For the past month, the biggest name on Rocky Top has been Jon Gruden.
With the need for the third coach in four years, this baby-faced, sandy blond, former Super Bowl-winning coach’s name has been trending on nearly every UT students’ Twitter in some form or another.
Gruden has repeatedly rebuffed any of UT’s offers, and yet the rumors persist. Nearly every day, some diehard UT fan will tweet out that they heard Gruden was checking out a local private school or that a friend of a friend’s cousin saw Gruden’s great aunt at a Walmart, and she all but guaranteed that he was going to be UT’s next coach.
Honestly, it’s kind of ridiculous. How many times does a man need to say he’s not interested before a fan base gets the point? Obviously, the answer would have to be more than twice.
Personally, I am one of the few Vol fans that want nothing to do with Gruden being UT’s next coach. I don’t think he would be good at the job; I don’t even think he was good at his other jobs.
Now before I get crucified for blaspheming against the football titan that is Jon Gruden’s “legacy,” look at the circumstances surrounding Gruden’s success.
Gruden was an alright coach with the Raiders. He was an offensive-minded guy who took an above-average quarterback in Rich Gannon and turned him into a Pro-Bowler (he would even go on to be the NFL MVP the year after he left). But he also had the benefit of two of the most productive receivers in the history of the game, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice (who combined for 37,829 yards, 313 touchdowns and 22 Pro Bowls) and an underrated all-purpose back in Charlie Garner. Gruden made the Raiders into a playoff team, but the foundation was already laid by acquisitions before him. He was the right guy in the right place.
Gruden’s success was even more serendipitous when he went to Tampa Bay. With the Bucs, Gruden walked into a Hall of Fame defense led by Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber, who can be considered all-time greats at their positions. Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin had laid the groundwork for that historic defense, and Gruden simply had to not mess up a winning formula. Not only were their great players at every level of that defense, Gruden was blessed with multi-Pro Bowlers in Brad Johnson, Mike Alstott, Keyshawn Johnson and Simeon Rice. Few coaches have ever walked into a job with a more stocked cupboard. And even his Super Bowl win isn’t without a lucky push, as he was playing not only his former team, but the Raiders hadn’t even changed the audibles they had been using when he was coach. Gruden literally knew the strengths and weaknesses of every player, every play and what the teams were calling.
Also it’s important to note that after his crowning achievement in the Super Bowl, Gruden not only failed at developing any of the talent he had a hand in drafting, but could also only manage three more winning seasons. In fact, discounting his first team at essentially the helm of Tony Dungy’s team, Gruden only went 45-51 as the head coach of the Bucs.
And that right there is supposed to be the savior of UT football. A barely .500 coach, who has only shown an ability to be successful if you give him one of the greatest defenses of all-time, Gruden is a coach who can only succeed when he has a lot of talent to work with (something he would not have here).
No, I don’t think Jon Gruden will be UT’s next coach, and I don’t even understand why he’s in consideration in some people’s mind. To me, he has been riding the coattails of better players to success, and shown an inability to develop any of the talent he brought in (not a single one of his first round picks with Tampa Bay made a Pro Bowl with Gruden as their coach).
UT needs more than just a big name from ESPN. They need a real coach. They need a man who can recruit, who can plan for games, who can rebuild a proud program and who can actually keep a job. UT doesn’t need Jon Gruden. UT shouldn’t want Jon Gruden.
— Preston Peeden is a senior in history. He can be reached at [email protected].
