ORLANDO, Fla. – Jon Gruden works but a few feet from Al Davis’ office, still intact and unchanged more than six years after the late Raiders owner passed.
It’s a reminder of a bygone era, a tie to Gruden’s first stint as Raiders head coach. Owner and head coach didn’t always get along, and Davis ultimately traded him to Tampa Bay for a king’s ransom following four seasons in Oakland and consecutive trips to the playoffs.
Their working relationship didn’t end well, but Gruden holds great affection for a Hall-of-Fame Raiders owner and coach who led dominant eras of championship football.
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Being back in Alameda rekindles those feelings on a regular basis.
“I miss his presence. There’s a presence around Al Davis,” Gruden said Tuesday morning at the NFL owners meetings. “If you haven’t been around him, then you have no idea what I’m talking about. He walked out of the locker room on Sunday and played to the Black Hole. There was a presence he had in the media rooms, with the coaches, when he talked to players. Around the league, he was well respected. He knew the game. He was not an owner who just owned the team. He could come in your office and draw punt protection. He could draw up pass protection. He knew defensive football. The man was a coach of the year in the NFL.
“He made you better. That’s what I miss. He wasn’t afraid to let you know what he wanted done, either. He helped me big time. He thickened my skin, made me mentally tougher. He taught me a lot about football. I miss him, certainly.”
Gruden finds himself running draft and free agency meetings as Al Davis might. He has former head coach Tom Cable on staff. Former head coach Bill Callahan’s son Brian is, too. Those guys have Al Davis ties and Al Davis memories to share with so many in long-time employees.
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Gruden will honor Al Davis in subtle ways while ushering in a new era of Raiders football.
“We imitate him. We have plays in our playbook named after him,” Gruden said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Gruden feels an obligation to get it right during his second stint in Silver and Black. He returned to coaching because he missed the grind of building a football team, and his commitment to excellence remains as high as ever. He wants to lead a Raiders renaissance, and hopes the turnaround happens fast.
“I have to do something with this opportunity,” Gruden said. “We’ve had one winning season in the last (15) years. That’s something we have to address.”