Over the next few weeks, Raiders.com is publishing a series of Q&As with the Silver and Black's position coaches.

First up is offensive line coach Rick Dennison. He played nine years in the NFL as a linebacker for the Denver Broncos before joining their coaching staff in 1995. In his 30 years of coaching experience, he's been an offensive coordinator for the Broncos, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills. He's also been a part of the coaching staff of four Super Bowl-winning teams, most recently winning in 2025 as the run game coordinator and senior offensive advisor for the Seattle Seahawks.

Read through to learn more about Dennison's transition from playing to coaching and his four decade long relationship with the Kubiak family.

Levi Edwards: "Off the rip, all of the players and other coaches refer to you as 'Rico.' How did you get that nickname?"

Rick Dennison: "My rookie year in the NFL, I was playing for the Broncos and my linebackers coach just started calling me that one day and it stuck. Bob Zeman, former player, he [coached] the Raiders also, but he was my coach in Denver in 1982 and he just started calling me that out of the blue and it stuck ever since."

LE: "You notably played and coached alongside Klint Kubiak's father, Gary, with the Denver Broncos. How did you form a relationship with him?"

RD: "He came in my second year with John [Elway]. I don't know, it just kind of struck a chord, got a friendship going. Our wives liked each other so we started doing a couple of things here and there, but we were teammates for eight years. We always kind of did things together during the season, during the offseason. Then when I left, I started working out on the East Coast and then he started coaching the 49ers with Mike Shanahan as their quarterbacks coach and they won the Super Bowl [in 1994]. Mike took the job at Denver and then Gary called me up saying, 'Looks like we're all going to Denver, you want to come back? This would be a good opportunity if you want to start coaching in the NFL.'"

LE: "What was it like seeing Klint Kubiak grow up and what was he like as a kid?"

RD "Good athlete, fierce competitor. He's still that way. He played really hard, always working his tail off. A lot of effort off the field. His work ethic, you never had to doubt that. I used to babysit the boys all the time because my kids were the same age. He was a good athlete. Our sons played on the same football and baseball team quite a bit, then they played high school ball together."

LE: "You've won three Super Bowls, most recently with the Seattle Seahawks. How did the emotions differ from your first win to this one?"

RD: "That's a great question. The first one was a little different, you've got to remember I've also played in three Super Bowls that we lost. So to win one, obviously playing for Denver and then winning one for Denver, it was kind of like a 'we got over the hump' type thing. From then on, it's not so much winning, it's the relationships you make as you go through the year. All the strides. This last year in Seattle, we won some hard-fought games, but we were really seeking to get better ourselves and I think that's the biggest thing. You're always trying to improve yourself."

LE: "I wasn't going to mention the three Super Bowl losses, but you were a part of some iconic moments as a player like 'The Drive' in the 1986 AFC Championship Game and 'The Fumble' the following year in the same game.

RD: "The Fumble, I was in on that play. I was supposed to be blitzing on the other side, came off my blitz. Earnest [Byner] wore me out all game. I was the nickel linebacker that night and he wore me out up and down. So I was chasing it and then Tony Lilly hit him and then Jeremiah Castille jumped on him. Well I had my hand on the doggone ball and Jeremiah stole it from me."

LE: What's the biggest thing you learned as a player that still holds true as a coach?

RD: "As a player, you always wanted to be coached, right? You want to know that the coach wants the best out of you, not just yelling at you for no reason. And you like to know the why, this is why we're doing it. So I try to explain to them the whole kit and caboodle.

"And looking at the game from the perspective of the player. When I started coaching offensive line, 'How would I see that as a linebacker across from you?' or 'How did I feel? What did I see?' See what their vision is like and compare and contrast. See what picture they see and then make sure you give them the understanding."

LE: What was the biggest factor behind you joining the Raiders?

RD: "Going with Klint, that was pretty much it. And I know Andrew [Janocko]. And I know Spy [John Spytek] and Starky [Brian Stark] from Denver, they were both over there. It's easy to go work with people that you know are good people. You want to improve and help and do all you can, and that's all it was. Klint said, 'You want to come help me with the Raiders?' and I said, 'Sure.' It's that simple."