Sportsrageous

Dennis Allen signed a four-year deal on Thursday to coach the Oakland Raiders.

Allen replaces fired head coach Hue Jackson. He is now the team’s seventh head coach since 2003. The team itself has been without a winning record for the past nine seasons.

The Raiders also set an NFL record last season with 163 penalties for 1,358 yards.

Allen, 39, previously helped the Denver Broncos improve their ranking in terms of yards and points during his time as the team’s defensive coordinator. He comes to the Raiders with a reputation of being intense.

“There wasn’t any doubt about what he wanted to do,” Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum said of Allen. “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.”

The Broncos are currently looking for a new defensive coordinator to replace Allen.

“He’s trying to put together his staff, and the first goal is to hire his offensive and defensive coordinators,” said Grady Allen, Dennis’ father, Grady, who is also a former NFL player with the Atlanta Falcons. “It’s been so hectic he hasn’t had time to talk.”