Ex-raider Woodson blasts Gruden
Rod Woodson may have enjoyed some of his greatest success at an advanced age relative to football, but he’s not too keen on how 33-year-old Jordy Nelson will perform for the Raiders nor is he convinced Jon Gruden can get it done after being away from coaching since 2008.
The Hall of Fame defensive back, swept out with the rest of the coaching staff when Gruden replaced Jack Del Rio, was a guest on the FS1 show “Undisputed” and he didn’t hold back regarding his former employer:
“I don’t want to sound like a scorned lover because I was fired by the Raiders. I love Mark Davis, I love the Davis family. But you can’t tell me you got rid of Michael Crabtree, you put Jordy Nelson in there, and Jordy Nelson is better than Michael Crabtree. That’s a lie. And, I love Derek Carr. Derek Carr is not Aaron Rodgers. That’s completely different. You can’t tell me you bring in Doug Martin and they’re a better football team.”
“I understand Gruden, wonderful on his TV gig, did some wonderful things as a coach, but he only won 53 percent of his games. Ten years, $100 million. I hope Mark Davis has an out. My question would be, how many Super Bowls do you have to win for $100 million. You give that deal to Bill Belichick. But to a Jon Gruden? It’s hard for me to understand.”
Note: Gruden has won 54 percent of his games; his record is 95-81.
“He’s making a lot of moves, I understand. But those two moves ... Crabtree was the glue to that offense. He gave them a backbone. He gave them toughness. Jordy Nelson is not going to give them that. Derek Carr is not going to give them that. Now Marshawn Lynch, he could give them that, if he’s there, if he’s playing, I don’t know what’s with that.”
“He never took (the Raiders) to an AFC championship game while he was the coach there. He never took them to a Super Bowl.”
Note: Woodson was reminded by co-host Shannon Sharpe that Gruden took the Raiders to the AFC championship game in 2000. The Raiderst lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
“He goes to the Super Bowl (with Tampa Bay) and he wins with Tony Dungy’s team. My question is how many Super Bowls do you have to win if you’re Mark Davis to justify $100 million.”
“He said he’s going to take them back to 1998? Good luck with that. These guys are millennials. Millennials work, but they only can work so hard. So it’s a little different out there nowadays. Maybe he is that guy. Maybe he will turn it around. Maybe the second time around or the third time around is a charm for him and coming back the second time around with the Raiders.”