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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Jon & Jay: The Gruden Brothers

Winning is a magnificent obsession to the Gruden brothers
by: Steve Silverman
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He has become one of the best coaches in the NFL. Jon Gruden may be small of stature, but his commanding presence on the sidelines has been one of the main reasons the Raiders have become one of the elite teams in professional football after a long stay in mediocrity.

Gruden speaks volumes with every grimace and every gesture. But coaching for Gruden is more than just an emotional display. In the moments that the camera doesn't see, he is all about teaching, communication and preparation. His approach has been the same since he started as a quarterback coach at Dayton in 1982 - but his responsibilities have grown tremendously each step of the way.

"His approach to the game and his approach to players is much the same now as it was in Philly," said Raiders backup quarterback Rodney Peete, who was with the Eagles when Gruden was their offensive coordinator from 1995 through 1997. "He has more responsibility now, being the head coach, but his interaction with us, as players, hasn't changed that much at all."

The Gruden brothers come by their interest in football honestly. Their father Jim Gruden is a regional scout for the San Francisco 49ers and was also an assistant coach at Tampa Bay under John McKay and at Notre Dame under Dan Devine.

When he was with the Eagles, Gruden was up in the pressbox during games and only those on the other end of his head set really knew how intense he was. But as the head coach, Gruden is on the sidelines, in full view of spectators, players and television cameras. His game-day demeanor has made him a national celebrity, and he has been given the nickname of Chucky, because he bares a facial resemblance to the bobble-headed doll who stars in a series of horror movies.

"Coach Gruden gets fired up like no coach I've ever seen," said Raider tight end Roland Williams. "Other guys had told me before I got here, but it's something to see his Chucky-ness in a game and in practice. The expressions on his face are priceless. He's a high-intensity guy and I love him."

His facial expressions and gestures are part of his coaching style. Is that style calculated to get a reaction from his players or TV audiences?

"I'm just coaching the game and I get excited," Gruden said. "I might give a guy a high-five or I might say something to help him maybe shake out of it. You do what you feel you have to do in a certain situation to try and win a game."

While he admits it's part of his coaching style, Gruden says he is definitely not doing it for the cameras. There's nothing calculated about it.

"I'm not thinking, 'Here's a great opportunity to show the world how excited I am.' There is nothing like that. Nor is it, 'Hey, I think I'll jump on this guy and get him excited and get him upset.' I try not to go down that route."

But he still gets his share of air time, particularly when he is upset with a player. .

"I also get in guys' faces when they do good," Gruden said. "I get excited when things go good as well as when they don't. I am just an emotional guy and I hope I never change. I don't think I'm a heckuva lot different than anybody else. I don't know of a lot of coaches who just stand there when things are going good or when something bad happens. If that is the etiquette that I have to attain, I might be out of my league. I might not be able to do it."

Peete says those outbursts have no lingering effects. "The good thing about him is that he has those conversations, lets them go and then moves on. He doesn't take it personal in the heat of battle," he said. "I think that's something that the good coaches do. You have to be able to communicate with your players and let them know what you think, how you feel and how the guy can do it better the next time. Then you have to move on to the next thing.

"It's something not all coaches can do. When you're going at each other, sometimes a coach or a player can't really let it go and leave it on the field.

The Gruden File
Jon Gruden's coaching background
Years Position Team
1982-85 QB coach Dayton
1986-87 Graduate assistant Tennessee
1988 Passing game coordinator SW Missouri State
1989 WR coach Pacific
1990 Offensive assistant San Francisco 49ers
1991 WR coach Pittsburgh
1992-94 WR coach Green Bay Packers
1994-97 Offensive coordinator Philadelphia Eagles
1998-present Head coach Oakland Raiders
Jay Gruden's coaching background
1997 Offensive coordinator Nashville Kats (AFL)
1998-present Head coach Orlando Predators (AFL)

Sometimes they drag it on with them.

"Even if Jon gets into a heated battle with someone, even with Rich (Gannon) - and they go at each other from time to time on different philosophies and what they're thinking - it's over right away. They're able to let it go for the next play, the next series and the next week."

Gruden's success with the Raiders and his youth has made him one of the most frequently mentioned names whenever coaching openings are brought up. He has another year to go on his contract with the Raiders and is not likely to leave before it is up. However, he has said that the Notre Dame coaching position is one that would hold a lot of interest for him. But for now, his only aspiration is to bring the Raiders a Super Bowl title.

Gruden's intensity is not just seen on the football field. He's a competitor when he's playing golf or participating in any recreational activity. "When I miss a 4-foot putt I usually talk to my putter," he said. "When I shank my 6-iron, the 6-iron usually gets bent over the knee. When I hit a good shot, I march down that fairway with my chest sticking out. That's just the way it's always been with pinball or cards. If I don't like the hand, by God, I'll let the dealer know that I don't like that hand.

"That's just the way I am.

His 33-year-old brother Jay Gruden has the same type of personality and the same profession.

Jay Gruden coaches the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League and just completed his fourth year in that position. Before becoming the team's head coach, he had been the offensive coordinator for the AFL's Nashville Kats.

Gruden had been a highly successful quarterback in the indoor league from 1991 through 1996 with the Tampa Bay Storm. During those six years, Gruden completed 59.6 percent of his passes and had a 280-89 touchdown to interception ratio.

Gruden wasted no time in transferring his excellence to the sidelines. He has won league championships in two of his four seasons as the Predators' head coach - including his rookie season of 1998. In winning the title, Gruden joined Tim Marcum (Denver, 1987) and Fran Curci (Tampa Bay, 1991) as the only coaches in AFL history to win championships in their first year.

As a player and a coach, Gruden has been to six ArenaBowls and has recorded five wins in those games. He is the only man in league history to win championships as both a player and a coach.

The 2001 season was not as successful for Gruden, as his Predators were eliminated from the AFL playoffs in the first round by the expansion Chicago Rush. Even though Orlando had lost three of its final five games heading into the playoffs, Gruden did not expect to see his team to make such an early exit. Gruden has made a habit of not only winning, but also challenging for a championship every season since he took over the Predators' head-coaching job four years ago. The team had appeared in the past three ArenaBowls and won the title in both 1998 and 2000.

"This is the first time that I've been knocked out of the first round of the playoffs since 1994, back when I was still playing quarterback for Tampa," Gruden said. "It's funny, I can remember those [disappointing] years when we got knocked out better than I can the years that we won the ArenaBowls.

"We just weren't a very smart and disciplined football team. And I have to take responsibility for that. But you also have to give credit to Chicago. They played well and we didn't."

That's the kind of attitude you can expect from a coach who looks at his profession as a way of life and not just a job.

Prior to his involvement with the indoor game, Gruden played his college football at Louisville under Howard Schnellenberger. Gruden set school passing marks in nearly every significant passing category and won team MVP honors in 1987 and '88. After his college career, he became a graduate assistant under Schnellenberger, helping coach Louisville to the Fiesta Bowl where the Cardinals upset Alabama.

The Gruden brothers come by their interest in football honestly. Their father Jim Gruden is a regional scout for the San Francisco 49ers and was also an assistant coach at Tampa Bay under John McKay and at Notre Dame under Dan Devine.

While Jay has already won a league championship, he often kids his big brother with a special invitation.

"My brother Jay, he wants me to work for the Predators," Jon said. "He's always on me about that."

While that's not likely to happen, don't be surprised to see in the NFL as an assistant coach before long. He's got the background, the desire and he knows where he can find a blueprint for success without too much trouble.






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