The best quotes from Jon Gruden in his return Raiders, an updated ranking



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When the Oakland Raiders hired Jon Gruden in January, they were not just getting a coach – they were getting a character and the show there.

After nine years as an ESPN personality, Gruden's return to training resulted in hilarious quotes every week. And it would be much more fun for Oakland if it were paired with a few wins, but so far, the Gruden era has only seen a few defeats and a baffled locker room.

Judging by his record deal, the Raiders are probably going to have Gruden for a while, which means we'll have fun press conferences along the way. For now, these are Gruden's best quotes since returning to Oakland in 2018 and this is a list we will keep updating by continuing to talk about:

6. Let's go back to 1998

The quote: From a meeting with reporters at the 2018 NFL Combined:

"I'm trying to send the game back in 1998. There's a pile of analytical data … that people do not even know how to read. It's one thing to have the data, it's another thing to know how to read the damn thing.

"So I will not rely on GPS and all modern technology. I will definitely have professional people who can help me in this regard. But I always think that doing things the old way is a good way. And we will try to lean the needle a little bit this way. "

The context: Gruden took over as Raiders head coach in 1998 and spent four seasons with the team before being traded to the Buccaneers. After the 2008 season, he was sacked by Tampa Bay and did not return to the ranks of the coaches. Monday night football emissions.

So when he said he wanted to return the game two decades later, it was mostly a joke about recreating his first success in Oakland. But there is also a lot of truth.

After all, he loves watching the Wisconsin Badgers' "run-first" approach, he only talks about backbacks and does not want to do that with the scans.

5. Gruden is not overpaid. Tom Cruise is overpaid.

The quote: After a conversation with Peter King of NBC:

"I do not earn $ 100 million just for you to know. Well, I never thought Tom Cruise thought his films were good, but he made a lot of money. There are many things that I do not understand. No respect for Tom Cruise. I am sure he is an excellent actor. But what do you know? You just do your life as hard as you can. You try to find something you like and you do your best. I have never had coaching for money. I trained as a shift coach. What the salary cap has become, what free agency has become – it's unbelievable. "

The context: Unlike NFL player contracts, we usually do not see the breaking of a coaching contract. So it's hard to know exactly what he means when he says he does not make $ 100 million.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Gruden received $ 100 million over 10 years when he was hired in January. So maybe to reach $ 100 million, you have to find incentives, or maybe Gruden only plays the semantic card because his salary is $ 10 million a year.

In any case, calling Tom Cruise too much is a little bit right, I guess. He had $ 22 million to be in The Mummy restart a few years ago and it was awful. But come on, coach, you do not think all of his films are good? You have already seen Rain Man? Risky business? Some good men?

The cruise is not on ForbesList of the top five overpaid players, so maybe Mark Wahlberg is a better choice.

4. Gruden will not take a salary if the Raiders do not win

The quote: From an interview with USA today in July:

"If I can not do it, I will not take their money.

"Who guarantees that I will live 10 years? So I do not think about that. You start thinking about a 10-year contract – people do not know how it's structured and it does not matter. The only thing that matters is: "Will Khalil Mack be here? Will Donald Penn be ready to play? 'I have to consider more important things than eight years after my contract.'

The context: This one is pretty explicit. Gruden reportedly earned $ 100 million over the next 10 years, but wants to earn his salary. This can be quite difficult with a defense that tries to avoid an eighth consecutive season below the league average, and an attack that has continued to decline with quarterback Derek Carr.

Would he actually refuse money if the Raiders are not good? In a way, I doubt it.

3. Khalil Macks do not grow on trees

The quote: From a press conference after a September practice, via The Mercury News:

"It's hard to find a good [pass rusher]. It's hard to find a good one.

The context: This is the first of the quotes on Mack on this list, which – spoiler alert – scans all the first, because whew they are all so good.

Gruden is right. Smugglers are hard to find. There are usually about fifteen players who finish with double-digit bags in a given season, and teams spend selections every year trying to find one.

This is where the quarter is the most difficult position to win for a good player.

But the reason the quote is funny is that the Raiders had Khalil Mack, arguably the most dangerous rider in the NFL, and traded it to the Chicago Bears because of contract demands. Now, the team is facing serious problems in the process and, guess what, they are difficult to repair.

2. Khalil Mack did not want to be in Oakland

The quote: Of an interview with ESPN before the opening of the Raiders regular season against the Rams:

"Obviously, Khalil Mack did not want to play here. That's what we miss here. He was under contract, he never showed up at the OTA, he never showed up at training camp and it was obvious that he would not show up for the season. So do not forget that. We have to get ready to play and I want players who want to be here to help us put this thing back on the line. "

The context: Mack was entering the final year of his rookie contract this season and chose to keep a contract that better reflected the fact that he was as dominant in the NFL as in the NFL.

So, yes, he did not show up at OTA or training camp, and he was probably not going to show up for the regular season. But that does not mean he was avoiding a Raider member, which did not mean that Aaron Donald was trying not to be part of the Rams when he held out.

Donald also escaped OTA and training camp, but was awarded a $ 135 million contract at the end of August.

Mack was not asking to leave Oakland, he was asking for a premium deal. One of the Bears was ready to give and now it's Chicago that benefits.

1. A bad password did not give rise to commercial regrets

The quote: From the September press conference, a day after the Raiders fell to 0-2 with a loss to the Broncos. Via East Bay Times:

"No, it does not make me regret making the decision. we is trading. We did the trade. There will be hindsight, 50/50, all that. We would have liked to have it here, but it is not there.

The context: This is the best quote because "the recoil, 50/50, all that" is just wonderful.

The saying, in most cases, is that the decline is 20/20, which means it's easy to guess a decision after seeing the consequences. And since the 20/20 vision simply means that you can see 20 feet so that a person with normal vision can see 20 feet, I guess 50/50 would be essentially the same thing.

But he also seems to have regrets, even though he tells the world he does not do it. It is too late to do anything, so Gruden must simply accept it and go ahead. But as he said – the recoil is obvious – and the Raiders' anemic pass must prompt the team to wish them a defensive player of the year.

In the first two weeks of the season, Mack had better stats than the entire Raiders defense:

The recoil is limpid on this one.

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