Former NFL head of officiating and current FOX analyst Mike Pereira was just getting started when he ripped Jon Gruden on Twitter during Monday night’s game.
With more time to think about Gruden’s failure to understand NFL rules, Pereira only got angrier.
"[Gruden] was a loudmouth as a coach who constantly disrespected officials and he is a blowhard in the broadcast booth who spouts off when he doesn’t know what he is talking about,” Pereira wrote in a column for FOXSports.com.
MDS did a great job explaining the plays in question from the Falcons-Saints game and the NFL’s clarification of the rules on Wednesday, so I won’t repeat that here. Instead, let’s hear Pereira explain why he has “very little respect” for Gruden’s understanding of the rules.
“To me, the second you agree to step into the broadcast booth, you agree to learn the rules. It goes with the job. You, as an announcer, have an obligation to know the rules. You are free to pontificate as to whether or not you like a rule, but you must present the rule first,” Pereira writes.
It’s a great point by Pereira. Far too often, NFL announcers don’t know a basic function of their role. It’s their job to educate the viewer. Instead, guys like Gruden often only add to the confusion and ignorance of fans watching at home.
Gruden stands in sharp contrast to his broadcast partner Mike Tirico, who stands out by knowing how to clearly apply the rulebook in any situation.
Perhaps Tirico can teach some seminars this offseason at the Fired Football Coaches Association.
(That’s assuming Gruden hasn’t been hired somewhere.)