LONDON – Jon Gruden’s an admitted homebody. He’d rather work and train and study in Alameda than anywhere else, a fact that was the impetus for the Raiders coming to London at the last minute a year ago.
The Raiders didn’t arrive until Friday morning for their 2018 international affair, planning to get in and get out with a win.
It sure didn’t work out that way.
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The Raiders got waxed by Seattle. They looked sluggish from the start, but we can’t draw a straight line between travel plans an end result. The Raiders were outgunned, with an offensive line playing at less than full strength and a feature back in Marshawn Lynch who didn’t make it through the game.
While travel plans weren’t completely to blame for a poor performance, they certainly didn’t help.
That’s why Gruden reversed course this year, knowing he’d have to prep for another game in London. The Raiders flew out here right after Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, and are staying at a tiny golf resort on London’s outskirts, using the entire week to prepare for a Week 5 clash with Chicago.
“Doesn’t make sense flying five hours back to California [after playing in Indianapolis], then 14 hours to London,” Gruden said Friday, before the Colts game. “That had a lot to do with it and obviously what we did last year didn’t work out on the scoreboard, and it didn’t give me any reason to not try something else. So, we are going to go over there and have a great time and prepare our hearts out to hopefully play a good game in London.”
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Players are excited about the trip. While the Raiders have played abroad in four of the last five seasons, roster turnover was so high this offseason that this is the first trip for many. They’re also riding high after that big Colts win, setting up a chance to be above .500 heading into next week’s bye.
“It’s good from a morale standpoint,” running back Josh Jacobs said. “We’re going to go play a tough team in London. That’s a great defense, so it’s good to have that win behind you and a confident mindset as we try to take on the practice week.”
The Raiders will be well adjusted by Sunday, with body clocks matching local time here. The Bears are getting here later, arriving Friday from the Central Time Zone.
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We’ll know at the start if that hurts the Bears or the Raiders were helped by the long stay, but talent will win out over four quarters. Let’s not forget that the Raiders stayed here a full week back in 2014, and Miami beat them so bad that Dennis Allen got fired.
This team is far better than that one, and Gruden is trying to give it an advantage by acclimating to this unique environment well before game day.