Does Raiders head coach Jon Gruden get a pass?
A 10-year $100 million contract given by the Raiders will likely give Gruden some leeway, but let’s dissect a bit shall we. In his first tenure with the Raiders, Gruden went 8-8 twice and 12-4 and 11-5 with the “Snow Game” somewhere along the way. In his first two years back, he’s gone 4-12 and 7-9. The 7-9 record last year was a bit of a surprise though. Raider Nation thought there would be an improvement, not battling for a playoff spot in December.
A troubling trend with Gruden is his all-time December record, 20-35. Again, let’s look at 98′ Raiders record; they started the year 7-3 and ended 8-8. Let’s go forward to 2019, where the Silver and Black had a 6-4 after Week 11 and finished 7-9. Will Gruden’s lengthy deal shield him from criticism?
Last season, the Raiders, with a lot on the line, played against the lowly New York Jets and got rocked. The following week, the Chiefs crushed them. The Jets game was a trap game and Gruden has to elevate the team to be ready for the challenge, especially when the Raiders had struggled against the winless Bengals the week before.
This Raiders team is young and had growing pains true. Nevertheless, it’s a trend we see that is unsettling for late-season breakdowns under Gruden. This season, the team has depth and has improved in many spots.
Can Gruden bring a playoff spot to Vegas? Gruden’s seat may just be getting warm, but not boiling hot yet. If the trend continues though, it will turn up by next season.
So who’s sitting on fire?
Guenther’s rear should be hot, but Carr is on his heels as well. A make or break year for both and with their replacements behind them, both will have to show something or say goodbye to Raider Nation.
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Main Photo: Rick Scuteri/Associated Press