APDuring Monday night’s game between the Falcons and Saints, as we were watching and waiting for Drew Brees to surpass Dan Marino’s all-time single-season passing yardage record, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune dropped a bomb.
Acee reported that Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden has decided to return to coaching in 2012, and that he could join Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith in a package deal in St. Louis.
On Tuesday, ESPN said in a statement that Gruden “remains committed” to the network. But Gruden hasn’t said a word.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Gruden plans to coach. It could be that he simply wants to be pursued, so that he can then have his agent leak to the media that he’s being pursued, which will keep him at the top of the “A” list in 2013, when Gruden could decide he’s no longer “committed” to ESPN. Or it could be that he’s trying to play hard to get, in order to maximize his leverage.
Either way, few believe that he’ll be the coach of the Rams. Multiple sources have indicated that Gruden won’t be inclined to coach in St. Louis, for a variety of reasons (including but not limited to the climate).
Moreover, few believe that Gruden and Smith would be able to work together. “They would obliterate each other with ego,” one league source said. The source believes, as we suspected, that Smith is trying to save his skin in San Diego, and that he’s floating the St. Louis alternative as a way to persuade ownership in San Diego to keep Smith and pursue Gruden.
Regardless, until Gruden does what Tony Dungy has done on multiple occasions (i.e., state unequivocally that he won’t be coaching in 2012), Gruden will be perceived to be in play for a job, even if he really isn’t.
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One of the reasons he won’t coach in St. Louis is the climate? Aren’t they a dome team? Isn’t he one of the coaches that basically has a cot in the office because he spends 16 hour days at work during the season? I don’t see how the local climate really effects him.
Every day, when he wakes up, Mike Ditka thanks his deity of choice that Jon Gruden stole away his “Most overrated coach to ever win the Super Bowl” award.
Note to Coach Gruden: the climate in Jacksonville is wonderful this time of year….
The only people who truly care if Gruden coaches again, are those who turn down the volume during MNF….
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s coaching in 2012. In fact, I would be surprised if he’s on MNF again next year. Both Jaws and Mike hate Jon. You can feel the tension between the three of them through every MNF broadcast, and it’s been kind of annoying for quite some time.
Why not just take the San Diego job? Then he can get all the credit for being a QB guru again and creating another star with Philip Rivers
a.j. smith is an idiot! gruden will only coach if he has the pieces in place. make that 2 idoits
Can you imagine how scared Sam Bradfordis of having John Grudenthrust into his life? How can you not feel bad for anyone on a team Gruden coaches. Effing Jerk.
The worst trio on t.v…Jaws needs to go..Gruden has that smirk on his face….Tirico was handed and bad deal…
Jacksonville is out for Gruden….
No.1 they don’t draw flies and cover half their stadium seats with tarps and second Blaine Gabbert sucks.
Also they are not in the suck for luck derby.
Every day, when he wakes up, Mike Ditka thanks his deity of choice that Jon Gruden stole away his “Most overrated coach to ever win the Super Bowl” award.
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Brian Billick is on line 1.
Let me tell you something Jaws. I like this guy A-J-Smith. This guy can flat out manage. You put him in an office with a cell phone and just let this guy go to work. If you have a wide receiver diva who wants too much money, Smith will reign him in. Jaws, this guy has been the best drafter in the history of the National Football League. Jaws, I want to work with A-J-Smith.
Jaworski is WAY worse than Chucky.
However, Theisman is the worst ever.
This guy is going to do what makes this guy happy.
I’d rather hire Dennis Miller or Tony Kornholer as my head coach
It is way more likely that JAY Gruden rather than JON Gruden will be a head coach next year.
Nothing conspicuous…Gruden hasn’t addressed rumors or heresay since he stepped in the NFL.
I pray that Jon Gruden gets a head coaching job.
His over praise and glad handing of every organization in the NFL and the way he badgers Ron Jaworski whenever Jaws tries to level actual insightful criticism of someone is embarrassing.
Three man booths in general are unnecessary, and a three man booth that features an attention hogging loud mouth who is openly campaigning for every job in the NFL is excruciating.
