ALAMEDA -- The second leg of Raiders rookie coach Dennis Allen's three-part NFL coaching homecoming tour gets under way this weekend in Atlanta.It was with the Falcons that Allen's NFL coaching career began. From 2002 through 2005, Allen was a defensive assistantquality control coach in Atlanta. His first two seasons, Allen worked primarily with the defensive backs before switching to the defensive line his last two years."It was good," Allen said Wednesday. "I had a chance to work with Dan Reeves my first few years there and then Jim Mora came in, and I had an opportunity to work with him there. So, Ive got fond memories of my time there in Atlanta. And I understand what that organization is about and I understand what that team is about. Theyve got the right formula to win it."In Atlanta, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith, who have worked together there since 2008, are seen as a blueprint, of sorts, to how the GM-head coach relationship can thrive.Might Allen and Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie find a similar harmony?"They, obviously, work together very well," Allen said. "They've got the right formula for winning football games. They understand how to win football games and they understand their personnel and what theyre looking for."So, yeah, in that mode, thats a team that we, in some respects, try to emulate."Two weeks ago, Allen faced Denver, where he was the Broncos defensive coordinator last year, and on Nov. 18, Allen will face New Orleans, which was the second stop on Allen's NFL coaching career.
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