The Experience of Linebackers Coach Richard Smith
The Las Vegas Raiders have a solid mixture of youth and experience, both on the roster and on the coaching staff.
Richard Smith, the Raiders’ new linebackers coach has coached in the NFL for 33 years. The 65-year-old started his journey with the Houston Oilers in 1988.
Smith's first stint as a defensive coordinator came in 2005 with the Miami Dolphins. Smith then continued as a DC with Houston Texans from 2006 to 2008.
The veteran coach’s first glimpse of progressive strides came in his years as the linebackers coach for the Carolina Panthers from 2009 to 2010. The team had one of the top defenses in the NFL, despite not having a winning record in either of the two seasons.
The winning for Smith did come in the following years, though, when he served as the linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos from 2011 to 2014. In those years, Smith was part of four straight playoff appearances.
During the 2013-14 season, he helped coach the team to Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks.
Smith would make it to the Super Bowl again in 2016 as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.
Finally, the coach’s latest stop before coming to the Raiders was with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he was the linebackers coach from 2017 to 2020. He worked alongside defensive coordinator DC Gus Bradley while with the Chargers, and now the tandem will be continuing where they left off as they serve the same roles in Las Vegas.
Smith’s many years of professional coaching experience should prove to have a positive impact on Bradley’s defense this season.
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