Dennis Allen — what they're saying

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The Raiders have remained silent on the hiring of Dennis Allen as the franchise's 18th head coach. But that hasn't kept everyone else quiet. Here's a collection of comments about the 39-year-old defensive coordinator and soon-to-be NFL head coach:

"I think it will be a good fit for us. "He's a young, energetic guy. Smart guy. Been through a lot with Atlanta, then a lot with New Orleans, over to Denver and that defense. We'll take all the help we can get right now."
-- Raiders punter Shane Lechler, whom Allen hosted on a recruiting trip to Texas A&M, via NFL.com

"I know what type of team hes going to have. Very intense, hard-nosed, tough. Thats the way he is. Thats what I expect his team to be. ... He knew how to get us ready. I give him a lot of credit for the success we had this year. . . . Hes one of the most intense coaches Ive had."
-- Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, via the NFL Network

Theyre getting a guy thats going to come in right away, and hes going to get it done. Thats what he did for us. He came in, he laid out a plan for us, he told us, This is how were going to do it, and this will work, and thats what happened. We improved our defense an incredible amount. . . . I think hell do the same thing with the Oakland Raiders.
-- Broncos linebacker Von Miller, via the NFL Network

"I heard (Raiders GM) Reggie (McKenzie) had been following him for a few years, watching his progression through the coaching ranks. Evidently he's been on somebody's radar."
-- His father and former NFL linebacker Grady Allen, via the Bay Area Newspaper Group

"There wasn't any doubt about what he wanted to do. He was going to coach, and he stepped right into it. It's kind of hard sometimes for guys who just finished playing to make the transition of being a coach and part of the staff. A lot of them think they're still kids. Dennis never had that problem."
-- Allen's college coach, former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum, via the Bay Area Newspaper Group

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