Oakland Raiders not named Carr or Mack crucial to team’s 2018 success

Jon Gruden

For many, Gruden is one of this team’s biggest question marks this offseason. You can’t read an article where Gruden’s name appears without then reading about the fact that he’s been out of the game ten years, along with copious amounts of speculation about how much the game has changed and whether or not it’s passed him by.

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Can Jon Gruden handle coaching millennials, you read time and time and time again.

Of course, he didn’t do himself any favors with his talk of throwing the game back to 1998 – though, that’s a statement that’s been wildly misconstrued and given a bigger, deeper meaning than it merits.

Gruden’s roster construction though, has raised more than a few eyebrows. People are taking notice of who he’s jettisoned and who he’s brought in, and not everybody is impressed.

There’s a method to his madness though. Though he hasn’t been on a sideline in a decade, Gruden hasn’t been far from the game. In fact, he’s been fully immersed in it. He’s spent the last ten years talking to coaches, players, picking their brains, and breaking down film.

It’s not as if he’s walking in cold off the street. And it’s not as if he’s unaware of current NFL trends, and offensive systems.

But, as they say, there’s a world of difference between knowing and doing. Gruden has a lot to prove as he makes his return trip to an actual NFL sideline. To silence his critics, he’s got his work cut out for him.

If the Raiders are going to have success this year, it’s going to fall to Gruden to prove that his old school tendencies will still work in the new landscape of the NFL.