Gruden inspires the newest Raiders
As the Raiders cycled six free-agent signees through conference calls with reporters Thursday, a recurring theme emerged:
Several players made reference to head coach Jon Gruden and his energetic personality — not just in passing, but as a factor in their decision to sign with Oakland.
“For me, what really attracted me was Jon Gruden,”
said linebacker Tahir Whitehead, formerly of the Lions. “Great guy in the league. Grew up watching some of the teams he’s coached. That right there in itself was enough for me to be motivated to come out here.
“When I got here, first visit and only visit, I felt good about the coaching staff, I felt good about the energy in the building.”
Running back Doug Martin, who previously played for the Buccaneers, said he met with Gruden recently in Tampa before deciding to sign a oneyear deal with the Raiders.
“Gruden was telling me basically what he expects from me for this upcoming year,” Martin said. “From him talk-
ing, he has that type of effect on people that, he got me very excited. He got me very excited to come here.”
When the Raiders announced Gruden’s hiring in January, some questioned how Gruden, 54 and a decade removed from his last coaching job, would relate to or reach players in today’s NFL. He had spent most of the interim in the broadcast booth, interacting with players mostly in meeting settings or through his “QB Camp” TV show on ESPN.
Thursday’s interviews indicated that Gruden still is capable of tapping into the excitability of his players — a hallmark of his first coaching stint, a reason the Raiders lured him back for a second one and something that figures to be beneficial in practices and games, assuming it still holds.
New Raiders fullback Keith Smith, who played last season with Dallas, said Gruden “challenged” him by presenting the possibility of a larger role in Oakland’s offense, even as teams across the league are seeming to phase out the fullback position.
“You have a conversation with Coach Gruden and you are going to feel like you’re ready to be out there on the field right then and there,” Smith said.
“He was just telling me that he’s got big plans for me and he’s going to put a lot on my back. I feel like that’s what I’m here for.”
Exactly how Gruden plans to incorporate his fullback remains to be seen. Smith said that he believes the addition of himself and Martin — to a backfield that already included bullish runner Marshawn Lynch and fullback Jamize Olawale — indicates part of Gruden’s scheme next season.
“I feel like we are going to run the rock,” Smith said. “Jon Gruden is old school. So he’s going to try to play that smashmouth football.”
Of course, Gruden has said that the system he and offensive coordinator Greg Olson will put into place will attempt to “unlock the greatness” in quarterback Derek Carr. Gruden also said during the recent NFL combine that receiver Amari Cooper will be a “focal point” of the Raiders’ offense next season.
Gruden might retain the ability to motivate, but he hasn’t yet been able to get into the coaching part of his job (he remains precluded from football-related contact with players under the CBA until April), and he still faces the task with Olson of installing his offense with players who, by Carr and others’ admission, slipped at times last season in the execution of details.
Receiver Jordy Nelson, the Raiders’ highest-profile acquisition in free agency, who played in an offense in Green Bay that frequently ranked in the top 10 in the league, said he believes Gruden will find ways to effectively implement his ideas.
“I think he’s a guy who has a creative mind,” Nelson said. “I think he’s going to stay true to who he is, but also is willing to learn and adjust to what he has and play to the skill level that each of his players have.
“I think everyone knows the intensity that he’s going to bring, he’ll bring day in and day out. That energy, I think, will feed down to the other coaches and into the players and will also allow us to match that in practice and obviously on game days. I look forward to him.”
The effect of Gruden’s return on the Raiders, visible at his showy introductory news conference in January, was to quickly dispel the disappointment of last season’s 6-10 finish. That optimism seemingly has lingered. On Thursday, new safety Marcus Gilchrist was asked if he noticed a “vibe” during his visit to the Raiders’ facility before signing his contract.
“You could just feel the energy in the building in what everyone feels like is ahead,” Gilchrist said. “Obviously, you know offensively the weapons that are here. You always start with the quarterback, and there’s a great quarterback here. With that in mind, you have the pass rush here and a bunch of young players that have a bunch of upside.
“It’s exciting to be around and see, and to be here firsthand.”