New York Giants: Jon Gruden proves he shouldn’t coach with one sentence

While the name is popular, Jon Gruden proved why he doesn’t belong on the sidelines for the New York Giants with one sentence during a game he called

Many years ago, Bill Cowher mused on CBS about his name popping up in head coaching searches. When asked about these rumors, the former Super Bowl winner laughed and said something along the lines of the longer you don’t coach, the better people think you were.

That’s not a direct quote, but the message was that people forget about why a coach was fired the longer they listen to him talk and not see him coach. Which is what the New York Giants need to avoid doing with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden.

Gruden hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2008, when he was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite the long layoff, his name is thrown out there anytime a job opens up, and in all honesty, it shouldn’t be.

While Gruden did win a Super Bowl with the Bucs, the fact is, he did so in his first year — with a team built mainly by the previous regime led by Tony Dungy. After that, there were a lot of struggles and they dropped four games in a row to end the 2008 season. That was an epic collapse, which saw the team miss out on the playoffs, and they tired of Gruden’s over the top ways.

The animated coach finished his seven seasons in Tampa winning 57 and losing 55 games. His tenure was marred by his inability to get a quarterback, and he proved recently that should a team like the Giants give him a shot, that will continue to be the case.

When talking with Monday Night Football co-host Sean McDonough, Gruden said he would be interested in the New York job on one condition — if they kept Eli Manning at quarterback.

Manning, like Gruden, owns some Super Bowl hardware. However, also like Gruden, Manning’s best days are behind him. Gruden proved this about himself as he feels the best way to win is with a soon-to-be 37-year old quarterback who is ranked No. 20 in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus Edge. This makes little sense, especially considering the Giants are in line for a top draft pick and should have several viable options for getting a quarterback that will be there for the next decade-and-a-half.

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Then again, Gruden has proven he likes to win in that first year — which he may be able to do with Manning. The years after that, who cares. He can live off that one good season for another 14 years while the world forgets the dumpster fire that follows it again.