‘Awesome’ return for Gruden as Raiders beat the Lions
COACH WELCOMED BACK WARMLY TO COLISEUM FOR HIS FIRST GAME
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Jon Gruden jawed at the officials, worked closely with the quarterbacks and was once again adored by the Oakland Raiders fans.
It was as if he had never left the Coliseum.
Jon Gruden was a winner in his return to the sideline for Oakland when the Raiders got a touchdown pass from Connor Cook in a 16-10 victory over the Detroit Lions on Friday night.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I saw some recognisable faces that had gotten a little bit older. I saw some old friends who mean a lot to me. Like I said all along, this is a great responsibility. The nostalgia has worn off. We have to do something with the opportunity. But it was sure great fans.”
Gruden was welcomed back warmly to the Coliseum for his first game here as Raiders coach since beating the Jets in a playoff game Jan. 12, 2001. Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay after that season and has spent the past nine years as an ESPN analyst.
Raiders owner Mark Davis lured Gruden back to the sideline with a 10-year contract worth a reported $100 million following a disappointing sixwin season under Jack Del Rio.
The Gruden era appeared to get off to a rousing start when Marshawn Lynch ran 60 yards for a TD on the third snap, but the score was called back on a holding penalty by rookie tackle Kolton Miller.
“I was really ticked off after to see the Raiders watching that get called back,” Gruden said. “Chucky came out for a brief moment tonight.”
Oakland settled for a punt on the only drive with starting quarterback Derek Carr, but scored three times in five drives with Cook at the helm. Cook threw a 7-yard TD pass to Ryan Switzer in the second quarter and led Oakland to a pair of field goals by rookie Eddy Pineiro. Cook finished 11 for 19 for 141 yards.
Good work
The Lions also welcomed a new coach in Matt Patricia, who opted to rest star quarterback Matthew Stafford, who got enough work in two days of joint practices against Oakland.
“We got a lot of good work in this week,” Patricia said. “He took a lot of reps and he saw a lot of different looks. That was the goal, to come out here and be able to get some of those different team tempo plays and have it scripted and a little controlled. Just thought it was a good opportunity tonight to have the other guys go out and compete.”
Matt Cassel got the start and went 10 for 18 for 81 yards, leading Detroit to one score on three drives, with Ameer Abdullah capping it with a 1-yard TD run. Jake Rudock finished 12 for 19 for 84 yards.
Lynch once again sat during the national anthem. Lynch also sat for the anthem all of last season but never gave a reason for his decision. No other players on either team demonstrated during the anthem, with the Lions all standing together with locked arms.