Tag: Jon Gruden news

Raiders coach Jon Gruden on third-quarter stall on offense vs. Jets: ‘The foot is not off the gas’

It appeared the Raiders would start to pour on the points against the Jets on Sunday, but the offense stalled out, instead.

The Raiders beat the Jets in thrilling fashion on Sunday, but in the third quarter of the game, it appeared Las Vegas was on its way to a blowout victory against a winless club.

Las Vegas opened the second half with a long touchdown drive to pull ahead, 24-13, but the Raiders ran just six more plays in the period. They punted twice on two more possessions as the Jets shifted momentum, setting up New York’s near upset victory.

But despite poor production from the offense when the Raiders had an opportunity to pour on the points, coach Jon Gruden said he wasn’t calling conservative plays for quarterback Derek Carr at that crucial juncture in the game.

The coach was sure to point out the Raiders’ 13-play touchdown drive to open the third quarter. He also noted a play on the drive after that, which he said was a 2nd-and-4 miss to an open receiver in the flat.

“Derek normally doesn’t miss that,” Gruden continued, as he spoke to reporters on Monday. “So, the foot is not off the gas. We didn’t make a play there. Then on third-and-5 on the next possession, if anybody watched the game, the ball was batted down. We had a good look to Waller. Jets made some plays.” 

Reviewing Gruden’s game notes, there was no 2nd-and-4 play in either of the three-and-out, third-quarter drives. There was a 2nd-and-8 play when Carr missed running back Devontae Booker, however. It was during the drive Gruden mentioned, and that must be what the coach was referring to.

There was indeed a 3rd-and-5 opportunity to Waller though. It was batted down by defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi on the second of the two failed drives. The rest of the plays were all hand-offs or passes to running backs, however, including a short pass to Theo Riddick on the other third down.

That’s why it appeared Gruden was letting off the gas, so to speak. And it’s a fair critique, to be sure. It felt like the right time to throw to speedy wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Henry Ruggs III. Or at the very least, keep feeding Waller — who was in the midst of a historic day — earlier in this group of plays. For what it’s worth, Waller did appear wide open on a play on the first failed drive in question, but Carr didn’t target him.

But the Raiders, whether correctly or incorrectly, throw to their wideouts less than almost every team in the NFL. So perhaps what Gruden considers to be keeping his foot steadily on the gas pedal, the rest of the NFL considers conservative.

And they might both be correct. Most importantly, Gruden acknowledges the opportunity missed against the Jets on Sunday to ensure victory for his team much earlier.

“We have to put people away if we get an opportunity like we did yesterday,” Gruden said Monday. “We didn’t do it, we let them back in the game. Fortunately for us, we got out of there with the win.” 

The last four games for Las Vegas are bound to be tough as they battle for playoff position, starting next week when the Raiders welcome the Colts to Allegiant Stadium. If Gruden gets the chance to put a team away again, he’s got to make calls that yield better results for his squad, regardless of what type of play he draws up.

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Raiders coach Jon Gruden says historically bad loss vs. Falcons reflects on his coaching

The Raiders blew an opportunity in Atlanta, and now the head coach has to prove that he can get Las Vegas back on the winning track.

In a final score that was surely shocking to much of the NFL, the Raiders lost in embarrassing fashion to the Falcons on Sunday, 43-6, putting their record at 6-5 their chances for the AFC playoffs in peril.

Nothing went right for Las Vegas, starting when coach Jon Gruden’s offense went four-plays-and-out when gifted a 1st-and-5 situation on the day’s first set of downs. The defense held Atlanta to a field goal on the ensuing drive, only to watch quarterback Derek Carr fumble from the pocket on his next opportunity, resulting in the first of five turnovers on the day for the Raiders.

Gruden blamed the utter collapse — against a very beatable Falcons team when the Raiders needed a win badly — on himself, and he even said he’s sorry about the entire ordeal.

“I’d like to apologize to the Raider Nation and compliment the Falcons. They played a hell of a football game, and we did not. The turnovers. The penalties. Inexcusable, and it’s a reflection of me. We’re a lot better team than that.

