Baywatch: after his blockbuster move from the Raiders to the Bucs, the coach's every decision will be scrutinized - Interview: Jon Gruden

Football Digest, August, 2002 by Barry Wilner

DON'T LET JON GRUDEN'S boyish looks deceive you. Despite being the youngest head coach in the NFL at 38, he is considered one of the best in the business, an offensive genius who has a terrific rapport with his players.

Gruden guided the Oakland Raiders to the AFC West title the past two seasons and into the AFC Championship Game in 2000. And were it not for the controversial "tuck rule" call in their divisional playoffs game against the Patriots at New England, the Raiders would have played for the AFC title again in '01.

When Gruden made it clear to Raiders owner Al Davis that he wouldn't sign a contract extension and would become a coaching free agent after the upcoming season, Davis initially didn't back down. But once Davis realized he would lose the coveted Gruden quicker than the owner can complain about Paul Tagliabue, negotiations were reopened with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And as soon as the Buccaneers agreed to the king's ransom Davis demanded--two first-round draft picks, a pair of second-rounders, and $8 million--Gruden headed from Oakland to Tampa ... with a five-year, $17.5 million contract in hand.

Gruden is faced with a far different challenge than he had in Oakland. The Raiders were potent on offense--Gruden's area of expertise--and serviceable on defense. The Bucs, in contrast, have a terrific defense but an offense that hasn't been capable of carrying the load. What's more, the Buccaneers begin play in 2002 in the NFC South and aren't all that familiar with their new divisional foes: the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints.

Can Gruden make the difference for the Buccaneers, who in recent years failed to become the Super Bowl team many NFL observers thought they should be? We know this much: As one of the hottest coaches in the game today, his every move will be followed by the national press. That's why FOOTBALL DIGEST wanted to hear what he had to say as he began trying to shape his new team.

FOOTBALL DIGEST: How big an adjustment are you making in switching from the Raiders to the Bucs, from the AFC to the NFC?

JON GRUDEN: For one thing, you're putting in a whole new offense and doing it with guys from different parts of the country who haven't played it. We've needed to talk a lot about the offense with these guys. It's sort of like I am coaching the new staff and the players in this. But it feels like I've been with the Bucs for four or five years now. There's a lot of work to get done.

FD: The teams in your division are not exactly familiar territory for you or for the Buccaneers.

JG: It will be different. The common rivalries for the Bucs are gone. This has an NFC West flavor; it's as if we're in the wrong division. The Bucs have been impacted by realignment as much as anyone in the league. There are no rivalries we have had, but it's very exciting.

FD: Do you have any bitterness toward Al Davis or the Raiders for the way things ended in Oakland?

JG: Not at all. I had a great experience in Oakland. Anything that happened is irrelevant now. I am real excited about the future with the Bucs and eager to get it started.

FD: You left behind one of your favorite players in Rich Gannon, who developed into a Pro Bowl quarterback. How did he take to your leaving?

JG: The news broke in the middle of the night, before I had a chance to call him. When I woke up the next morning, I was not sure if I dreamed it or it was reality. Rich called me and had seen it on ESPN. He thanked me for what we'd done. I'll miss him. He's a great quarterback, a great guy, and one of the great competitors in this league.

FD: He certainly helped settle your quarterbacking in Oakland.

JG: Yeah. Nothing was settled when I went out to Oakland. We had Jeff George then, but we had three different starters my first year [in 1998]. Then we acquired Rich Gannon [in 1999], a guy a lot of people said couldn't be a starting quarterback--until he came in and rolled his sleeves up.

FD: Your quarterback situation isn't exactly set in Tampa.

JG: We have Brad [Johnson], who has taken three different teams to the playoffs, which is a nice track record. Shaun King has an impressive record as a starter when he has played. Rob [Johnson] is a guy we signed [this offseason] as a free agent who has a lot of interesting characteristics.

FD: What attracted you to Rob Johnson, who had a difficult time as a starter on the Buffalo Bills?

JG: He's 6'4" and 218 pounds, athletic, and quick, with a strong and accurate arm. He's also young. Those are real interesting qualities. And he's been a starter in the NFL.

FD: You've worked with many good quarterbacks, but this is not a league filled with them right now, is it?

JG: It takes time for a quarterback to understand your system and what is going on in the league. They also get a little nervous because they feel the pressure from peers and from the media. Sometimes the development of a quarterback is stunted by a lot of other things, like injuries or they lose a coordinator or personnel changes.