Jon Gruden Entering Make-Or-Break Year With Raiders

Jon Gruden Entering Make-Or-Break Year With Raiders

As Jon Gruden enters his fourth season as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, he must prove he is the right man for the job.

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Jon Gruden Entering Make-Or-Break Year With Raiders​

Jon Gruden has been the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders for the past three seasons.

He was signed to a 10-year, $100 million contract in 2018, when the Raiders were still based in Oakland.

Heading into the 2021 season, Gruden is the third-highest paid head coach in the NFL behind the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick and Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll.

For that reason alone, it would be shocking to see the Raiders fire Gruden.

He also has a no-trade clause in his contract so he can’t be dealt like he was in 2002.

But Gruden’s numbers haven’t been pretty in his three years with the Raiders.

The team has gone just 19-29 and has yet to make the postseason.



View: https://twitter.com/sportsondirectv/status/1425849048372629506?s=21

There has been gradual improvement as the Raiders went 4-12, then 7-9, before going 8-8 last season.

However, if the Raiders don’t make some noise in the postseason, fans will start clamoring for Gruden to be replaced.

As the Raiders enter the 2021 season, Gruden must improve in these key areas to prove he is the right man for the job.

Defense

Through Gruden’s tenure, the Raiders have had one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

Year One: 26th overall, 19th in passing, 30th in rushing

Year Two: 19th overall, 25th in passing, 8th in rushing

Year Three: 25th overall, 26th in passing, 24th overall

The Raiders have been awful at getting to the quarterback.

In his first year, the team registered just 13 sacks, worst in the NFL as the Raiders were the only franchise to not eclipse 30.

They finished 25th in 2019 with 32 before placing 29th with 21 last season.

It is hard to make it to the playoffs with a defense that struggles in both the rushing and passing department.

It looks like Gruden got that message as the Raiders’ D has looked impressive in joint practices with the Los Angeles Rams.



View: https://twitter.com/united_raiders/status/1428062736773107712?s=21

However, once the games start counting, Gruden needs to ensure there is real improvement on the defense side of the football.

If Las Vegas continues to struggle, like they have in his first three seasons, it will be hard for the team to truly break through into the playoffs.

Derek Carr

Derek Carr has been with the Raiders since 2014.

He made the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons from 2015-2017.

However, he has yet to earn that achievement in Gruden’s three years at the helm.

Over those three seasons, Carr has thrown for 12,206 yards, 67 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions.

Carr hasn’t necessarily been bad over the past three seasons.

Just last year, he finished 11th in the league in passing yards (4,103) and passing touchdowns (27).

The problem is that Carr has not proven he can elevate the Raiders or that he can be a special guy in the NFL.

Yes, he has been consistent, but with Patrick Mahomes becoming the ideal quarterback, one that can win you a game and make a big play on any down, Carr has proven he is not that.

Throughout Gruden’s tenure, the Raiders have been connected to quarterbacks such as Kyler Murray and all of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft class.

Yet, Gruden has stuck with Carr.

And maybe that’s a good thing, as Carr is the franchise’s all-time passing leader with 26,896 yards.

But Gruden and Carr have yet to win the most important game of them all, a playoff game.

If Carr cannot elevate his game, and Gruden can’t help him get there, it will be a clear indication of where both stand in terms of organizational success.

Draft Blunders

The Raiders have not drafted well during Gruden’s tenure.

General manager Mike Mayock deserves some of the blame, but in football, it’s a team sport.

They did take Kolton Miller, who is currently the Raiders’ starting left tackle, in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

But outside of third-rounder Brandon Parker and seventh-rounder Marcell Ateman, no one from that 2018 draft class is still on the roster.

Las Vegas’ biggest blunder may have come in 2019 with the selection of Clelin Ferrell fourth overall.

Ferrell has just 6.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits through his first two years in the league.

He is currently listed as a backup.

The Raiders did salvage their 2019 class with players such as Josh Jacobs, Maxx Crosby, Trayvon Mullen, Johnathan Abram, and Hunter Renfrow.



View: https://twitter.com/dougkyed/status/1428055267602804736?s=21

In 2020, the Raiders made Henry Ruggs the first wide receiver off the board with the No. 10 overall pick.

He still has time to turn it around, but he had a down rookie season, catching 26 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns.

They may have found a starter in wide receiver Bryan Edwards in the third round, but fellow third-rounder Lynn Bowden is no longer with the team.

The point to all of this is to say that the Raiders’ 2021 draft class needs to perform in year one for Gruden.

First-round tackle Alex Leatherwood is currently penciled in as a starter.

