Reports: ST coach Bobby April to return, several other Raiders assistants out

Most of the Raiders' assistants' contracts expire Tuesday so moves must be made to either retain them or not. Reports came out Tuesday which carried some good news for the Raiders retaining good coaches as well as doing some house cleaning. The first report came from John Middlekauf of Bay Area radio station, 95.7 The Game who says special teams coordinator, Bobby April, will return to the team.

My sources say #Raiders Special Teams coach Bobby April will return, done deal.

— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) January 13, 2014

(UDATE: Conflicting reports have surfaced that say April has not re-signed as of yet. But that is not to say he has rejected any offers. The signing could still be imminent. This report was never official.)

This re-signing would be good news for the Raiders as their special teams play was one of the bright spots. Sebastian Janikowski's missed field goals not withstanding, the Raiders improved tremendously in kick and punt coverage under April.

The other reports coming out of some coaches who are said to be on their way out the door. They come from Paul Gutierrez of ESPN who has both of the Raiders defensive backs coaches, Clayton Lopez and Jonnie Lynn, not retained along with assistant special teams coach, Keith Burns.

While Jason Tarver will return as defensive coordinator, the blame for the poor play of the Raiders' defense late in the season is falling on the secondary coaches. It's hard to argue with this logic considering the several records given up fall primarily on the play of the secondary.

So, though the Raiders appear to be keeping much of the staff in place, they are making some positive moves both in who they keep and who they let go.

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