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Mike McCoy's experience a valuable asset as Raiders map out QB plan

Few, if any, NFL franchises celebrate their alumni like the Raiders.

And few, if any, Raiders are more revered than the late, great godfather of the bump-and-run Willie Brown.

So yeah, Mike McCoy, the Raiders' first-year assistant head coach, may have felt dipped in both irony and nostalgia (not necessarily in that order) when he slipped on his first piece of Silver and Black swag this spring.

McCoy, a former head coach of the Chargers and an offensive coordinator for the Broncos, played quarterback for Brown when he coached at Long Beach State and now, here was McCoy sporting the same iconic colors "Old Man" Willie rocked until the day he passed in 2019.

"When coach took over it was great, because I think he still thought, even at that age [of 50] in 1991, that he could go out and play," McCoy said of Brown at Long Beach State, which canceled its football program after that season.

"And there was plenty of time - I remember certain DBs, there would be certain breakdowns - and he'd stop the period and he'd go out there and he'd line up and he thought he was No. 24 out there playing in press [coverage]."

The fog of time was lifting for McCoy.

"But just, what a great guy, unbelievable human being and he always taught you love at the draft every year [when] he talked about Mother's Day," McCoy added. "A special human being and he always talked about what it meant to be a Raider - Once a Raider, Always a Raider - and there's such great tradition and history here.

"But it was an honor and privilege just to know him, and it's even better to play for him."

With a job title with Brown's old team as impressive as its description is nebulous, McCoy is taking things day by day. He is serving as more than a grizzled sounding board for Klint Kubiak, a head coach for the first time at any level.

McCoy, 54, and 15 years Kubiak's senior, began his NFL coaching career in 2000, with stops in Carolina, Denver, San Diego, Denver again, Arizona, Jacksonville and Tennessee. He was the Titans' interim head coach for their final 11 games last year, with a rookie quarterback in No. 1 draft pick (sound familiar?) Cam Ward.

So yeah, McCoy has seen some stuff. Enough stuff that quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is entering his 15th NFL season, still likes to bend McCoy's ear.

"Having been a head coach, having been with Peyton [Manning] and Philip [Rivers], I'm going to ask him questions about that, what he's learned, what he knows, I'll ask him about situations," Cousins said of McCoy. "He isn't in the quarterback room too often, but he's kind of near us during practice. He kind of does a good job facilitating a lot of things at practice. So, I love to pick his brain, too.

"I just want to ask, 'What were their habits? What worked well for them? Why were they successful? When they weren't successful, why was that?'"

Cousins came to the Raiders in free agency and the Raiders used the No. 1 overall pick on Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who is being brought along deliberately though a rookie minicamp, 10 OTA practices and mandatory minicamp.

McCoy has seen this movie before, lived it all before, and not just last season with Ward and the Titans.

As the Broncos OC in 2010, he helped break in Tim Tebow. As the Jaguars OC in 2022, he worked with Trevor Lawrence in his second season.

"It takes time," McCoy said, "and everybody's different.

"But if you watch all three of those guys, you can see the growth over time. And there is … frustration at times that they don't make a play, and they've always been - it's been easy for them, and they hit a little bit of a wall at times. You say, 'Just keep going, you're going to learn. You've got a very, very bright future.' But it's hard … and you're always learning."

Remember, Kubiak said at the league meetings in late March that in a perfect world, a rookie quarterback does not play right away, that he's better off learning at the knee of an "adult," an established vet.

And he said all that before the Raiders signed Cousins and drafted Mendoza.

So what's the tell-tale sign that a rookie is ready?

"I think it's a gut decision at certain times with certain players, and every player and every team is different," McCoy said. "What is the situation of the organization?

What is your plan going in?

"We have a plan. We have a detailed plan on how we're going to do this thing, and it all plays itself out over time."

Fair enough. Still…

Kubiak is the head coach, obviously, and the offensive system is his. Andrew Janocko is the offensive coordinator who will help with gameplanning and Mike Sullivan is the quarterbacks coach.

So how, exactly, would McCoy describe his more-than-intriguing role? Keep in mind, McCoy, as a first-time head coach, like Kubiak, had an older, former head coach by his side, like Kubiak.

"I was very fortunate in San Diego in 2013 to have Ken Whisenhunt on my staff, and so it was great to have a guy that's been in your role," McCoy said. "Klint and I have talked a number of times. There's so many things that come across your desk, and sometimes you go, 'I've got to do that?' or 'I've got to answer that question?' I mean, 'Yeah, you're the head coach, and you better answer all those things.'

"So, I love helping him every day. It's always something different, but I'm here for him and help him lead and get the team prepared week in and week out, regardless what the situation is."

Especially for his venerated college coach's cherished organization.

Get an inside look at the Silver and Black's first day of mandatory minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.

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