As is second-round safety Trevon Moehrig.

If Gruden is to build a successful Raiders team, he needs to be able to not just identify talent, but develop it at the NFL level.

 

[TexasRam]

Mayock and Gruden are two of the most overated hacks in the NFL.

The drafts have been utter failures over multiple years now.

To make matters worse they let their best Olineman go in the offseason.

If they get 6 wins this year I will be surprised.

 

[Selassie I]

I called this when the raiduhs hired him.

Fucking pirate face maker is a joke. He's smart enough to steal money from the bowl cut idiot though. They deserve each other... with a load of Mayock spread on top.

 

[Loyal]

Gruden is a great coach, as long as Dungy creates the team for him the year before and then he plays the team he used to be HC for in the big game.
Maycock will be covering the NFL draft in the near future.... for the Ocho.

 

[So Ram]

I called this when the raiduhs hired him.

Fucking pirate face maker is a joke. He's smart enough to steal money from the bowl cut idiot though. They deserve each other... with a load of Mayock spread on top.

Gruden is
Living like a FAT CAT
(10 years) he can thank Sean Mcvay.

 

[Merlin]

Gruden is like "go ahead bowl cut, fire me, I dare you." Six more paid years while he vacations in Tahiti and does Corona Commercials.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vppUQJS-Yi4&ab_channel=DanielCatterson

 

[jrry32]

I think Gruden is a decent coach. Mayock has never impressed me. But I had a great chuckle at all the Raiders fans crowing after they "won" the joint practices. We talking about practice? Practice?

 

[1maGoh]

Gruden is a great coach, as long as Dungy creates the team for him the year before and then he plays the team he used to be HC for in the big game.
Maycock will be covering the NFL draft in the near future.... for the Ocho.

I don't get this logic. If Gruden only made it because of Dungy, then the raiders HC only made it because of Gruden.

 

[Loyal]

I don't get this logic. If Gruden only made it because of Dungy, then the raiders HC only made it because of Gruden.

Gruden won it with a team built by Dungy, who had been HC in Tampa Bay for years and then Gruden knew Oakland’s offense intimately, having been their HC the year before. It was like shooting ducks in a barrel for him, and he hasn’t done anything since to build a team into a winner since then.

 

[…..]

Kinda cheap of the auther to slight Derek Carr for not being Patrick Mahomes lol that was a weak paragraph. There are 30 other starting QB’s proving daily that they arent Patrick Mahomes.

 

[den-the-coach]

There is so much about the Raiders as I'm in the minority of actually liking Jon Gruden. Overall, since he's taken over, the Raiders have improved record each year, but the Head Coach before him Jack Del Rio had a three year record of 25-23, where as Gruden has been 15-17 so one would surmise he needs to surpass Del Rio.

However, I do believe the Raiders have improved the talent, but they traded both Amari Cooper & Khalil Mack, which IMO, should have kept Mack. Gruden always seems to struggle with Defensive Coordinators no matter where he is so enter Gus Bradley who takes over for Paul Guenther, who was considered a good one before Oakland/Las Vegas.

Derek Carr was an All Pro prior to Gruden's arrival and has not been back to that level since. They are in a tough division as I believe the Chargers are on the rise and the Chiefs are still extraordinary. The Broncos are very tough too, so where does that leave the former University of Dayton alum in 2021?

They play the NFC East this year, so I like them in some of those games, tough opening against the Ravens, but IMO, they could be on the cusp of post season because I do believe their defense is much better, but I have a feeling they will be mediocre again because barring injuries I like the Chargers better, so next year, Gruden will use Carr as the scapegoat and look to trade him and bring in his type of QB, similar to his former pupil.

 

[Deac]

Please....we are more likely to have multiple years with 1st round picks than the Raiders are likely to get rid of Gruden!

With that contract, they are definitely married to each other until year 8 or so. Its just simply too much cash to eat for a franchise that has money (tax)issues.

 

[jrry32]

Gruden won it with a team built by Dungy, who had been HC in Tampa Bay for years and then Gruden knew Oakland’s offense intimately, having been their HC the year before. It was like shooting ducks in a barrel for him, and he hasn’t done anything since to build a team into a winner since then.

The point @1maGoh is making is that Gruden built the AFC Champion he beat. So you can't say he couldn't build a winner when he did. The problem with Gruden is that he struggled building sustainable winners. He hated rookies and preferred to rely on aging vets. His teams would have short runs of success followed by periods of struggles when those vets fell apart due to age. I actually think Gruden is a decent HC, but he's terrible at building rosters due to his shortsightedness and lack of patience.

