Reggie McKenzie knew it the first time he talked to Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The new Raiders general manager met with Allen on Jan. 18, then immediately placed a call to owner Mark Davis.
"I think I've got my guy," Allen said.
McKenzie interviewed other candidates, but when he interviewed Allen a second time at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., it was mostly to confirm what he already knew. Allen, 39, and never having been a coach at any level, would be McKenzie's choice to lead Oakland back into the playoffs after a nine-year absence.
"He understood the big picture as far as putting a plan together," McKenzie said. "We went over everything.