When it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders’ hunt for a new head coach, a lot of names have been and will be mentioned. In actuality, Jon Gruden, a candidate, is said to be the final full-time employee.
If the NFL let it, Raiders owner Mark Davis would seize the chance to re-hire Gruden, according to Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated.
On the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast,” Carpenter stated, “I’m going to tell you there are a lot of people who feel that Mark Davis… the person he trusts the most [in the NFL] is Jon Gruden and would love to bring him back.”” “I’m hearing from a number of folks in the league that the NFL would passively approve of Jon returning and being rehired if he were to drop his case against the league. Everyone is always bringing up Jon Gruden.
These are some of the reasons why I think that would be a very bad choice.
Control of Roster
Gruden is an excellent coach, but as a general manager and talent scout, he falls short. When he was given the authority to choose Bruce Allen as the team’s general manager towards the end of his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it became an issue.
Chucky committed a similar error during his second stint with the Silver and Black when he appointed Mike Mayock as general manager and assumed complete control over the roster. Mayock acknowledged that Gruden was his boss, and there was constant gossip that the coach had the last say over the team’s early-round draft selections. The Raiders developed a reputation for selecting first-round busts throughout that period.
Dolphins- Cowboys’ 1993 Thanksgiving deserves a rewind
Why then would things be any different this time? In the event that Gruden is appointed head coach, he will also demand complete control over the roster.
Additionally, Las Vegas has attempted—and both failed—the concept in which the general manager and head coach are inseparable and the former has the last say in hiring cycles. Although Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels had been friends for a long time, that obviously didn’t work.
It’s time to adopt an alternative approach and, at the very least, give the general manager the reins when it comes to hiring decisions.
As noted in the tweet and post by Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, Gruden performed appallingly towards the end of the season. The 2019 squad was 6-4 and had a chance to qualify for the playoffs before dropping five of its final six games. In contrast, the 2018 season was an utter disaster with only four wins. Essentially, nothing changed from the previous year when Las Vegas won six of the first nine games before losing five of the final seven and missing the postseason once more.
The way the 2021 campaign concluded is much more devastating for Gruden. He notably resigned from the Raiders that season in October as a result of the well-known email scandal, and the team ultimately ended strong. Five of their previous seven games were victories.