“When we got hit in the mouth with the 4th-and-1, the stop. Then we fumble the next play. We’ve got to get off the mat and fight back better as a coaching staff and as a football team. That’s something that we’ve got to take a look at. Like I said, it’s a reflection of me. I apologize to the Raider fans.” 

The Raiders also committed 11 penalties, adding up to a staggering 141 yards in losses. Carr’s early fumble was one of his three on the day, and they were all recovered by the defense. The QB has now lost eight fumbles on the season.

In fact, in total, it was a historically bad performance by the Raiders, according to ESPN’s Jason McCallum.

But it’s still surprising that the high-powered Raiders’ offense didn’t get moving before it was too late. Their maligned defense played well enough to allow for a slow start from the group. Gruden and Carr could find no such magic, however.

So what happened? Coach Jon Gruden was facing a former assistant in Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris. Gruden is now 1-3 in that situation, according to the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow. Could that have affected the offense so terribly?

When asked postgame about Morris by the Raiders Wire’s Levi Damien, Gruden said: “We had some players open. We had opportunities to make plays. I’m not going to sit here and say anything else. We had plenty of opportunities, they made more plays than we did, and it snowballed on us today. And when you turn the ball over five times and have 120 yards of penalties, you got no chance.”

Whatever the reason for this shocking loss, the Raiders blew a huge opportunity in Atlanta. They must notch some wins immediately to make a playoff push, starting next weekend in New York against the Jets. Las Vegas has to prove its performance in Atlanta wasn’t a true reflection of the head coach and get back to lighting up the scoreboard as they have for most of the campaign.

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Raiders coach Jon Gruden takes team-first approach with struggling defense

The Raiders defense allowed a late game-winning score to the Chiefs, but coach Jon Gruden isn’t pointing fingers.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden wasn’t in the mood to point fingers on Monday, a day after Las Vegas lost a nail-biter to the Chiefs, 35-31. Well, not at individual players, anyway.

His team pulled ahead of the world champion Chiefs with just 1:43 remaining in the game, thanks to a touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Carr to tight end Jason Witten. The Raiders defense failed to make a play when it mattered most, however, and QB Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce wide open in the end zone with 28 seconds on the clock, sealing Las Vegas’ fate.

Second-year safety Johnathan Abram made a glaring mistake on Kelce’s TD grab, failing to drop back into coverage when he saw Mahomes creep toward the line of scrimmage. Gruden took a team-first approach to the failure on defense, however, rather than blame Abram for the loss.

“I’m not going to single out any player at any press conference,” he told reporters on Monday when asked about Abram, one of the Raiders’ most talented players. “We lost that game yesterday because we didn’t get it done. We all got to focus better. We all got to play better and certainly, we all have to coach better.”

Gruden didn’t criticize Abram and spread the blame, and he also declined to praise any of his defenders when given the chance. Asked if any players stood out on film despite the high-scoring performance from the Chiefs, Gruden simply repeated his team-first approach, while acknowledging some adverse conditions. 

“We didn’t play well enough on defense. And we can make a lot of excuses and legitimate excuses for that. We’re missing some key players. We have a young secondary,” Gruden said. “We had guys that didn’t practice. We played the world champions coming off a bye week. But we, I say we, me included, we gave up 36 first downs and we didn’t get it done. We’ve got to play a lot better. Because Atlanta, the team we’re about to play, is capable of doing the same thing.”

It’s true that the defense had a challenging week, with much of the group, including Abram, on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and unable to practice. That’s rough when you have to prepare for a potent offense like Kansas City’s. The pandemic has been a challenge for every team this season, however.

But while Gruden isn’t pointing fingers at his players while talking to the media, he must be sore at coming so close to beating the Chiefs for the second time this season. Instead, he watched his defense, under the direction of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, make Kansas City’s game-sealing drive look exceedingly easy.

