NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Oakland Raiders: Jon Gruden is out of his mind

By Joel W. Cade

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 18: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders coaches from the sideline during the first half of a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 18: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders coaches from the sideline during the first half of a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

It’s hard to find a pass rusher

Yes, he literally stated that it is hard to find a pass rusher. This stuff cannot be made up. Per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, when Jon Gruden was asked about the Raiders anemic pass rush and how hard it is to find a pass rusher, he made the following statement, per ESPN:

"“It’s hard to find a great one. It’s hard to find a good one. It’s hard to find one. You just said it. College football now, they’re not really dropping back to pass and throwing footballs anymore. They’re throwing laterals and they’re throwing bubble screens. They’re running read options. So you have to train these guys. It takes a little bit of time to learn how to rush the passer. We have some guys that are in that process right now.”"

It is not a stretch to remind Gruden that the Raiders had a guy who was an All-Pro at two different positions in the same season. The obvious needs to be stated. Jon Gruden had the best pass rusher in the league on his team. But he refused to pay him and shipped him off in what may become the worst NFL trade of all time.

All of this leads to the question, is Gruden out of his mind? Or he is simply out of touch?

Yes, Gruden is out of touch. Leaving issues of offense and analytics aside (but a whole lot can be said here), Gruden is out of touch because he believes that a head coach can also be the general manager concurrently. It does not work. History and Mike Holmgren have proven it does not work. Yet, Gruden insists on proving all over again that it still does not work.

The only exception being Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. But Jon Gruden is no Bill Belichick.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders