There aren’t many things more entertaining than the Raiders’ Gruden sound bite — whether it’s from Jon or Jay. Older brother Jon — thanks in large part to his tenure on Monday Night Football — is usually the culprit of a juicy Gruden-ism.
… But not on Wednesday
It was younger brother Jay who delivered an RKO of a Gruden-ism. It was an exhibition of unadulterated truth, trolling and comedic mastery.
The skinny: Jay’s Washington’s Redskins are one of five teams who can be forced to do HBO’s Hard Knocks series. Jon’s Oakland Raiders are one of those squads, too and when asked about his team being featured, Jay dropped:
“If we’re forced to [appear on Hard Knocks] then we’ll certainly have to make it work,” Gruden said. “I think really, if they were smart, they would go to Oakland. Seriously, what kind of entertainment value would that be? Antonio Brown, Jon Gruden, Paul Guenther, Vontaze Burfict, [Richie] Incognito, they gotta be crazy not to go to Oakland.”
Jay is absolutely right about Jon’s Raiders.
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You can argue Hard Knocks would be great or horrendous for the Raiders. Point to it be a distraction, uncovering the “mystique” of the Raiders, etc. What can’t be argued is what Jay poignantly pointed out: It’s high entertainment. Featuring the Raiders would win HBO award upon award for the entertainment value alone.
Not to be outdone by his older brother’s patented quips, Jay finished the thought in a manner only a Gruden can. When Jay noted HBO can do the Redskins next season, a wise reporter stated “not if you make the playoffs.”
Enter Jay: “If we don’t make the playoffs, I probably won’t be here anyways,” he said laughing. “They can come here and do it all they want.”
Let’s hit those Quick Slants as fast as Jay worked the media Wednesday:
- I can dig Raiders general manager Mike Mayock’s “you can’t have all boy scouts” comment when asked about recently signed offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Why? Oakland has the biggest boy scout in quarterback Derek Carr and he makes up for the slack.
- Do yourself a favor and watch the videos — on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram — of Antonio Brown practicing. Compare the speed and intensity he displays to his teammates. Say what you will about his off-field persona, there’s no argument on his on-field work ethic.
- Two undrafted free agents I’d like to see make a roster run: Wisconsin fullback Alec Ingold and UC Davis wide receiver Keelan Doss. Ingold is an old-school rhino lead blocker while Doss is a tall and fast slot-type wideout. Already have two headlines lying in wait — “Ingold We Trust” and, if Doss is cut “Doss Boot”.
- Gruden wants defensive end Arden Key to be a 260-pound defensive end at some point. Don’t know if that happens in his sophomore season, but perhaps in Year three. It’s difficult to envision Key going from 238 (currently) to 260 from here to September.
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