With Gruden’s disappointment and newfound responsibility, even for the 36 first downs amassed by the Chiefs, he’ll likely pay more attention to the defensive side of the ball moving forward, especially with Carr’s command of his offense. And it’s a safe bet Gruden was more precise in criticizing his players behind closed doors after the Chiefs game, as he attempts to steer Las Vegas to the playoffs.

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Jon Gruden says DC Paul Guenther is a ‘good coach,’ calls mistakes on defense ‘very correctable’

Raiders coach Jon Gruden called defensive coordinator Paul Guenther ‘a good coach’ and said mistakes on defense are ‘very correctable.’

When coach Jon Gruden returned to the Raiders, he brought defensive coordinator Paul Guenther with him. He’s a disciple of Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, whose defense Gruden constantly praised from the Monday Night Football broadcast booth.

But four games into the pair’s third year of a roster rebuild, Guenther’s defense isn’t keeping pace with Gruden’s offense. In the Raiders’ loss to the Bills in Week 3, Guenther’s group allowed 30 points.

Gruden says the mistakes on defense are correctable, however. And he gave Guenther his stamp of approval.

“I know he’s a good coach. And I know the mistakes were very correctable and we’ll correct them,” Gruden told reporters on Monday, when asked about Guenther. 

That may or may not be true, but Guenther’s defenses have been among the worst in the NFL during his tenure with the Raiders, which started in 2018. According to the Associated Press, the Las Vegas defense under Guenther is second to last in points allowed per game, in addition to ranking near the bottom of the league in various other categories.

Gruden seemed to expand a bit on his comment when asked about the absence of rookie cornerback Damon Arnette.

“I think we played pretty good. We just have to eliminate the mistakes,” Gruden said. “The first touchdown pass, we’re in a man-to-man coverage and we have a couple of guys who don’t play man-to-man. It’s not that hard. That’s very correctable, and it’s going to get corrected. If we eliminate the mistakes, we can be a whole lot better.”

Gruden was referring to the Bills’ first touchdown of the day when CB Amik Robertson was beaten badly for a touchdown — on his first day as a pro.

And that says a lot about the Raiders predicament. The defense is young, and there was no preseason. So there is room for growth, to be sure. At some point, Guenther must show that progress, no matter who is on the field.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden set to match wits with his ‘tuck rule’ foe, Patriots coach Bill Belichick

Raiders coach Jon Gruden suffered a landmark defeat to Patriots coach Bill Belichick in 20001 and had never beaten the New England coach.

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It’s been a long time since Jon Gruden went to New England as Raiders coach, as he’ll do this Sunday against the Patriots. A lot has happened since that day. Some things haven’t happened at all.

The year was 2002, and the Raiders lost the landmark “tuck rule” game, a playoff classic in a snowy Foxboro Stadium. The general consensus is the Raiders were robbed of a win by the officials, despite a call that was technically — and incredibly — correct.

It was Gruden’s last game of his first run as Raiders coach, as he was traded to the Buccaneers after that season. He later won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, against the Raiders (also incredibly). But he’s never defeated Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was New England’s coach then just as he is now.

Belichick has racked up six Super Bowl titles since the “tuck rule” game, which greatly aided the start of the Patriots’ dynastic run, led by Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, who has since moved to the NFC. New England won its first title in 2002 after beating Gruden and the Raiders in the controversial playoff game.

And though Gruden moved on to Tampa Bay and had success, he lost to Belichick in his only chance with the Bucs. According to the Associated Press Gruden is 0-2 lifetime against his “tuck rule” foe, who is a defensive guru.

In fact, in Gruden’s second loss to the Patriots, his offense failed to score a single point.

It’s just two games, due to Gruden choosing the Monday Night Football booth over the sidelines for years, but the competitive Gruden surely wants to prove his modern, west coast offense can overmatch Belichick’s defense.

Especially considering that through two games in 2020, the Raiders offense has carried the club, with the defense struggling mightily. Can they continue their hot streak against Belichick on the road, setting up a possible victory?