 

[Loyal]

The point @1maGoh is making is that Gruden built the AFC Champion he beat. So you can't say he couldn't build a winner when he did. The problem with Gruden is that he struggled building sustainable winners. He hated rookies and preferred to rely on aging vets. His teams would have short runs of success followed by periods of struggles when those vets fell apart due to age. I actually think Gruden is a decent HC, but he's terrible at building rosters due to his shortsightedness and lack of patience.

I agree with some of what you say, but the fact is that he didn't win a Super Bowl with that Raiders team, nor did his replacement in Oakland. I wasn't arguing that he never coached decent teams, just that he only won with Dungy built team.

 

[jrry32]

I agree with some of what you say, but the fact is that he didn't win a Super Bowl with that Raiders team, nor did his replacement in Oakland. I wasn't arguing that he never coached decent teams, just that he only won with Dungy built team.

He didn't win a Super Bowl with the Raiders because he won a Super Bowl with the team that beat them lol. I'm not sure how you can hold that against him. Additionally, he should have lost the Super Bowl to the 2001 Rams, but the refs cheated the Raiders out of the win over the Patriots. (Well, I guess the Raiders would have had to beat the Steelers, so maybe.)

 

[RamFan503]

Gruden is severely overrated as far as I've been concerned. He's a middling coach that had a couple good years. And yes he DID win the SB with Dungy's team and being able to play against a team whose head coach didn't even bother to change the play calls from the previous year. What a stooge.

Looks like L'il Al should have saved some money to pay his taxes.

 

[Loyal]

He didn't win a Super Bowl with the Raiders because he won a Super Bowl with the team that beat them lol. I'm not sure how you can hold that against him. Additionally, he should have lost the Super Bowl to the 2001 Rams, but the refs cheated the Raiders out of the win over the Patriots.

He beat his old team because he had a competitive advantage, having run the offense the year before. You also can't say that he beats Warren Sapp and Dungy's Cover Two defense with that Oakland team if he was still Oakland's coach. After his Super Bowl win with Tampa, he oversaw a team that degraded under his watch, flailing with old QB's

 

[jrry32]

He beat his old team because he had a competitive advantage, having run the offense the year before.

That doesn't change the fact that his old team made the Super Bowl against his new team. Gruden coached a team somebody else built to a Super Bowl win over the team he built. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't say he beat the Raiders because it was his team and then also say that he wasn't capable of building a Super Bowl winner. It's just a contradictory argument. The Raiders team he built was capable of winning a Super Bowl and might have won it in 2002 if Davis hadn't traded Gruden.

You also can't say that he beats Warren Sapp and Dungy's Cover Two defense with that Oakland team if he was still Oakland's coach.

Tony Dungy got fired because he couldn't get TB to the Super Bowl due to his offensive limitations. Without Gruden, there's no telling how Tampa Bay does or if they make the Super Bowl. If they do, there's plenty of reason to think Oakland could have beaten them. The one time Gruden and the Raiders played the Tony Dungy-led Bucs, they absolutely slaughtered them: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199912190rai.htm

After his Super Bowl win with Tampa, he oversaw a team that degraded under his watch, flailing with old QB's

Agreed, for the reasons I pointed out.

 

[Loyal]

That doesn't change the fact that his old team made the Super Bowl against his new team. Gruden coached a team somebody else built to a Super Bowl win over the team he built. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't say he beat the Raiders because it was his team and then also say that he wasn't capable of building a Super Bowl winner. It's just a contradictory argument. The Raiders team he built was capable of winning a Super Bowl and might have won it in 2002 if Davis hadn't traded Gruden.

Tony Dungy got fired because he couldn't get TB to the Super Bowl due to his offensive limitations. Without Gruden, there's no telling how Tampa Bay does or if they make the Super Bowl. If they do, there's plenty of reason to think Oakland could have beaten them. The one time Gruden and the Raiders played the Tony Dungy-led Bucs, they absolutely slaughtered them: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199912190rai.htm

Agreed, for the reasons I pointed out.

Tony Dungy Built Gruden's Super Bowl winning team.
Gruden built a Super Bowl losing team.

My point was WINNING a Super Bowl with team built by someone else. I don't know how you argue against that.

 

[jrry32]

Tony Dungy Built Gruden's Super Bowl winning team.
Gruden built a Super Bowl losing team.

My point was WINNING a Super Bowl with team built by someone else. I don't know how you argue against that.

Because this is what you said: "Gruden is a great coach, as long as Dungy creates the team for him the year before and then he plays the team he used to be HC for in the big game." Gotta give the guy credit for coaching the team that won it and building the team that lost it.