USA TODAY International Edition
Breaking down Gruden’s potential return
It’s widely expected the Oakland Raiders will make Jon Gruden their next head coach, luring him out of the broadcasting booth and back onto the sideline he roamed from 1998 to 2001.
The charismatic Gruden would seemingly give the franchise the shot in the arm it needs after this year’s regression-riddled 6-10 campaign.
For eight years, Gruden has turned down advances from teams. But after his ninth season away from the game, he sounds primed for a return. Raiders owner Mark Davis’ pitch to Gruden includes ownership stakes, according to an ESPN report, along with a handsome salary.
We’ll see how this plays out over the next several days. But if/when Gruden does land this job, plenty of questions will remain, including these.
Does Gruden still have the edge?
Gruden brings a well-respected name and great football knowledge that’s on display during every Monday
Night Football broadcast. But talking from the booth is way easier than actually coaching. After nine years away, he no doubt has some rust to knock off. As Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and George Seifert all showed, pulling off successful comebacks after an extended hiatus is challenging.
But at 54, Gruden remains youthful. And unlike Gibbs. Gruden has remained plugged in while studying teams for his TV work. He has continued coaching on the side, running an offseason quarterbacks camp in addition to studying each young passer who enters the draft. But the time commitment as a head coach is much more demanding than Gruden’s current work as an ESPN analyst.
Can he help Derek Carr and the Raiders offense?
Derek Carr was a rising star after back-to-back Pro Bowl selections. But he regressed this year under new offensive coordinator Todd Downing. One of Gruden’s primary tasks will be helping Carr return to form.
Gruden certainly knows quarterbacks. Rich Gannon had three of his four Pro Bowl selections and one of his two all-pro selections under the coach.
The coach, with his quarterbackfriendly system and concepts, seemingly could help Carr get his career back on track. But Gruden also must help recharge an Oakland offense that has struggled as a whole, going from sixth in the league in 2016 to 19th this season. Gruden’s offenses have battled inconsistencies. After guiding top-10 offenses in three of his four seasons in Oakland, Gruden directed only one top-10 attack in seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Who will he bring with him?
Gruden presumably will serve as his own play-caller. But a quality position coach (Gannon is believed to be the top choice) is vital for further aiding Carr’s progress. Gruden has been reaching out to former assistants as he makes plans to assemble a staff, per multiple reports. However, Bill Callahan, who served as Gruden’s offensive coordinator in Oakland, is now coaching with Jay Gruden in Washington. Bill Muir, Gruden’s offensive coordinator from Tampa, is no longer in football. Gruden’s potential defensive coordinator choices are also unclear. Whomever he tabs will inherit a unit in need of an overhaul while possessing few consistent impact players outside of Khalil Mack. Neither Ken Norton Jr. (fired midseason) nor John Pagano (Norton’s successor) managed to get enough out of this group.
Did the Raiders satisfy the Rooney Rule?
The Raiders’ talks with Gruden have reached advanced stages, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject. This happened with Jack Del Rio still at the helm. ESPN reported that it’s a sure thing that Gruden will be the next coach of the Raiders.
And that raises the question of whether the team satisfied the Rooney Rule and already conducted a meaningful interview with a minority candidate, as the rule stipulates.
Interviewing Gruden and setting everything in place, then holding an interview with a minority candidate doesn’t satisfy the rule.
That would be a violation. Of course, the Raiders could have already dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s regarding the rule.
Is he a dramatic improvement?
Del Rio posted a 25-23 regular-season record with the Raiders, including a 12-4 mark in 2016. Patience ran out quickly this year. Now, ownership believes landing Gruden will prompt the desired long-term success.
However, it’s worth noting that although Gruden has a great reputation as a coach, he’s no Bill Belichick (.678 regular-season winning percentage, .722 playoff clip in 15 appearances, five Super Bowls wins), or even a Mike McCarthy (.636 regular season, .556 postseason in nine appearances over 12 seasons, and a Super Bowl ring).