Coach Gruden Part II

#Smokescreen
James

@RaidersReporter

·
2h
It feels like we are seeing WAY MORE rumors about the #Raiders and draft picks this year than any other year under Reggie McKenzie. And no, I don't think the Gruden Raiders are more likely to leak. I think they're more likely to play the smoke screen game.
 
James

@RaidersReporter

·
2h
It feels like we are seeing WAY MORE rumors about the #Raiders and draft picks this year than any other year under Reggie McKenzie. And no, I don't think the Gruden Raiders are more likely to leak. I think they're more likely to play the smoke screen game.

How could Reggie smokescreen, anyway? He could give away our entire draft board, but nobody would be able to understand WTF he was saying.
 
All this talk about Gruden not wanting to modernize or whatever and all the reporters can talk about today is how we have video screens on the field so players can re-watch their reps right away at a mini camp practice. Don't tell me Gruden isn't going to use everything there is to try and get the team better and to win. He doesn't give a shit if it was a tactic from 1998 or new technology from today.
 
After providing the PC rationale for signing Worley (teammate of Joseph in college, where he knew Irvin, and the kid deserves a second chance), Gruden had a classic, follow-up response for a coach, “he can help us.” Gruden almost said it under his breath. It was a real and honest response. Gruden is here to win.
 

Jon Gruden comes out at full speed on first day of the Raiders voluntary minicamp


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By Vic Tafur Apr 25, 2018
The Raiders players came out for the morning walkthrough, hours before Tuesday’s first voluntary minicamp session, probably still a little sleepy from the offseason.

New coach Jon Gruden — you know, the one with the same look on his face as a maniacal killer children’s doll — thought he would have some fun, change things up right out of the starting gate.

He got rid of the “walk” part and players said they were surprised at the fast pace and sweat required early on.

Then, in the afternoon session, Gruden threw the kitchen sink at quarterback Derek Carr. And then another kitchen sink, also full of play changes and different looks.

“He threw everything at me,” Carr said afterward. “He tried to get me, see if I was listening to him in the meetings and those things. We had a lot of fun doing that. It’s always fun to accept his challenge and hopefully do good at it and look at him and wink at him.

“We have fun together because we know we both have the same goal in mind and that’s putting the ship in the water and hitting this thing running.”

Gruden said he was impressed with Carr Tuesday. Maybe he’s not worried about the struggles that Carr had on the field last season under the old staff.

“Well, I got really excited out there today,” Gruden said. “You can have a real creative imagination with that guy at your quarterback position. He can make every throw. It comes out of his hand fast and accurate. He’s mobile. He’s sharp. He’s a great leader.

“He choked this situation today, he was all over it. We tried to give him some audibles, different situations on the very first day, he didn’t blink. He’s a real, real good player.”

Gruden said he was pleased with his whole team, in what he stressed is a time for coaching and learning.

“Off to a good start,” he said. “It’s a teaching camp. Very, very happy with the results of today. We got a lot of reps. A lot of people got to showcase where they are in terms of learning our system. We obviously have a long way to go, but I’m very pleased with the first day.”

The players have been spending a lot of time with the strength and conditioning staff and in the classroom, as part of Phase 1 of the offseason program.

“So today was a little bit of an examination,” Gruden said. “We get a chance to see who can learn this stuff fast. Who’s a quick study and who isn’t. That may perhaps impact how we go into the draft.”

As in this weekend’s NFL Draft. So much for the board being set …

Former Packers receiver Jordy Nelson was impressed at where Gruden has set the bar so early.

“Just the amount of preparation that he wants us to have, the freedom I think with the quarterbacks at the line (of scrimmage),” Nelson said. “But, everyone being on the same page and communicating and that’s the expectation that he puts out there and that’s what we’ll continue building.”

That’s on top of the constant encouraging and trash-talking that Gruden offers before and during practice.

“It’s great,” Nelson said. “The energy level that he brings is amazing. And somehow I think he’s consistent with it day-in and day-out, which is pretty impressive. That’s fun and I think we’ll feed off of that. I think that’s kind of why we’re successful today and our tempo and what we were able to accomplish today, because he’s bringing the energy and it feeds down to the rest of us.”

Some questioned how Carr would respond to Gruden offering tough love at times. Carr says just fine, thanks.

“He’s hard on me,” Carr said. “He pushes me. He challenges me. It’s everything I want, because it’s everything I do for myself. I challenge myself. At the same time, he’ll tell me, ‘I love you, man,’ so you know how he feels about you.

“When he pushes you, you don’t care because you want to do anything for him. You want to go through a wall for him. I think our whole team feels like that. You can feel a little bit of difference around him. It’s really cool.”

Some players are even starting to sound like Gruden.

“Marshawn (Lynch) said (Gruden’s) so vocal that he’s starting to talk like him,” Carr said. “We’ll see how that goes. I think the Texas in me will not let that happen. Him being vocal is nothing new. That’s just who he is. …

“When you get out here, if he’s yelling or saying something, he knows exactly what he’s talking about so everyone is alert, paying attention and trying to learn. He’s won a Super Bowl. He knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Extra points
— Gruden said second-year defensive backs Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu, both coming off surgeries, are “real close” to returning to practice and participated in Tuesday’s morning walkthrough.

“For obvious reasons, we’re being careful with them this early in the process,” he said.

— Gruden is comfortable with adding cornerback Daryl Worley. The Eagles cut him last week after an intoxicated Worley was arrested, found passed out in a vehicle blocking a highway — with weapons in the car.

“Karl Joseph was his teammate at West Virginia,” Gruden said. “Bruce Irvin played at West Virginia. We have a lot of insight in him. Talked to some of his previous coaches. We think he deserves another chance. We’re happy to give him one. I think he’s learned his lesson. He has to prove that. And he can help us if he’s right.”

— Gruden broke out a new Jim Harbaugh-inspired video screen on the practice field.

“When we go out on the practice field, you run a play, not everybody gets that rep,” he said. “So, they can turn around after seeing the rep and they can see the replay of the rep and the coach can make points. So, it’s a great teaching tool for our team. … First time I saw it was from Harbaugh at Michigan. Then I saw the Miami Dolphins. I think Miami stole it from Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. I like it. So, thank you Coach Harbaugh.”

— Gruden hasn’t forgotten how media members made so much out of his “taking it back to 1998” comments at the NFL scouting combine. He was asked Tuesday about the new Raiders gear that he was sporting.

“I liked the old playing stuff,” he said. “You know the 1998 stuff you’ve been hearing about. … Somebody gave me a hat with a blacked-out logo, I said, ‘Get that the hell out of here. I want the old logo.’”
 
This is way late, so far he's off to a worst start than Shell 2.
 
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