Why doesn’t ESPN understand that it doesn’t need booth theatrics for Monday Night Football? Here’s a little tip, fellas:
WE ARE ALL GOING TO WATCH ANYWAY.
So here’s hoping that 2012 brings a new job for Jon Gruden, and a 2 man booth for Monday Night Football.
Happy New Year, PFT Nation!
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Why would Gruden need an agent? PFT is better. He’s characterized as the merger of Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry’s football intellect in one brain. However, the fact is neither of those two would have nuked the Tampa franchise back to the stone age like Gruden did.
Matt Millen gets killed coast to coast. Gruden is the toast of the town. Both turned in the same work product. The power of marketing.
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For all the people who like to rip Gruden for winning with Dungy’s team and then causing the Bucs to unravel, there are some very important things to consider:
1) Dungy couldn’t win with Dungy’s team–Gruden did;
2) If not for the tuck rule, Gruden’s Raiders may very well have gone to the Super Bowl in ’01, and he left them in good enough shape that they did in fact get to the Super Bowl the next year;
3) Gruden kept the Bucs competetive year in and year out with the lowest payroll in the league.
Methinks the Bucs would love to have him right about now.
700levelvet says:Dec 29, 2011 9:22 AM
The only people who truly care if Gruden coaches again, are those who turn down the volume during MNF….
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Absolute truth here.
bdluckyshot, you say Chucky won with a team Tony couldn’t, but his successor at Oakland won with a team set up by Chucky. Make up your mind
Jaws sounds like a complete dummy quite a bit of the time and Gruden has to set him straight.
I would like Chucky here in SD – and he don’t need no Damned Lord of NO Rings looking over his shoulder.
Par for the course with Gruden… he was always looking for another job when he was coaching the Raiders! Al Davis looked bad making the deal for trading the guy to TB, but every year there were Gruden rumors of where he wanted to go. The whole time he would deny and deflect. He and his agent were always orchestrating a market for him, all the while he could look like a good guy by being silent and making it look like he wasnt doing that behind the scenes. This is his M.O. ! ESPN will think he is returning while he gets to shop for another offer – he is playing both sides. Dont trust this guy!
Everyone is a comic around here.
Not a HUGE Gruden guy, but fact is that Gruden knows 100 times more than any of you about the game of football.
Think about that as you post your internet dribble.
Your first mistake was believing anything Kevin Acee of the SD Union writes.
blaz0037 says:
Dec 29, 2011 11:43 AM
Everyone is a comic around here.
Not a HUGE Gruden guy, but fact is that Gruden knows 100 times more than any of you about the game of football.
Think about that as you post your internet dribble.
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Yeah- and I know 100 times more about what I do for a living than Jon Gruden does.
What’s your point?
I would certainly expect someone who is an ex-coach and currently makes his living talking about football to know more about the game than I.
Doesn’t mean I can’t have an opinion.
Anything that gets him off MNF is a plus for me.
The only reason Gruden won that Superbowl is because Callahan didn’t CHANGE THE SYSTEM THAT GRUDEN PUT IN! How hard is it to win when you know the other teams plays and audibles……
Who Cares?
I think climate is code for crappy team
They should get Bill Bergey on Monday Night Football.
I still think that Gruden is holding out for a college job. Possibly Tennessee, where he has a home and family. Also, he was an assistant there. Since Derrick Dooley is in a make or break year for the Vols, all he has to do is wait one more short college season from having a job that pays as well as the NFL and requires less work. Plus, recuiting seems to be something that he would be good at.
anything to get that irritatting little twerp off MNF is ok by me!i’d like to see torrico get canned too,but i do like jaws on there cause at least he tries!
Jaws is a nice guy but really sounds like an idiot at times.
Gruden is an enigma. He created a great offense with the Raiders and made Gannon a star late in his career only to have the defense carry his teams for basically his entire time in Tampa. Whatever magic he had seems to have left him.
Side note: I still struggle to tell him and Jaws apart on MNF. Odd that they’d put two guys with such similar voices in the booth at the same time.
Gruden is crap.
Real simple. The guy making the dumber comments and usually trying to back some player, etc – is usually Jaws.