Jon Gruden rails against new NFL rules - 'Some genius thought that ...'
When Jon Gruden announced he was returning to the NFL as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, the skeptics wondered how he would adapt to today’s game.
After all, returning to any job after 10 years would require a learning process for any worker. For someone who has been removed from the grind of NFL coaching, that learning process might taken even longer.
In an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Gruden said getting used to the long hours required of coaches is not the biggest adjustment of his return to coaching. Instead, it’s the NFL’s offseason rules.
Since Gruden last coached with Tampa Bay in 2008, the amount and type of contact coaches and players are allowed to have has changed. For instance, once the regular season ends, coaches can’t arrange meetings with players to discuss football strategies until April.
For a coach as intense as Gruden, any day not spent preparing for the upcoming season is a wasted day. That’s why he’s so frustrated with the lack of contact he can have with his new players in the offseason.
“I think the biggest [difference] is the collective bargaining agreement,” Gruden said. “You’re not allowed to be with your players. Some genius thought that would be great, that we’re not even allowed to talk to our players. So that’s been a big challenge. Changing the way you put together your offseason program, the way you put together training camp, as you consider all the changes in the collective bargaining agreement that was put in place.”
The new offseason rules were designed with player safety in mind. They limit what teams can ask of players in terms of practices, organized team activities — better known as OTAs — and even mandatory workouts.
But while the rules are designed to protect players physically, Gruden is frustrated with not being able to work with players, such as quarterback Derek Carr, who he would love to spend time with and begin the process of teaching him a new offense.
Not only does Gruden dislike the new rules, he believes a number of players don’t like aspects of the offseason rules as well.
“I hate it, personally,” Gruden said. “When I was out of coaching, I had players come and visit me to help them with getting their football fix. A lot of these guys want to work. A lot of these guys are dying to work. And a lot of these men have hired independent coaches to help them work. But the big thing is, I just want to start having relationships with these guys, learn what makes them tick. What motivates them. How they learn.
“The only way you can learn is by being with people, but there’s some geniuses out there that have put together this formula, and we’re going to certainly abide by the rules.”
To stay in line with the NFL’s rules, Gruden has spent his first month as Raiders head coach hiring assistants and evaluating the players on the team’s roster. As for the players he is familiar with, Gruden said Carr is not the only star on team.
“I think we’ve got a great young quarterback. I think that’s enough to be excited about,” Gruden said. “I think a lot of our center [Rodney Hudson]. I think the quarterback-center battery is as good as I’ve ever had in football. I’m really excited about the two guards [Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson], obviously. That’s the strength of this team. And Khalil Mack, I think he’s a proven superstar football player. I think the excitement around working with Amari Cooper is just certainly pretty cool.
“There’s some people in place, but we’ve got a number of issues that are concerning right now and we’re focusing on them.”
While Gruden has been out of coaching for 10 years, it’s been 17 years since his first stint as head coach of the Raiders. One of the biggest changes he’s noticed about his return to the Bay Area is one millions of California residents can relate to.
“Traffic has certainly picked up,” Gruden said. “I used to get up at 3:17. Now I’m probably going to have to get up at 2:17. I’m going to have to figure something out because I’m a terrible driver.”
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