First of all, Gruden will be without starting right tackle Trent Brown once again. But that hasn’t stopped the Raiders from scoring 34 points in each of their first two games.

Also, Las Vegas won’t have the services of wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, who was ruled out on Friday.

Though Ruggs III has made an impact, quarterback Derek Carr completed passes to 11 different receivers against the Saints. Veteran wideouts Zay Jones and Nelson Agholor contributed in the Week 2 win, and they should be ready to step up in New England.

The two biggest factors for Gruden are still in play. That’s running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Darren Waller. Jacobs, along with a high-performing offensive line through two weeks, makes Gruden’s offense go. Success in the run game makes everything easier for the Raiders’ offense and allows the defense to remain fresh, too.

Through two games, the Patriots allow 4.2 yards per rush, good for No. 11 in the NFL. Creating lanes for Jacobs will be a tough task for Las Vegas, which is also dealing with an injury to guard Richie Incognito.

But if the Raiders are to keep their high-scoring offense rolling, the run game must be established to some degree. Belichick is likely to pay special attention to Waller in the passing game, but if Jacobs is a threat and Waller occupies multiple defenders, the Raiders can use play-action and Carr’s other receivers should be open.

Especially considering that New England allows 8.3 yards per pass attempt, which is the 25th best mark in the NFL thus far. Carr, who had three touchdown throws in Week 2 with a QB rating of 120.9, will be counted on by Gruden to perform, whether the run game gets going or not.

In fact, it’s possible that Gruden prepares a pass-heavy gameplan. Though that’s unlikely considering the Raiders’ strength on offense.

Regardless, if the offense can score more than 30 points once again, they’ll give themselves a great chance to go 3-0 on the year. That’s an incredibly high number, however — scoring that many points per game seemed like just a dream during the offseason.

But the Raiders’ offense is hot. This is the time for Gruden to finally beat Belichick — the unquestioned best coach in the NFL — and his defense.

And while winning on Sunday wouldn’t erase the “tuck rule” game, when cornerback Charles Woodson forced Brady to fumble, um, I mean, to throw an incomplete pass, it could create brand new memories, not to mention put Las Vegas at 3-0.

“He did fumble that damn ball,” Gruden said Tuesday, of the infamous play. “But, I kind of felt like I was back in a time warp seeing Sean Payton and Drew Brees last night. Carolina Panthers, I thought I was back in the NFC South. Anytime you step in a stadium like that, it does bring back memories. Some of the memories aren’t great, but we’re excited to play.” 

That’s because Gruden wants to start his own dynasty, just as the Patriots did with an assist from the tuck rule back in ’02. He’d love for his mission to get a boost against New England, and Belichick stands in his way. One game at a time, however, and this has a chance to be a big one for Gruden and the Raiders.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s favorite part about Allegiant Stadium so far? Vegas, baby

There’s presumably a lot to like about the Las Vegas Raiders’ new Allegiant Stadium, but so far, coach Jon Gruden digs the location most.

At long last, the Raiders christened Allegiant Stadium on Friday, and there’s clearly much to like about the place. A grass field in an enclosed structure, black seats, new locker rooms and more.

Players gushed about their brand-new Las Vegas home after the Raiders’ first practice session inside the friendly confines. Coach Jon Gruden was impressed as well, but so far, his favorite part of Allegiant is its location.

“My favorite thing is just driving in there,” Gruden said after training camp practice on Friday. “Just driving down the strip, looking across the street, seeing the beautiful casinos. And then seeing this facility that we get a chance to play in.”

The Raiders are indeed in the entertainment capital of the world, near the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, and Gruden seems to love it. Incredibly, it wasn’t long ago that having an NFL team in fabulous Las Vegas, with all its glitz and glamour, was unthinkable due in part to the city’s legal gambling.

For years, the NFL maintained a safe distance from grand casinos and their sportsbooks, which have the potential to threaten the integrity of any professional sport. If a player, coach, official or anyone associated with the NFL wagers on league games, that’s a huge potential problem.

Just last year, for example, the NFL suspended Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw indefinitely for betting on league games, which is against official NFL policy.

