Jon Gruden, Raiders bask in goodwill while they can

If there’s a prevailing theme to the Raiders' final seasons in Oakland, it’s the franchise hoping to placate hardcore supporters with fan service. Ever since the Raiders announced in March 2017 that they are bound for Las Vegas, they haven’t been content to exist in a depressing limbo. The Raiders have ditched Oakland before, but this time they’re making a concerted effort to bring fans with them.

Nearly a month after that announcement, they signed hometown hero Marshawn Lynch, a fine way to spur local interest that on the field resulted in a just OK 891 rushing yards and seven touchdowns over 15 starts in 2017. Maybe Lynch didn’t help elevate a team that entered last season anticipating a playoff run, but he was a welcome injection of personality that distracted from the underwhelming performance around him.

In 2018, putting an end to a decade of speculation about whether Jon Gruden would return to the sidelines, the Raiders brought home their former head coach who beat them in Super Bowl XXXVII a year after being traded to the Buccaneers for draft picks. That Gruden received an unprecedented 10-year, $100 million deal from the franchise is not altogether surprising given that he’s been a default name raised for years whenever a high-profile job becomes available.

What does make it strange, and even disconcerting if you envision that fabled commitment to excellence ever returning to the Raiders, is that it suggests all the wrong things about the direction of the franchise. In the waning years of Al Davis’ ownership of the team, the Raiders were consistently mocked for predictably bad personnel moves. For example, you could reliably count on the Raiders falling in love with skill players with little to offer but pure straight-line speed.

Now the predictable draw is star power. If a big acquisition can evoke some warm, fuzzy feelings about the city of Oakland, all the better. The new stadium in Las Vegas won’t be ready until 2020, meaning there could be another two seasons in Oakland. Since Gruden’s deal is for 10 years, his signing was a broader vote of confidence beyond a cheap way to keep Oakland fans interested as they’re spurned for another market. One would hope Mark Davis wouldn’t proclaim the day of Gruden’s signing the biggest of his own life if it only meant he was obtaining a sleek way to keep the fans interested until his team skipped town.

Those inclined to believe Gruden is still a good hire, hefty contract and all, have been required to reason their way around a handful of statements by the coach that would give pause to just about anyone else. During the NFL Scouting Combine, when asked about his stance on advanced stats and player-tracking systems, Gruden replied that he’s trying to bring the sport back to 1998. By that, he means the old-fashioned style of what worked then.

Gruden boasted to Sports Illustrated that he’s on a mission to save football. Those familiar with his style of commentating on "Monday Night Football" are familiar with his antipathy for excessive, ticky-tack penalties. He’s also been frustrated by rules limiting offseason workouts. Neither of those will get rolled back just because one high-profile coach would prefer it. 

Moreover, the style of the NFL has significantly changed in the two decades. The game is no longer where Gruden idealizes it. Surely he knows that, but going into a season with a significant rule change on helmet hits, now is not the time to emphasize playing fast and loose with penalties, especially when no one is quite sure how the new standard will be enforced.

The personnel moves have also been baffling. The Raiders cast off Michael Crabtree as their No. 2 receiver only to sign Jordy Nelson, who is three years Crabtree’s senior and coming off a season in which he appeared to have little left in the tank. Even more confusing was the decision to release punter Marquette King, who is not only a crowd-pleasing personality, but one of the best at his position in the league. Initial reports spoke of a clash with Gruden, though a misguided effort to clear cap space is just as likely.

With the start of training camp closing in, the Raiders booked a party at a local bar last week, drawing roughly 500 people for appearances by Gruden, Davis, GM Reggie McKenzie and several franchise luminaries. There’s no harm in pleasing fans and having a good time before getting down to work. Still, you can’t help but feel that it’s one of the team's last chances to create goodwill before what happens on the field dictates morale, both in the locker room and among the entire fan base.

The novelty of having Gruden back will wear thin quickly if the team gets off to a poor start, especially given his immense contract. By doubling down on recognizable names, the criticism will be that much louder and easier to make by detractors. The greatest upside for the team is having Derek Carr more than a full year removed from the catastrophic injury that ended his stellar 2016 season. Part of that rebound will require Gruden’s offensive prowess not showing signs of extreme age in 2018.

Mark Davis might have momentarily corrected the mistake of his father by luring Gruden back home, but the self-described biggest day of his life might loom large for the wrong reasons unless his new coach yields positive results in a hurry.