Chiefs’ Reid admires passion of Gruden

Amid a 2-9 season in which some of his decisions have drawn scrutiny, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has a supporter in Kansas City counterpart Andy Reid.

Reid, whose Chiefs (9-2) visit the Raiders on Sunday, expressed confidence in Gruden’s coaching ability on a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday.

“I’m friends with Jon, and I have a ton of respect for him,” Reid said. “He’s a great football person and coach, and he loves the game. He’s passionate about the game. And he’s doing what he thinks is right. So you can’t ever question it.

“No one knows the whole picture like the head coach does and what needs to be done and so on. So I would defer to him. I’ve known him a long time, I’m very confident in his ability. So he’s doing what he thinks (are) the right things.”

Gruden and Reid were assistants on the Packers’ staff from 1992 through ’94, with Gruden as receivers coach and Reid as tight ends/offensive line coach. Gruden got his first head-coaching job, with the Raiders, in 1998, one year before Reid landed his first with the Eagles.

“He’s a great friend of mine,” Gruden said. “Passionate coach. He loves football. He might be one of the few guys I know that likes football more than me. That’s why I treasure him.”

Gruden’s final game as an ESPN analyst before being rehired by the Raiders in January was the Chiefs’ 22-21 loss to the Titans in the AFC wild-card round. Though it was widely believed Gruden would return to coaching, Reid did not object to Gruden having access such as in telecast meetings that week.

“I was happy for him,” Reid said. “I didn’t care that he did our game or saw my board or anything. I don’t care about all that. I have full trust in the guy. … I think it’s great for the AFC West and great for the NFL to have him back in.” Team honor: Tight end Jared Cook was voted by teammates the recipient of this year’s Ed Block Courage Award, which recognizes sportsmanship and courage. “He’s a pro’s pro,” QB Derek Carr, last year’s recipient, said of Cook. “I circled his name. I thought he deserved it.” In support: Raiders players donated $46,350 to the North Valley Community Foundation to aid relief and recovery efforts following the recent Camp Fire in Butte County, a figure that will be matched by the Raiders’ organization, the team announced. In a statement, defensive end

Frostee Rucker said the Raiders “felt it was important to have an urgent response in a time of crisis, to make sure we had all hands on deck to help the fire relief efforts.”

The Raiders previously donated $200,000 to the North Valley Community Foundation and $50,000 worth of supplies to Butte County residents to aid with relief efforts. Roster moves: The Raiders signed linebacker James Cowser and receiver Johnny Holton to their practice squad and released receiver ArDarius Stewart from the practice squad.