Elsewhere, Major League Baseball legend Pete Rose earned a lifetime ban from his sport after the league determined Rose wagered on games he managed. In the NBA, former referee Tim Donaghy colluded with gamblers in games he worked. Donaghy served 15 months in federal prison for his numerous offenses.

Not one of them needed Las Vegas as home base to make those poor decisions, however. But the NFL’s theory appeared to involve keeping the city of Las Vegas at an arm’s length. Ironically, increased legal gambling on the internet, including fantasy football, has changed the perception of the industry, which only helped the Raiders’ cause.

But it’s still quite a sight to see a $2 billion NFL-ready stadium next to Las Vegas casinos. Coach Gruden is enjoying the view, and the NFL soon will as well. Hopefully for the Raiders, even more reasons to love Allegiant Stadium arise as the franchise gets to know its new home.

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Ex-NFL GM: There’s a ‘significant disconnect’ between Raiders coach Jon Gruden and Derek Carr

The Raiders’ offense has fallen apart midseason, and a former NFL general manager says the team’s coach and QB have a strained relationship.

Offensive woes have plagued the Raiders during their current four-game losing streak, which reached historic proportions after they fell to the Jaguars last Sunday. It was, in all likelihood, the final Raiders game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Oakland led at halftime, 16-3, but didn’t score a single point in the second stanza. The Raiders watched as the Jaguars tallied 17 points themselves to wrestle the game away and stun the home crowd.

Significant anger was one result of the game, with quarterback Derek Carr leaving the field to a chorus of boos from a portion of the fans. But whether vocal or not, nobody left The Coliseum happy that day, except for the Jaguars.

Another result of the game is a report from The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi. The former NFL general manager, who worked with Raiders coach Jon Gruden during Gruden’s first stint as Oakland coach, says he doesn’t see the Raiders improving next season with Carr as QB because Carr and Gruden don’t see eye to eye.

There is a significant disconnect between the coach and the quarterback. Gruden and Carr will play nice; they will say all the positives about one another. Still, having been around Gruden for many of those good years in Oakland, I know what he loves in quarterbacks: the toughness, the grit, the willingness to sacrifice, and a competitive drive to match his own. Carr makes too many mistakes with the ball, and whether it’s a fair assessment of his ability or not, he never displays the fire that would remind anyone of former quarterback Rich Gannon. Too many times he refuses to hold on for one more second, knowing he might get hit before releasing the ball.

Lombardi does point out that Carr’s game has improved under Gruden. During the coach’s tenure, Carr’s average yards per attempt is 7.5, the best mark of his career, per Lombardi.

But this report was mostly critical of Carr. Lombardi notes Carr’s subpar ability to make off-script plays, which was another strong suit of Rich Gannon, the former Raiders MVP QB. It’s also a skill prevalent in the NFL today, with the likes of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes among those leading the charge.

[Carr’s] not progressing when the play breaks down if Gruden’s play call is not perfect. He struggles to create big plays on his own. Usually the defense is at risk when a quarterback breaks the pocket. But when Carr leaves, the defense is never worried, as he is more likely to just throw the ball out of bounds than try to make a play.

That description brings to mind Carr’s throwaway late in the Raiders’ loss to the Titans two weeks ago when he broke free of the pocket but simply threw the ball out-of-bounds, though there was no risk save for a meaningless potential interception.

Lombardi goes on to predict Gruden will acquire another QB to challenge Carr, perhaps via a high draft pick. But a steady showing by Carr in the season’s last two weeks, or perhaps simply improved production in the second half of those games, could convince Gruden to continue building the roster around Carr, at least for the time being.

The needs of the club are numerous. Most notably, the wide receiver position needs attention, as does the front seven of the defense. Gruden might be wise to spend his draft picks there.

But as Lombardi points out, an ultra-competitive Gruden, with just a 10-20 record since he returned to the sideline, might feel he’s improved the roster enough already and be compelled to make a drastic change at his most important — and most scrutinized — position.

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