Raiders Will Be a Challenge for Adolph : New Defensive Coach Will Find Things Different From Cleveland

Dave Adolph’s dog days are over.

Or are they?

Adolph, defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns the last 3 seasons, was hired by the Raiders Friday to perform the same function.

Officially, the 51-year-old Adolph will coach the linebackers along with Sam Gruneisen and “organize the defense.” The Raiders don’t use the term defensive coordinator, but Adolph will be calling the defensive signals.

He thus jumps from a team with the third-best defense in the league and those wild fans in the Dog Pound to one of the worst defenses in Raider history and those wild rumors of a team split by a power struggle.

The Raiders finished the 1988 season at 7-9 with their defense in a shambles. The team surrendered 369 points, its highest total since 1962 in the old free-wheeling days of the American Football League. With a shot at the playoffs remaining on the final Sunday of the season, the Raiders gave up 43 points and 490 yards in total offense in losing to the Seattle Seahawks.

And then the real blood bath began.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Sumner: Fired.

Defensive backfield coach Willie Brown, an Al Davis favorite: Fired.

Receiver coach Nick Nicolau, a Mike Shanahan guy: Fired.

Defensive line coach Earl Leggett: Resigned.

Defensive backfield coach Jimmy Warren: Reportedly cleaned out his desk, went home to Louisiana and was said to have been fired by one of the news services, but remains employed according to the Raiders.

Warren’s status is relatively stable, however, compared to the off-again, on-again position of assistants Tom Walsh and Joe Scannella, pawns in an apparent struggle between Davis, the managing general partner, and Shanahan, the head coach. Shanahan reportedly fired Walsh and Scannella at season’s end only to have Davis turn around and reinstate them.

Into this steps Adolph who brings with him 27 years of coaching experience. Some skill as a mediator probably wouldn’t hurt either.

Adolph was a defensive assistant in his first tour of duty with Cleveland, 1979-84, went to the San Diego Chargers for a year, then returned to Cleveland.

A guard-linebacker at the University of Akron, in his hometown, Adolph began his coaching career in Cleveland at the high school level in 1962. After a year, he moved into the collegiate ranks, spending time at Akron, Connecticut, Kentucky, Illinois and at Ohio State under Woody Hayes.

“The addition of Dave Adolph to our staff couldn’t please me more,” Shanahan said. “Dave is an extremely knowledgeable coach who has the reputation of being an excellent teacher as well as a motivator.”