Gruden loves QBs until he has to draft them
Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is photographed during the fourth quarter of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 15, 2019, in Oakland
Jon Gruden can’t control himself. He sees a quarterback, and you know what happens next.
The Raiders coach has been peripherally connected with Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love within the last few days.
Next up is Gruden making eyes at LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovaiola, and how he’ll part with most of his draft class to get it done.
Herbert reportedly will have a video interview with the Raiders, one of 60 each team is allowed. A Los Angeles Times mock draft had Love going to the Raiders at No. 12, with Mel Kiper Jr. telling the “Big Lead” he thinks the Utah State passer may be headed to the Raiders.
Rewind to a year ago, when Gruden had “fallen in love” with Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and later was linked with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins.
It didn’t make sense then. It makes even less sense now.
Gruden’s nine years away from coaching included heaping helpings of his enthusiasm for working with young quarterbacks on his “Quarterback Camp” show on ESPN. His tenure as an NFL coach has indicated a reluctance to use quarterbacks that young in actual games
In a dozen years as a head coach, these are the quarterbacks Gruden selected in the draft:
• 2001, Marques Tuiasosopo: Washington, second round, 59th overall.
• 2003, Chris Simms: Texas, third round, 99th overall
• 2006, Bruce Gradkowski : Akron, sixth round, 194th overall
• 2008, Josh Johnson: San Diego, ffith round,160th overall.
That’s it.
Just because Gruden likes to work with young quarterbacks on television doesn’t mean he trusts them with one of the most involved and complex playbooks in an actual game. In 208 games, quarterbacks drafted by Gruden started only 26 times. Eleven of those were by Bruce Gradkowski in 2006, the only rookie quarterback to ever start a game with Gruden as a coach. The rest were from Chris Simms, who didn’t play as a rookie.
Tuiasosopo, whom Gruden lobbied Al Davis to take with the Raiders, sat behind Rich Gannon in 2000 and 2001. Johnson, who arrived in Gruden’s last draft with Tampa Bay, didn’t start for him either.
If there ever was a time for Gruden to take a quarterback, it was 2005. The Bucs were coming off a 5-11 season and had the fifth pick in the draft. Simms was entering his third year, presumably ready to play at some point. Brian Griese was also on the roster.
That didn’t stop Gruden and Co. from flying to Utah to meet with Alex Smith, and then to California to visit with Aaron Rodgers. Gruden liked Rodgers. I sat in on the entire process, from the meeting with Rodgers to the workout at Memorial Stadium in which Jerry Rice appeared as a surprise guest receiver as he contemplated finding another team and continuing his career.
“We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t serious,” Gruden told Rodgers.
When the draft came, Smith was taken by the 49ers at No. 1. Rodgers was there at No. 5. The Bucs took running back Cadillac Williams of Auburn. Gruden is often labeled as emotional and impulsive, but he’s a pragmatist at heart. Williams was going to help right away.
Williams did for the Bucs what Josh Jacobs did for the Raiders in 2019, rushing for 1,178 yards as the Bucs went 11- 5 and made the playoffs. After a torn patellar tendon in the 14th game, Williams was never the same. Gruden didn’t find his Gannon in Tampa Bay, coming closest with 37-year- old Jeff Garcia in 2007.
The due diligence of talking to Herbert and probably other quarterbacks will be the same as Gruden showed when meeting with Rodgers.