Speaking the same language
Gruden, Carr may not use same words, but they are on same page
ALAMEDA >> The speculation was persistent in the days after Jon Gruden was named Raiders head coach.
How would quarterback Derek Carr respond the first time Gruden made a point in coarse, unfiltered language delivered with the intensity of a thousand suns?
So far, so good.
“I think we both found it pretty amusing,” Carr said Tuesday as the Raiders began a second week of non-contact practice sessions. “If they were to sit down in a room and hear us talk and get after it, they would see we’re eerily similar.
“Obviously just because they haven’t heard me say the ‘F-word’ before, they assume I can’t handle hearing it.”
Carr is deep into his indoctrination as a Gruden quarterback to the point where he claimed to not know the month. That means a lot of back and forth, exchanges of information that are seldom low-key.
Gruden pushed and prodded Rich Gannon, with the two occasionally snapping at each other. He even had a sideline shoutdown once with a reserve quarterback named Donald Hollas.
Carr said the two have yet to “clash” but that playing under Gruden requires constant focus and attention to detail. Every day is a new test, even if the answers aren’t always clear.
“I meet with him every morning,” Carr said. “He’ll say something to me at 5:30 and won’t bring it up the rest of the day. Then he’ll throw it at me in practice, making sure I’m still on top of the little thing he gave me in the morning. He just continues
to push me and get everything out of me and it’s been really cool.”
All Raiders players are required to think quickly on their feet and react to sudden change. Like Sunday afternoons in the fall and winter, seldom does anything go as planned in a Gruden-run practice.
“He’s trying to make you uncomfortable, giving you the toughest looks,” Carr said. “He wants you to throw the ball away. He doesn’t want everything to be perfect every day, and game-like. It’s so uncomfortable that when we get to the games, it’s going to be nice.”
Carr said he and Gruden found the questions about their compatibility based on use of language “amusing.” Carr has played competitive sports for the better part of his life, and his ears haven’t been stuffed with cotton.
It’s not as if Pat Hill, the head coach at Fresno State, or Dave Schramm, who was Carr’s offensive coordinator for a time in college, were giving instructions as if they were taking afternoon tea.
“I had Pat Hill in college. Tough. Coach Schramm … tough,’” Carr said. “Really hard on me. People I still talk to to this day. I love ’em. And the thing about all three of them, you know how they feel about you. They would go through a wall for you. They’d do anything for your family.
“They just don’t tell you, they show you, so when they get after you, you have no problem doing
anything because it’s family. When (Gruden) gets after me, I probably deserve it, and secondly, I love it because I know he wants to get the best out of me.”
There was a thought that perhaps Gruden would mellow after nine years out of coaching, but a kinder, gentler coach has not been in evidence. He prods, cajoles and challenges constantly and can be upbeat and positive and then withering and critical, depending on the level of execution.
”The passion is unmatched,” said offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who worked with Gruden in Tampa Bay in 2008. “He’s the same person. You think maybe he’d slow down in 10 years, but he’s very driven. If anything, maybe it’s even stronger. The will to win, to prepare, to present to the staff, to the team, it’s Jon Gruden. It’s who he is.”
Carr is watching the method closely and doesn’t think there’s any madness about it.
“He’s training me to think like him, and it’s fun,” Carr said.
• Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who tweaked a hamstring during last Tuesday’s OTA availability, was not on the field, nor was Seth Roberts, who was working out in the performance center.
• Cornerback Rashaan Melvin and safety Erik Harris had interceptions during team sessions.
• Defensive end Khalil Mack remains a no-show to voluntary sessions as he awaits a contract extension. The Raiders have OTA sessions this week and next week, with the mandatory minicamp June 12-14.