3. Raiders
Head coach: Jon Gruden
Many will probably think it shocking not to have Gruden at No. 2. That likely comes from his being such a veteran and well-respected coach. The problem is two-fold here. It would disrespect the job Lynn has done in his short time on the job while judging Gruden by his accomplishments of a distant past.
It may not seem like it, but a Gruden-led team hasn’t won a playoff game in 18 years. Or a total of eight seasons of coaching that he has not had to get up early for work in mid-January.
Granted, the last playoff win he had was the Super Bowl and that’s no small thing. Though it’s hard to give him all the credit for that considering he was coaching a team mostly assembled by Tony Dungy and in the Super Bowl, he faced his former team and former offensive coordinator who was still using essentially the same playbook.
This isn’t meant to disrespect Gruden. He is a good coach. A brilliant coach who commands the respect of his players. That goes a long way. But in a ‘what have you done for me lately’ world, we have to see something going into his third season that suggests he can be the difference. He has yet to prove without a doubt he is an upgrade over Jack Del Rio who, keep in mind, led the team to a 19-13 record and a trip to the playoffs in his first two seasons in Oakland with the same quarterback. Gruden is sitting at 11-21 so far in his return.
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