Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson, who was scheduled to interview Tuesday in Chicago for the Bears' offensive coordinator job, will accept an offer to serve in that capacity for the Oakland Raiders.
ESPN 1000, Chicago
Former Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson joined "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 to discuss becoming the Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator and bypassing an interview with the Bears for the same position.
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Jackson interviewed with Raiders owner Al Davis last week and has had a desire to become an NFL offensive coordinator. The situation was too good to pass up, Jackson said.
"It's very unfortunate that this morning that feeling came over me that the right situation for me was to go to Oakland," Jackson, a California native, said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "[Oakland] is a place I was very comfortable, I knew the people, knew the ins and outs, knew what to expect. I just felt comfortable and I got to a point where I just didn't really want to wait any longer, and I didn't want to lead anyone on."
His biggest project is expected to be working with Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who has been a disappointment since Oakland selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2007.
Russell again struggled this season and was benched by coach Tom Cable for four of Oakland's final seven games.
"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 on ESPN 1000. "It's not just about JaMarcus. The quarterback takes on a whole life by itself but it's the team, the whole offensive unit has to perform well around the quarterback."
Jackson's career move now leaves the Ravens with an opening. Baltimore will have two primary options in hiring a quarterbacks coach, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The first would be to promote offensive consultant Al Saunders, who has fared well in working with quarterbacks, and the other is to hire former Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn.
At the very least, the Ravens will interview Zorn for the position before making their decision about which coach would be best to work closely with quarterback Joe Flacco.
