New Raiders coach John Pagano an asset, not a spy

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The first time Derek Carr saw him this offseason, the Raiders quarterback was as perplexed as he was suspcious.

What is he doing here?

Former Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano strolled around the Raiders’ compound, dressed in black attire. The wardrobe choice was a departure — and an upgrade, Carr would argue — from the shades of blue Pagano typically wore when they crossed paths twice a year as AFC West rivals.

“I was like, ‘There’s no way he’s in our building. There’s no way that’s him,’ ” Carr said. “And I looked again and he said, ‘Derek?’ I said, ‘Coach?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ He was wearing a black sweater, and I was like, ‘OK, you got the right colors on, I see. … Are you spying on us?’ ”

Pagano was not a spy.

He was their newest asset.

Carr has faced a Pagano-led defense six times in his NFL career. That’s six turns of game planning, six weeks of practice implementation and six games of live-action play-calling with the purpose of shutting down the Raiders. Now on their staff, Pagano is a resource whose background not only stands to benefit the defense but may prove a catalyst in Carr’s development.

The aforementioned exchange was their first as colleagues.

It was not their last.

Jack Del Rio hired Pagano in January as his assistant head coach on defense. That duty is his focus, but Pagano has worked to assist the organization however he can, contributing in other areas as desired. That includes providing Carr the perspective of a once-opposing coordinator.

“His whole job was to watch me on film and think, ‘How do I stop him? How do I defeat him? How do I embarrass him?’ ” Carr said. “Now to go to him and say, ‘What do you have on me? What are your notes? Let me work on those things,’ is something that not a lot of people get. …

“I want everything to do with that because he can tell me everything. ‘I didn’t think he did this well or this, so we tried to do this and scheme it this way.’ It just helps our offensive staff, too. Like, ‘Hey, what did you see with our personnel and this and this formation?’ I mean it goes on and on.”

Said Del Rio: “I think everything adds up. When I coached in Denver (from 2012 to 2014) and joined up with Peyton Manning, there were some exchanges there about things that he saw that we did, maybe some things that we weren’t doing anymore. There’s always that exchange of information that can benefit both sides.”

Pagano spent five seasons as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator.

Some of his better coaching jobs came when he was shortest on players. In 2015, the Chargers faced the Raiders in Oakland on Christmas Eve. Three of Pagano’s eight defensive backs were unable to play in the second half due to injury. A fourth, cornerback Patrick Robinson, played through a first-half calf injury but was forced off the field in overtime.

Down to four defensive backs, Pagano played wide receiver Dontrelle Inman at emergency safety. And he was the backup emergency safety; wide receiver Javontee Herndon was in the locker room, being evaluated for a bruised sternum.

The Chargers allowed only 281 total yards and 14 first downs in the 23-20 loss.

That game is part of a resume that prompted the Raiders to pursue Pagano after the Chargers elected not to retain him this offseason. The 50-year-old was the longest-tenured member of the coaching staff, having spent 15 years there.

Carr is no longer suspicious of Pagano’s presence in the building.

”I love it,” he said. “It’s a really good thing for our team because when you play his defense, you know one thing that they’re going to be sound. He’s going to have a great package, pressure package, especially on third down. He’s going to have a great coverage scheme and rush lanes for how you scramble.”

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.