NFL odds have seen the Oakland Raiders struggle a lot in recent years, particularly on offense. The Raiders are hoping that changes next NFL betting lines season as they have hired Baltimore quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson as their offensive coordinator.
NFL odds had this being the second assistant that the Raiders have hired in the off-season. They also hired defensive line coach Mike Waufle. The Raiders are expected to announce that head coach Tom Cable will return as well and unofficial reports already have that being the case. NFL odds indicated that Cable has worked with Jackson in the past at Cal-State Fullerton in 1990 and at California in 1996.
Jackson is one of the few people in the NFL that seem to want to work for Oakland owner Al Davis. “What a man,” Jackson said. “He’s one of the guys in this profession that you would like to have an opportunity to sit down and talk with, let alone work for. My conversations with him led me there. Hopefully, things will work as planned, and I think we’re capable of doing it.”
Jackson is hoping to turn around JaMarcus Russell and he also has experience with wide receivers so perhaps he can improve a dismal Oakland wide receiver corps. Top pick Darrius Heyward-Bey was another Raider flop last NFL odds season.
Jackson’s main goal will be to develop Russell into a real quarterback. “This guy was the first player drafted. It’s going to be fun to see if we can get him up and playing the way we all wish that he can perform,” Jackson said, “It’s not just about JaMarcus. The quarterback takes on a whole life by itself but it’s the team, the whole offensive unit [that] has to perform well around the quarterback.”
Oakland was 5-11 last season and a horrible offense is one of the reasons they struggled vs. NFL odds. They were second-to-last in the league in scoring with 197 points as NFL betting lines indicated. NFL odds numbers showed that they were second-to-last in yards as well. They were better though vs. NFL betting lines when they finally put Russell on the bench. NFL odds stats show that Russell completed 48.8 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 50.0 passer rating. NFL betting lines had that as the lowest in the league since 1998.