INDIANAPOLIS — Jon Gruden stepped up to the podium and met the media at the NFL scouting combine on Wednesday morning. Then the Raiders coach met with the local reporters for 15 minutes afterwards.
Here is a transcript of that conversation:
When you sit down with the college prospects this week, what are you looking for? What do you want to see?
Gruden: I want to see a few things. No. 1, you gotta get some personal information out of the way. Where you going to be on draft day? Who’s your agent, etc., all those great questions. Then you let the position coach have 10 minutes.
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Last night, it was kind of cool seeing Tom Cable work with the offensive linemen. He asked them questions and we reviewed four or five plays. We have a projector in there and we can see the guys in action, and they can explain why they did what they did. We can ask them some questions that we think are important.
There is a secret sauce behind the madness in this process, and I don’t want to convey too much of it. … But it’s your first real chance to see these guys with your own two eyes. You see them in the uniform, but you get a chance to see what kind of eye contact they have. You get a chance to get a feel for their personality. It’s cool.
New strength coach Tom Shaw — what was the importance of getting a guy like that?
Gruden: Well, he’s really good. He spent a lot of time with the New England Patriots, and I have talked about my respect for that organization. He’s hired a diverse staff. You’ll see, he’s bringing a really cool group with him. Look, I used to see a lot of NFL players … young players, veteran players and major league baseball All-Stars go to see him, and they see him for a reason: Because he gets results. We’re going to change our strength program from what it was to something, I think, that will help our players. We just have to prove it.
During your “QB Camp” show process, you were also high on Connor Cook. What are your thoughts on the backup quarterbacks you have on the roster right now?
Gruden: Well, I am kind of surprised Connor hasn’t played in two years, other than the playoff game he got in as a rookie. After Derek (Carr) got hurt last year, they turned the ball to EJ (Manuel). I don’t know where Connor Cook is. I am frustrated right now that I can’t spend any time with him … but April 9th (smiles) … will be an exciting day for me and Connor Cook …
I like EJ Manuel too, honestly. I had him as well. I think EJ is a young, talented guy. He’s been in the facility working out on his own every day. There is a bright upside to him, too, as a young quarterback to keep working with. He’s a free agent, but the Philadelphia Eagles proved that’s a pretty damn important position, isn’t it? Right? So we have to address that and see where we are.
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Since your last combine, how have you seen the kids change? Is there anything you have to be more wary of, social media for example.
Gruden: I guess so. I have three sons that are basically their age, they’re not a heck of a lot different. They’re changing, just like technology changes. They’re not a finished product like they used to be. A lot of these guys are three-year juniors; they’re used to be a lot more fifth-year seniors. They’re not playing spring practice, in training camp their reps are reduced.
So, how are you as polished if you’re only there three years and you’re missing a lot of practice and training camp? That’s why it’s important that we get these guys signed quickly and we begin the process of their futures.
You’ve mentioned your frustration with the CBA a few times. If you were the rule-maker of the day, what would you do to change it?
Gruden: I liked it the way it was, honestly. My mom was a school teacher, my dad was a coach, I was a coach my whole life. I look out for my players as much as anyone else — I am not there to hurt my players. I am there to help them.
If you’re advanced and don’t need to be there, then you don’t have to be. But to have an opportunity to work with your young players, to teach them the foundations of your offense, to be there with them and help them in the strength department so they don’t have to hire their own independent coach, their own independent strength coach, their own speed coach, their own psychological coach … it’s tough. A lot of these guys want to be in the facility, are dying to get in the doors. So you can help them. Because that’s what you’re paid to do. So it is frustrating.
What did you like about Cable when you hired him?
Gruden: I like Cable because I spent a lot of time studying Seattle, and I spent a lot of time up there at training camp. I know what he is on the field. The guy is really good line coach. All you have to do is watch the beginning of practice, and watch when he spends individual time with his group.
