ALAMEDA — Jon Gruden’s introductory press conference was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Raiders headquarters, but it soon turned into a Raiders family reunion with team legends scattered throughout the facility.
Rich Gannon, Tim Brown, and Howie Long were among about 50 of the Raiders alumni on hand to celebrate Gruden’s return. Gannon, who thrived as Gruden’s starting quarteback from 1999-2001 during Gruden’s first stint as head coach of the Raiders, feels Gruden getting traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 was a mistake that robbed the duo of a chance to win multiple super bowls in Oakland. Now that Gruden is back, Gannon believes that opportunity could arise again with this current squad.
Rich Gannon feels Al Davis would say worst decision he ever made as Raiders owner was trading away Jon Gruden pic.twitter.com/HZSNAmm2LJ
— Martin Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) January 9, 2018
“If Al Davis were here today, he’d probably tell you that the worst decision he ever made as an owner was trading away Jon Gruden,” Gannon said. “We were building something special and that derailed it. The good news is that he’s back in the building and the energy hasn’t wavered. I’m excited.”
Brown made two Pro Bowl appearances as a teammate of Gannon’s under Gruden, having played through Gruden’s entire first go in Oakland and even following him to Tampa Bay for a season in 2004. Heading into next season, Brown expects Gruden to have this current crop of Raiders players more prepared for Sundays than any other team in the league.
Tim Brown on what he really liked about playing for Raiders coach Jon Gruden pic.twitter.com/uTgnnudCU9
— Martin Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) January 10, 2018
“The one thing I loved about Jon is when we stepped on the field, we knew we were prepared. If we lost, we lost,” Brown said. “We got beat physically, but it wasn’t because we had a bad game plan or we didn’t have a clue what was gonna happen. As a player, that’s all you can ask for. Make sure that we’re well-prepared.”
Brown also thinks Gruden will be able to get the most out of underachieving players on the team, such as receiver Amari Cooper. After making the Pro Bowl in the first two years of his NFL career, Cooper took a step back in 2017 by registering just 48 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns. With Gruden implementing a new offense, Brown said Cooper could more than double those totals from last season.
“If he can’t (get the best out of Cooper), nobody can,” Brown said. “I think for Amari, this is going to be an incredible opportunity for him to get 120-125 catches a year with no problems.”
While Gruden has been away from coaching for ten years, Long doesn’t see that affecting him in any way given his involvement with the game over the years through his ESPN broadcasting gig. The passion is also something Long believes still exists with Gruden, as much now at the age of 54 as when he got his first head coaching job at 34.
Raiders legend Howie Long doesn’t think time away from coaching will affect Jon Gruden, citing way he evaluates NFL Draft each year and visited teams each week with ESPN. Also says Jon is a true leader: “Players see right through you if you’re not authentic. Jon is authentic.” pic.twitter.com/thlrxcg5ew
— Martin Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) January 9, 2018
“I don’t think Jon’s lifestyle in terms of his commitment to learning and growing and being enthusiastic about the game has changed. He goes through the draft every year and evaluates talent. Every week he’s visiting two teams and watching how they practice and how they meet. Typically when someone’s in broadcasting and gets away from it, if you’re not looking with an eye towards a day like today, you can take a step back. But I think Jon is more than ready.”
While an energetic personality similar to Gruden’s runs the risk of eventually wearing thin in some locker rooms, Long said Gruden doesn’t fake his personality. He is real, and players will recognize it.
“I think it’s like a 4.9 on the richter scale, in terms of enthusiasm in the building. That’s the thing that’s probably the most appealing about Jon is that he’s like that,” Long said. “What doesn’t change with players is they want to be great and they want to be led. They want to believe the guy that is in front of the room. Players see right through you if you’re not authentic. Jon is authentic.”
