten any credit for it,” McGuinn told the league’s website.
A source said one Raiders assistant has also reached out to Hanson in recent weeks. Hanson declined to comment about any help he might have provided to players or others in the organization since he was barred from visiting the team’s facility.
“Randy Hanson’s a great coach,” said former Vikings center Matt Birk(notes), a perennial Pro Bowl selection now with the Baltimore Ravens. “He would break down opposing defenses for us, and he was outstanding. He’s an extremely hard worker. That used to be the joke – he never stopped. He’d sleep in the office and watch every bit of tape he could find.”
Added former Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson(notes): “I really enjoyed being around him. He brought a lot of flavor to the room and to the field, and I thought he had a lot of insights into game plans.”
Rams-coach Scott Linehan was aware of his devotion to the Raiders. In Oakland, he worked as an assistant secondary coach in charge of third-down defenses and impressed his fellow coaches with his knowledge of opposing offenses and his ability to convey his insights to the players.
“He knows what the opposing team’s gonna do before they know what they’re gonna do,” said one former Raiders assistant who worked closely with Hanson. “That’s how much tape he watches. And he’s a damn good football coach, too.”
the coach apparently wowed the owner with his grasp of football and with his knowledge of Raiders history.
We met for more than two-and-a-half hours,” Hanson recalled. “At the start of the meeting, he said, ‘I know you’re a hard worker and you love the Raiders, but I don’t know what you do that helps this football team. I do not know if you can coach or not.’ By the end he had given me a raise and told me he wanted me to stay on as ‘assistant coach-defense.’ My role would be to teach the new defensive coaches what we did on defense last year so they’ll know some of the things I like. He also said he wanted to groom me on the personnel side. He said he wanted me to play an important role in the future of the organization.”
Shortly before training camp, Davis grilled Marshall, the team’s new defensive coordinator, during a meeting. As Marshall struggled to answer a question from the owner, Hanson assisted the veteran coach by giving hand signals from the back of the room. Cable, Hanson said, seemed to have been angered by his actions.
"We had changed the blitz package two or three times over a short period, and everybody was really confused and frustrated,” Hanson said. “We ended up changing it a fourth time – back to the way it was in OTAs (organized team activities) – and one of the players said in a meeting, ‘This is confusing.’ I said, ‘You guys are [f——-] right – we’re all confused, and that includes the coaches. We’ve got to get on the same page. Don’t worry. We’ll get it right.’ ”
Yet despite his frustration, Hanson has remained loyal to the organization. Late last month McGuinn, his attorney, told NFL.com that several Raiders players had solicited Hanson’s input about upcoming opponents, with one even giving him a team laptop that used to belong to Brown. “Al Davis doesn’t know [Hanson has] been providing detailed coaching for these guys, and Randy has not gotten any credit for it,” McGuinn told the league’s website.
A source said one Raiders assistant has also reached out to Hanson in recent weeks. Hanson declined to comment about any help he might have provided to players or others in the organization since he was barred from visiting the team’s facility.