Analyst Gruden in no rush to return to coaching ranks
Jon Gruden slipped on a familiar red visor, looking very much the part of an NFL head coach as he sat on stage inside One Buccaneer Place on Wednesday afternoon.
Gruden was formally introduced as one of the two new members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor, along with late team owner Malcolm Glazer. He said all the reminiscing about his coaching exploits, especially his 2002 Super Bowl team, had all the makings of a eulogy. “I’m not dead,” Gruden joked. But are his coaching days truly history?
Gruden’s name is frequently mentioned whenever there is a vacancy, and speculation about a potential return to the sidelines increased last week after he told PewterReport.com that he was preparing to coach again. Gruden last coached in 2008 and has been working as the color analyst for Monday Night
Football since 2009. Gruden on Wednesday reiterated his work ethic and devotion to football, including the hours he spends studying game film and creating his own offensive playbook, much like he did during his coaching career with the Bucs and Oakland Raiders. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be accepting a head coaching job right away, if ever, he said.
“I don’t foresee myself coaching anytime soon,” Gruden said.
Gruden was asked if the Glazer family reached out to him about a return to coaching when the Bucs fired Greg Schiano at the end of the 2013 season. Gruden didn’t deny it but chose to deflect in his answer.
“I’ve never been on anyone’s radar,” Gruden said. “I’m just trying to hold on to the job I have.”