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Hot Corner: More Bad News for Mr. Gruden

The Hot Corner

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: November 2, 2008

Is anyone at all – a-n-y-b-o-d-y – even a little sympathetic toward Jon Gruden and what he has done with this town's football team?

I've lived in the Tampa area now for over two years, and very rarely do I hear complementary words – from friends, fans or local shock-jock personalities on the airwaves – when the apparently volatile topic of Chucky arises.

He's not a player's coach, his offense is too complex and cluttered, he's too tough on his quarterbacks, and he's too stubborn and arrogant. All are common gripes lobbed at the coach who brought this city its only NFL championship in team history.

Now the naysayers, nincompoops who expect annual 12-win seasons and those living in the past longing for Tony Dungy's return have been given added ammunition because of some NFL player's poll released by the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. The survey basically asked 1,440 players in 2007 – among other questions – to list which active coaches they would most like and dislike playing for.

Gruden was rated alongside the Patriots' Bill Belichick, Giants' Tom Coughlin, Jets' Eric Mangini, former Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, as being the least desired men to play for in the league.

Let the vitriol fly, haters. Even the leagues' players don't like him, right? You're assessments must have been spot-on all along.

There's a few ways to come at these results, but I've gotta start somewhere.

As Tampa Tribune columnist Ira Kaufman referenced in his Oct. 30 Bucs rundown, Gruden has won five division titles overall – three in Tampa – dating back to his time in Oakland. He's been a head coach now for 10 years. Fifty percent of the time, his teams win the division. Not too shabby.

Gruden also owns a winning 5-4 record in the postseason.

Here's the list of coaches rated in the top five: Tony Dungy of the Colts, Herman Edwards of the Chiefs, Lovie Smith of the Bears, Mike Tomlin of the Steelers and, conversely to his previous mention, Bill Belichick.

Here are the postseason records of these guys.

• Smith: 2-2; no Super Bowl ring.

• Edwards: 2-4; no Super Bowl ring.

• Tomlin: 0-1; has only coached in Pittsburgh for one full season.

• Dungy: 9-9; one Super Bowl ring.

• Belichick: 15-4; three Super Bowl rings. (But also on the Please-Don't-Send-Me-There list.)

Now, those are the "five most liked"...and Gruden is among the "five most disliked." Among the five least popular coaches, there sit three champions of the Lombardi Trophy in comparison to two among the praised.

It's also a valid point to think about who was surveyed and their personal relationships with who they were ranking. Never is it good to assume anything, but I'll be willing to bet that all 1,440 players surveyed haven't had regular relations – if any at all – with every head coach in the league.

That being said, what's being ranked? Reputation? Media reports? What they've heard from other friends throughout the league?

Guys like Gruden, Belichick and Coughlin certainly have been described as "hard to deal with" to put it lightly. "The Hoodie" is a grouch, Coughlin is a by-the-book, drill sergeant type and Gruden is supposedly what was previously described.

Nothing like the reputations of famed rah-rah, you'll-get-'em-next-time coaches like Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka, Paul Brown or George Halas. Those were guys that were players' best friends and biggest cheerleaders. They were noted for their on-the-field warmth and compassion and understanding; always the first in line for the postseason Mr. Congeniality Award.

Clearly my tongue is firmly in cheek while writing that last paragraph.

Since when was 'soft' a good thing in football? I'm not saying any of the guys ranked positively by this survey are indeed soft, but those aforementioned legends of the sideline earned, and still garner, the respect of most because of their renowned gruffness and dedication.

Should Gruden now be lumped into that list? No. I do not at all think he is undeserving of some criticism. Chucky has been a peak-and-valley guy during his entire six-plus season stint here in Tampa – division title, fall off, another division crown, another drop.

But I am defending him against what I perceive as irrationally conceived condemnation.

This includes tarnishing the Super Bowl victory by saying it was Dungy's team and Gruden simply cruised on autopilot. There is something to be said anytime this happens, I'll readily admit that. But if the 2001-2002 Dungy Bucs and 2002-2003 Gruden Bucs were virtually the same teams, here are some facts:

Point A: Gruden's Bucs went 12-4 and won the Super Bowl. Dungy's Bucs the previous year went 9-7 and lost 31-9 in the first round at Philly. 'Nuff said.

Point B: Gruden's Bucs scored more points and gave up less than the season prior. His team scored 22.4 points per game while surrendering only 12.3. Dungy's final team scored 20.3 and allowed 17.5.

Point C: Who did the Bucs face in Super Bowl XXXVII? Common knowledge answer: Gruden's old team from Oakland. So not only did he guide a brand new team to the Big Dance, he engineered the opponent to get there as well.

Another common grievance spewed at Coach Gruden is his uber-complex offensive playbook.

I'm sorry, but did I miss the memo that 80-plus percent of football players are Mensa members? I've seen plenty of Bucs games since Chucky's arrival and rarely, if ever, have I seen players frantically and erratically sprinting about the field in any and all directions like the ensuing aftermath of a crushed anthill.

What's that mean? It means that these players – somehow, someway – can, in fact, absorb the lingo and formations and schematics of a Jon Gruden playbook. Would you people who are hung up on this argument prefer something written in Crayola? Cerulean was always a personal favorite of mine.

An element of over-coaching may be present with Gruden's system, and that can be problematic. Although if the product on the field personnel-wise isn't up to snuff, what is there left to do? When the Dolphins got fancy by adding in the "Wildcat" formations, no one ridiculed head coach Tony Sparano for implementing too many schemes for any player to possibly be expected to memorize. They were celebrated.

Not many would argue with the assessment that Miami is not currently a talent-laden squad. The coaching staff stepped in and made something work – here and there.

On the offensive side of the ball in Tampa, name one squad that inherently struck fear in opposing defenses. The teams led by Brad or Rob Johnson? Chris Simms? Jeff Garcia? Brian Griese?

How about a consistent running attack? Never. A fullback has been the only real weapon the Bucs have had offensively in years. Is that all on Gruden? Not if you ask me.

Chances are none of this will change the minds of the staunch anti-Gruden mob, but maybe this helps.

Coach Bill Belichick. He's in his 14th year as an NFL head coach. After five years in Cleveland, he was a terrible coach. A 36-44 record overall and only one playoff appearance to show for it. Then he lands in New England. Three championships later, and he's a man amongst boys in the coaching community.

Gruden is 11 years Belichick's junior and been a head coach for four fewer years. He's amassed a 91-77 overall win-loss record (.542). If he gets the boot, more likely than not, he will land on his feet with another franchise – and quick.

Granted Belichick's final season with the Browns was in 1995 – before the team bailed on the city and moved to Baltimore – but ownership still did not retain the coach. He moved on and became known as a great.

Hitting closer to home, Coach Dungy had a very similar overall record than Gruden in Tampa (.556 winning percentage). After getting canned, Dungy is currently riding a six-season playoff streak that includes one championship in Indianapolis. He's also riding a current five-year division title run. His winning percentage with the Colts is a mindboggling .745.

If fans want to go down the same path with Gruden, keep yapping and see if you can help launch Chucky out of One Buc Place like he's being fired out of a pirate ship cannon.

Before you do so, take a little time out, put down the torch, and do yourself a favor by peering a little higher up the Buccaneer ladder of command to see if blame is being unfairly clumped at the wrong rung.

Eric Horchy can be reached at 727-815-1071 or ehorchy@suncoastnews.com

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