Oakland Raiders Get Tony Sparano After Dennis Allen Boot Out

The Oakland Raiders picked offensive line coach Tony Sparano to replace Dennis Allen who was just recently fired by the team's general manager Reggie McKenzie.

McKenzie, according to Fox Sports, saw the need to bring his competitive players to the playoffs so he hired a reliable coach to replace Allen. But it was reported that his being chosen as coach is only on an interim basis as McKenzie hoped that he would make a difference and step up the performance of the team who lost 10 straight games in the previous season.

"Yes, I do believe what we put together this offseason was a roster that could win. I'm not going to get into all the particulars of why it didn't work for Dennis. But the bottom line is it didn't work. For whatever reason, not only the 0-4 start but our play did not represent what we were capable of. That's the bottom line," he told Fox Sports.

With his recent appointment, Sparano is the eighth coach in the past 12 seasons of the team which has not won since 2002. His record, Fox Sports added, is 29-32 when he worked as the head coach of Miami from 2008 to 2011.

"Tony Sparano has a strong presence in this organization. His experience and leadership qualities will serve the team well in helping reach the goal of everyone here, which is to win football games,'' McKenzie was quoted by USA Today as saying.

The new coach is expected to meet with his players and discuss the changes the team needs to improve their game. Asked what's the best plan for the team is, Sparano told Fox Sports that it will always be making sure that the players do the things they do best.

"We need to make sure we're asking our football players here as coaches to do the things that they do best. We have some good football players here, a lot of them. They do a lot of good things. We need to let them do what they do best," he explained.

In an article by CBS Sports, Sparano said that his being chosen as a coach is a "bittersweet moment" for him noting that Allen is a great friend.

"It's an unfortunate part of our business but that's the situation we're in right now. I'm excited, moving forward. Busy, but excited. A lot busier today than I was last week at this time. Very excited about where where we're going. Luckily, we have a bye week to get some things accomplished and to take a long look at our football team," he added.

Aside from the new addition to the team, sports analysts and fans are also hoping that the roster will be revamped to truly achieve better scores for the team.