Silver And Black Pride
There’s talk in the social media space of Jon Gruden’s return to Silver & Black.
And I’m down with it.
No, no. Not Gruden coming back — that ship has sailed.
I’m talking about the concept of Chuckie — a young coach with potential that was equal parts hotshot and football junkie being tapped to helm the Las Vegas Raiders. Way back in 1998 the architect himself — then-owner Al Davis — made the 34-year-old Gruden the head coach. Davis saw potential, was enamored with Gruden’s football knowledge and play calling, and believed Gruden would lead the Silver & Black back to prominence.
And it worked as Gruden improved the Raiders every year and the team won back-to-back AFC West titles in 2000 and 2001. The end of his initial tenure and Gruden’s second go-around with the team were forgettable as the coach was traded by Davis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Raiders lost in Super Bowl XXXVII that year to those said pirates.
But back to the present. The Raiders are amongst eight teams looking for a new head coach. General manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady are leading that task. Bring back some of that ‘98 flavor and go for another hotshot young coach over a veteran retread, Silver & Black.
The recent openings with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins — two teams who altered the landscape by sending John Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel into the open market — will make filling spots competitive. The Raiders do offer the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft alongside a projected $110 million in cap space, and Las Vegas is likely banking on that being a big selling point.
“We’re looking for someone to build this the right way and not think that we’ve got to produce 10 wins or whatever next year. It’d be great to do. And we see teams like the Patriots and the Jaguars flip it. I’ve always kind of thought that you’re never as good in this league as you think you are, and you’re never as far away as you think you are. And we’re just going to go open-minded,” Spytek said during his Monday media session. “The work has begun upstairs this afternoon, and I’ve got to get back up here in a little bit and keep going. But we’re going to prioritize. Whoever’s the best coach for the Las Vegas Raiders is who we’re going to hire. And we’re not beginning with the end in mind, and we want a meticulous build that will set us up for years of success in the future, and we have a great opportunity to do that with everything that we have in front of us right now.”
Let’s take a glance at young coaches:
Denver Broncos offensive pass game coordinator/QB coach, 30: While Sean Patyon gets a lot of glory for Bo Nix’s development as quarterback, Webb has a big hand...