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They were a really good unit in Seattle for a couple of years. They lost all their players, He is an excellent coach. He is diverse, he can run the ball a lot of different ways. He is good in pass protect, is a great teacher, has a passion for the game and (Gruden uses his Al Davis voice) he’s been a Raidah. He’s been a Raidah like me, so I think it’s pretty cool to have him back.
In the six weeks since you took this job, has there been anything that you weren’t prepared for, or didn’t know to expect?
Gruden: It’s not like I have been in the dark. It’s not like I have been in the dark and I am like, “Wow, there is a three-technique. Wow, look at that new blitz. Wow, there is a bubble screen over there.” It’s been none of that. It’s been adapting to the new rules, the new way of … the salary cap.
Some of these guys are making $25 million to play football, and it impacts the way you can field the rest of your roster. So, learning how that is and putting together your offseason program given the rules has been the biggest change and eye-opener for me.
What went into the decision to move on from (kicker) Sebastian Janikowski? And do you plan on bringing anyone in to challenge Giorgio Tavecchio for the job?
Gruden: We’re counting on Giorgio. The only difficult thing about having a left-footed kicker is you have to find a left-footed kicker to compete against him. Because if you bring in a right-footed kicker to compete against a left-footed kicker, it really messes up your holder. And the holder is a big part of the operation. It really is. Some of the missed kicks, you blame the kicker but if you look at the hold, it wasn’t very good. We want competition at every position.
Janikowski was a first-round pick when I was here. And if it was up to me, I would bring him back. But I think we’re going to move on for obvious reasons. Tavecchio is probably a little better right now kicking off, and if I know Janikowski like I used to, we couldn’t afford him in a million years. (Smiles) You know what I mean?
After examining the roster the last few weeks, do you have a greater sense of what areas you have work to do?
Gruden: Yeah, we have work to do. We have a lot of work to do. We need some talent to rise within this organization, I’ll say that. In our last three drafts, I’m looking at it, other than Amari Cooper, we need some of these young players to really explode onto the scene. It starts there.
We need some young people in this organization right now to emerge. A lot of them have been injured … Jihad Ward, I don’t know what happened to him, Obi Melifonwu, Gareon Conley … we need these guys to play. Big time. So I am going to start with that. We do have some free agents out there, we have some needs that are obvious, you don’t have to be a football genius.And we have a lot of work to do.
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Do you envision Bruce Irvin being a Sam linebacker in Paul Guenther’s defense?
Gruden: I think Irvin is an edge player. That’s when he is at his best. Irvin will play corner if I ask him to. Hell, he played free safety in junior college. He is a versatile, skilled athlete. But he is at his best screaming off the edge, and you can use him as one of the spinners, you can walk him around over the guard, he is capable of covering. But the strength of his game are his edge qualities and hopefully we can find some assets to help him to do that.
The offensive line was dominant two years ago. What did you see on film from last season?
Gruden: We had some inconsistency at right tackle. (Marshall) Newhouse had his moments where he played well, and he had moments where he obviously struggled. Donald Penn got hurt late in the season, and he had a contract holdout — I don’t think that helped matters. He missed some time at camp, that’s never a good thing.
But we’re strong inside, we’re very stout in there. I love the two guards and I think the center plays with as much individual effort as any guy in the league. I love watching (Rodney) Hudson play. He is a great communicator and he will be the anchor, and he will be a key for us in the pivot.
Al Davis was known for targeting freakish athletes in the draft. What advice do you think he would give you this week?
Gruden: He’d say, “Don’t screw it up, Butch.” That’s what he would say. He taught me well. He is a big reason I am here. I’m looking for guys that are big, physical and fast, that have a profile, that won’t change. That’s something that will live with the Raiders hopefully forever.
(Top photo: Darron Cummings/AP)
Vic Tafur is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL. He previously worked for 12 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and also writes about boxing and mixed martial arts. Follow Vic on Twitter @VicTafur
