Don’t cross Chucky

NFL fans have a pretty good idea about how intense new Oakland Raiders Coach Jon Gruden can be. Former NFL great Jerry Rice, who played four years with the Raiders, wants to make sure that the players on his current team fully understand what they’re getting into.

As Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group reported, Rice didn’t shy away from the fact that the infamous “Chucky” is going to come out, while also citing that the players are either going to buy in or not be a part of it.

“I hope these players are ready, because they’re going to get Chucky,” he said. “They’re going to get him, and how they deal with that could tell the whole story. But Chucky’s going to come out. And either you buy in or you’re not going to be part of it.”

Rice wasn’t the only one either, as former Raiders great Charles Woodson echoed a similar sentiment about buying in or seeing yourself out the door, per Steward.

“If you don’t respond, you’ve gotta go,” he said. “That’s going to be the bottom line. I don’t think Gruden’s going to come in here favoring or babying anybody. He’s going to try to hit the ground running, and if you’re not ready to jump on that train, there’ll be another team for you or something else to do. it’s got to be all in or nothing.”

Based on these comments, Raiders players should likely come in ready to work or expect to be on the way out more than likely.

There’s zero reason to believe that Gruden has changed his coaching style during his time away from the sidelines, so it likely means the same scowl and outspoken coach from the past will still be present.