Gruden's return ensures Raider relevance

Sometimes news breaks and it reminds you of a different point of your life. It could be
good. It could be bad. It could be indifferent. It could be compelling.

Jon Gruden’s return to coach the Oakland Raiders conjures up a good and compelling
time in my 18-year career as a sports reporter.

The Raiders announced on Saturday that they will introduce Gruden at a press conference
on Tuesday as their new head coach. The organization made the announcement 90 minutes
after Gruden and Sean McDonough finished broadcasting the AFC Wild Card matchup
between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs, which the Titans rallied to win 22-21,
for ESPN.

Gruden coached in the NFL from 1998-2008 (Raiders 1998-2001; Tampa Bay 2002-2008)
and carries a star-crossed legacy. Gruden replaces Jack Del Rio, who went 25-23 in three
seasons. The Raiders fired Del Rio moments after the team’s 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles
Chargers to finish a 6-10 season. Gruden possesses a career record of 100-85 (40-28 with
the Raiders; 60-57 with the Buccaneers). After his dismissal from Tampa Bay, Gruden served
as an ESPN commentator for nine seasons.

The Raiders signed Gruden to a 10-year contract for $100 million dollars, according to ESPN.
The franchise is slated to move to Las Vegas beginning the 2020 season. I have heard the
pros and cons to Gruden’s return. The pluses are the aura that he brings. From the scowls
to the personality, Gruden commands your attention. Say what you will about Gruden’s
contract but the cost of that pact does not rival that of the franchise becoming irrelevant.
Win or lose, Gruden makes the Raider relevant.

Gruden knows how to coach offense, where the Raiders (notably quarterback Derek Carr),
woefully underperformed last season. Getting Carr to resemble the MVP candidate of
2016 as opposed to the beleaguered version of 2017 is paramount.

With the Raiders being a lame duck franchise moving to a new city, they needed a sellable
asset. Gruden brings exactly that because Del Rio is essentially a poor man’s Jeff Fisher.
Del Rio has been a head coach for 12 seasons with only three playoff appearances. He
has also coached more games in NFL history without winning a division. Fisher was a head
coach for 22 seasons with a 178-171-2 mark with only five going North of .500 with three
division titles.

The downside is that Gruden has not coached in ten years but I don’t necessarily see that
as a negative. Gruden has stayed connected to the NFL as a commentator, which was a
role he prepared as if he were coaching,

Some of the shine wore off Gruden’s star after the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2002,
going 45-53 thereafter. This is a high risk, high reward move. If it works, it could be great.
If it does not, the franchise will be hard-pressed to rebound.

For me personally, Gruden’s return to Oakland means something. The Raiders training
camp home is Napa, CA, which is my hometown. When the Raiders hired Gruden at this
time in 1998, I was living in a different state -- Lincoln, NE, to be specific. I graduated
from the University of Nebraska in August 1997. Long story short, I stayed there for a
year after I graduated before moving back home. Shortly thereafter, I landed a sports
reporter job at the Napa Valley Register, which is my hometown newspaper.

I grew up as a 49er fan. I hated the Raiders when they moved to Los Angeles, which
was their home from 1982-1994, because in these parts of California, I was conditioned
to hate LA teams. Except 1998 happened. One of my first assignments at the Register
was going to Raiders training camp. Watching Gruden charismatically lead practice
heightened my interest. In 1999, Michael Wagaman, who remains the senior reporter
for Silver & Black Illustrated (which is a Raider fan magazine), approached me about
doing freelance work for the publication. It was a no brainer for me to say yes.

That decision was the start of a five-year stint of covering the Raiders. The Gruden
years were fun. He brought a charisma that fit the Raider mystique, from the heavy
metal music played at home games to the rebel personality that eventually led to
Chucky Dolls to depict the main antagonist to the horror film “Child’s Play.”

After the 2001 season ended on a snowy night in Foxboro, Mass., in a game known
as the Tuck Bowl, Raiders owner Al Davis traded Gruden to Tampa Bay. One year
later, Gruden got the last laugh as his Bucs blasted the Raiders 48-21 in San Diego.

From that point on, neither Gruden nor the Raiders were the same. Gruden was able
to lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl title that had former coach Tony Dungy earn much
sweat equity. Save for Del Rio’s 12-4 season in 2016, the Raiders recorded nary a
winning season from 2003-2015 with 14 campaigns ending with double-digit losses.

Even long after Gruden being traded, I maintained a passing interest in the Raiders.
However, when the franchise revealed that it was moving to Las Vegas, I told myself
that I wouldn’t care about the Raiders.

Gruden’s return though has my interest. Just like he gained it 20 years ago.