It’s not hard to find flaws with Jon Gruden if you search for them. His talent acquisitions over the last few years have been questionable and he can often be too fickle with players. There are times when he isn’t aggressive enough, settling for field goals. But the one thing that can’t be questioned about Gruden is just how good he is at designing and calling an offense.
Despite several injuries to their offensive line in 2020, the Raiders still finished as a top-10 offense. Gruden has a great feel of how to mix the run and pass and knows how to get players open in the passing game.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they ranked several of the top play callers heading into the 2021 season. Gruden came in at No. 4, just behind Matt LaFleur, Brian Daboll and Andy Reid. Here is what senior writer Eric Eager had to say about Gruden entering the year:
“This one is tough to explain, since Gruden is very much part of the grocery shopping for a team that has brought home rotten vegetables and expired canned goods in both the draft and free agency. Be that as it may, Gruden is still a pretty good chef with these ingredients, as evidenced by the fact that the Raiders ranked 10th in the NFL in yards per play offensively despite having the league’s 17th-ranked pass-blocking unit, 26th-ranked run-blocking unit and 18th-ranked running game by PFF grades. Derek Carr has performed really well the past two years, and the Raiders are 15-17 despite fielding one of the league’s worst defenses during that stretch.”
If the Raiders are going to be competitive this season, it’s going to need to be due to their offense. They will need to have a top-10 offense once again and Gruden will be responsible for doing so. Don’t be surprised if Gruden and the rest of the offense are even better in 2021.
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