In a year that pool of available coaches and coordinators is thin at best, Coach Allen has had his search further complicated, due to being denied access to the candidates he would like to interview .

Like it or not the offensive staff is starting to take shape with the hires of OC Greg Knapp , OL coach Frank Pollack , and the retention of Kelly Skipper . Things are not going so smoothly as Coach Allen turns his focus to defense and special teams .

Coach Allen's first choice for defensive coordinator most likely would have been Richard Smith , who coached his linebackers in Denver . That option was taken off the table when Denver denied Oakland permission to speak with him. Dallas has also denied permission to speak to Joe DeCamillis , Coach Allens choice for assistant head coach , and Oakland is currently waiting to see if Green Bay will grant them permission to speak to cornerbacks coach Joe Witt , for the defensive coordinator job.

While the list of candidates interviewing with the Oakland Raiders seems underwhelming at best , keep in mind , the pool of candidates is thin this year , the unemployed candidates are unemployed for a reason , and the teams around the league seem less than enthusiastic about granting Oakland permission to speak to coaches they would like.