LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders talks on the field during a timeout in the second half of the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Saints 34-24. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Jon Gruden is still not letting go of one of the most controversial losses of his career.
Jon Gruden is fired up now that his Las Vegas Raiders are 2-0 following a dominant victory over the New Orleans Saints on national television. A game in New England awaits in Week 3 and that means Gruden is talking with the media about the Patriots.
There is one moment in the coach’s career that changed the landscape of his own path and that of the Patriots franchise. It came in a Divisional Round playoff game during the 2001 season when Gruden was head coach of the Oakland Raiders. The infamous “Tuck Rule” was applied late in the game on a play that appeared to see Tom Brady fumble the ball.
The rule, which is now gone, said a pass is considered incomplete even if the ball is moving forward in a non-throwing motion. The whole thing was a disaster and it led to Gruden being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won a Super Bowl there, but he is not over that snowy day in Foxboro.
Jon Gruden seeking revenge
The “Tuck Rule” was problematic and did not make much sense. However, that seems to go in line with other NFL rules throughout the years that lack logic and just make everything more convoluted.
The application of the rule stopped a Raiders Super Bowl run dead in its tracks and allowed the Patriots to advance and see Tom Brady begin his reign as a superstar. Gruden did win a Super Bowl in Tampa one year later, but the rule still brought an early end to his time in Oakland.
Gruden is now the head coach of a Raiders team based in Las Vegas and he has nothing to complain about after the 2-0 start. But football coaches are the best at finding motivation anywhere and Gruden is likely seeking revenge against a Patriots team now led by Cam Newton.