It wasn’t much of a surprise that the Las Vegas Raiders hired Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator today.
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has proven time and time again that he prefers his inner circle of friends and known colleagues for his coaching hires. At times, this is to the team’s detriment as evident by the Paul Guenther fiasco. Clearly, Guenther was way in over his head as Raiders defensive coordinator as the unit had a historically bad year. With his dismissal later in the season, Las Vegas brass moved quickly and have now replaced him with Gus Bradley. Yes, you guessed it, another Gruden disciple.
So what did Twitter have to say about this hire? Let’s take a look as well as a closer look at Bradley’s addition.
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Raiders head coach Jon Gruden brings in a familiar face..
Bradley was Gruden’s linebackers coach back during his stay as Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach. He was a part of Monte Kiffin’s defensive staff from 2006-2008. He was eventually hired to be the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Fans are hoping that the Silver and Black will be getting the coordinator that had units ranked ninth and fourth in yards allowed, from 2011-2012.
His most recent gig as Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator has been a mixed bag. From 2017 through 2020, his defenses were ranked 15th, ninth, sixth, and 10th in yards allowed, so what are people saying?
Happy for coach Bradley! Great coach but also a great person!
— Allen Robinson II (@AllenRobinson) January 12, 2021
I expected Gus Bradley.
— Maurice Moton (@MoeMoton) January 12, 2021
With him, I think the #Raiders really try to work with Beasley and McKinley, who are both familiar with his scheme from their time in ATL. https://t.co/tcZAElEz61
Rod Marinelli will remain as #Raiders DL coach under new DC Gus Bradley.
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) January 12, 2021
The takeaways the last couple years, as well as low blitz percentage, were some red flags.
— Joe Reedy (@joereedy) January 12, 2021
There were several takeaways from Bradley’s hire. Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report believes that Bradley’s addition will mean the Raiders will try to make use of Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley. If this turns out to be true, Las Vegas might have a crowded defensive line, negating the possibility of drafting an EDGE prospect.
Another takeaway and maybe, the most important, is that the ‘Bolts’ under Bradley did not blitz very much, per Joe Reedy of the Associated Press. This will no doubt infuriate fans who have pounded the table for years for Guenther to call more blitzes. This will be an interesting hire for sure and it will certainly affect how the team decides at April’s NFL draft.
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*Top Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports