Oakland Raiders: Gruden sends a strong message by cutting Marquette King

The Oakland Raiders sent a shockwave through the Raider Nation by cutting punter Marquette King, sending a strong message to the team.

If you’re an Oakland Raiders fan and you still needed more proof that there’s a new sheriff in town, new (old) head coach Jon Gruden just provided it by cutting flamboyant punter Marquette King – and in the process, sent a strong message to his team.

The message? If you’re not all in and on board the Gruden Express, you’ll be thrown off the train – quickly.

Though undoubtedly, economics played a role in King’s release, there seems to be much more to it than that. It’s hard to understand kicking one of the best punters in the league to the curb, when your savings for the move amount to a bit less than $3 million dollars.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned just from the history of the franchise, it’s that a good, dynamic punter is a valuable weapon to have at your disposal.

Or have we already forgotten about guys like Ray Guy and Shane Lechler?

While it’s true that the almost $3 million in savings for a team that’s cap-strapped like the Raiders will help as they try to put together a deal for still unemployed linebacker NaVorro Bowman, there were other guys who could have been cut, or other ways to finesse the cap to get Bowman back into the fold.

Let’s not even pretend McKenzie and company don’t know how to massage the cap.

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As of this writing though, OverTheCap.com shows the Raiders have just about $16.5 million in cap space. Of course, they’ll need to pay the incoming class of rookies, and work out a deal for Bowman, if possible. But, the point seems to be that the money was there to retain King, if they’d wanted to.

And that’s the key phrase – if they’d wanted to. And very clearly, Gruden did not.

Over his six seasons with the Raiders, King has carved out a legacy all his own. His outlandish behavior on – and off – the field never failed to amuse some, while irritating others.

There is a faction within the Raider Nation that has never forgiven him after he mugged for a photo with noted bush-league punk, Aqib Talib, making light of the Talib/Michael Crabtree chain snatching incident. The first one – just to be clear.

For many, Talib is a figure of such contempt that associating with him in such a familiar, friendly way, is a bridge too far. And yet, many of those same people don’t take issue with Marshawn Lynch running onto the field to comfort Marcus Peters, rather than defend his teammates – just sayin’.

The point of contention for many, was that King’s antics on the field cost his team. And there is no question about that. Punters should not be drawing 15-yard penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. His bold, brash celebrations irritated opponents and some fans alike.

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Most don’t seem to want a punter drawing attention to himself in that manner – and apparently, neither does the most important voice in the room, Gruden.

As Gruden settles into his groove, he’s been busy reshaping this team and this organization. It’s clear that he has a very specific way he wants things to be done, and a very specific type of player. As an article earlier this week suggested, Gruden is busy trying to build the West Coast version of Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

And under that model, there is no room for players who draw attention to themselves as routinely – and sometimes, as detrimentally – as King did.

Ask yourself this – have we ever seen Tom Brady roll into practice in a Green Power Ranger costume? Did Danny Amendola ever show up in a Superman costume? Have any of New England’s players engaged in the sort of antics King did on the regular?

Well – other than Rob Gronkowski, because Gronk is a tiger of a very different stripe.

The point is that under Belichick, the Patriots are all business. They allegedly have fun (though we’ve seen no actual proof of that), but they are tight, buttoned down, strict, and in complete control at all times.

Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, they win. They win, a lot.

That mythical “Patriot Way” is a model that Gruden has repeatedly expressed and admiration of as well as a pure and utter envy for. It’s almost an obsession with him. And in that sort of a model, there is no room for a personality as flamboyant, expressive, and outspoken as Marquette King.

Some suggest that the Raiders will be better off without King. That by cutting him and letting somebody like a Colby Wadman – or whoever they bring into camp to provide competition – take over, they won’t be losing much in the long run.

Perhaps that’s true. Perhaps, the Raiders punting game won’t miss a beat. And if that’s the case, and they can replace King’s production at a much cheaper cost, bully for them. But, it’s nowhere close to a guarantee.

We knew what we were getting when King stepped onto the field. Now? It’s all question marks. A bad punter can really hamstring your team and put you in a bad position.

In a game where it sometimes comes down to inches, if not yards (or maybe, just the thickness of an index card) the difference between King’s 47-yard net average, versus the worst punter in the league, Ryan Quigley‘s 42-yard average, can be enormous.

Of course, economics played a part. But, it was likely more a bit role in the bigger play. And the bigger play here, the message that’s being sent is that the Raiders are seemingly becoming more Belichick-esque in their operations.

Intentionally or not, the message that’s being sent is that they now firmly entrenched in the “Gruden Way,” and no one personality will be bigger than the team — and if you can’t conform to the “Gruden Way,” you can clean out your locker.

This is not to say it’s a good move or a bad move. It’s a surprising move though, for sure. But whether it’s a good or bad move, that judgment will be up to the fans to decide how they feel about it for themselves.

And ultimately, whether it’s a good or a bad move, will depend upon how King’s replacement fares this season.

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