Raiders HC Jon Gruden can be a bit of a maniac. Before trading Khalil Mack last year, he essentially traded a third-round pick for a bag of oregano.
Puff, puff, gaff.
Enter Raiders new GM Mike Mayock, the intense NFL Draft guru that loves football like Gruden. They’re both nuts about it, but Gruden can’t really contain himself.
When Mayock watches film, he wears a stopwatch.
When Chucky watches film, he wears a straight-jacket.
Mayock & Gruden are a bit of a two-headed monster, kind of like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde – with Mayock as the noteworthy professor feeding off Gruden’s monster personality.
Mayock wants to make things that weren’t possible, possible, while Gruden just wants to make defenses piss their pants.
Raiders get a GM in Mayock who’s essentially been using NFL Network and football tape as a potion; to manage the monster within him that ran free when he last played football.
Enter Jon Gruden.
A crazy, sometimes violent personality that will do whatever he sees fit to get the win. Getting Mayock is a way for Gruden to stay more level-headed in his approach.
Every day Mayock comes up with well-nuanced, pragmatic solutions to the Raiders problems. To his credit, Jon Gruden, for the most part, does that too (except on defense).
Mayock can help balance out some of the chaos that goes on behind closed doors in Oakland. His hire has already paid dividends.
If Mayock wasn’t with the Raiders right now, Gruden would’ve probably traded one their three first round picks for Antonio Brown, because he just can’t help himself.
Now, the Raiders end up with a much better trade, getting Antonio Brown in exchange for a 3rd and 5th round draft pick this year.
That’s right, the Steelers literally got on all fours and said: “do me.”
Credit Mayock’s presence, helping the Raiders save some face rather than give in to the Steelers demands, not even budging when they asked for a second-round draft pick.
When it comes to trades, usually the Raiders are the butt of all jokes.
But the Dr. has landed, folks.
With four picks in the top 35, the NFL Draft expert is going to look Gruden right in the face every pick because he ain’t here to just say, “OK then..”.
From his NFL Network analyst days, from 2004-2018 Mayock prepared himself for an opportunity like Gruden gave him here in Oakland. Now it’s up to both of them to work together and not kill each other in the process.
Gruden may get angry, tiresome and pudgy over important decisions, but Mayock is going to remain calm & collected.
Gruden might buy donuts just to spit on the wall and hold footballs underwater to see if they talk.
But Mayock won’t blink.
The dude in the GM chair knows how to manage this beast.
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