The report that Colts owner Jim Irsay did indeed make a run at former Raiders and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden is fascinating, on many levels.
In order to fulfill my daily posting quota (and in recognition of your, and my, limited attention span), I’ll take them one at a time. Now, what was I talking about?
The ESPN report from Adam Schefter that Irsay did indeed reach out to Gruden does Gruden no favors. While, on the surface, it perpetuates the notion that he continues to be on the “A” list (even if most teams would say he isn’t), Gruden was forced to deny it on the record, sort of.
He said “I know nothing,” which could mean, “Irsay called my agent but my agent has standing orders to tell anyone and everyone I’m not interested -- unless the call from one of the few teams I’d want to work for.” Regardless, the end result is a new frontier of ESPN-on-ESPN crime, beyond two reporters reporting both sides of a story or Trent Dilfer suggesting that Schefter is a mouthpiece of the Patriots.
It also creates the impression that Gruden and/or his agent can’t be trusted to keep his mouth shut, since others will assume that Gruden or his agent were Schefter’s source. And that could make other teams less inclined to kick the tires on Gruden under circumstances where, for example, it’s important to avoid further undermining the current head coach who has yet to be fired.