Notes From Lombardi

FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:

17 January 2009

“The Curious Case of Why Jon Gruden was Fired”....

“Love you Bro” has been a familiar refrain here at the Post and on my old site when referring to Tampa Bay’s former head coach, Jon Gruden.  The nickname is intended to poke a little fun at Gruden because no matter how long he has known someone or how much he might dislike a person, he always ends the conversation with “Love you, Bro.” 

I first met Jon in 1997 when I was with the Eagles. I found him to be bright, energetic, and passionate, devoted to football, and someone I wanted to learn from and exchange ideas with.  You could see he was going to be a head coach one day, and with his intelligence and fire, he would be great head coach.  He would work his tail off at practice, devote hours to watching film and could communicate his message to the players in a unique style.  He was fun to work with and fun to watch coach. 

When I joined him in Oakland, I learned more about him as a person and coach.  What came to the forefront was that Jon is never happy. He can never love his players -- especially his quarterback.  Jon always wants new, even when new is not necessarily better.  He was instrumental in returning the Raiders to their glory days with the help of some key players, notably Rich Gannon, then went off to Tampa to have all the power and ability to run his own show.  That’s where his downfall started. 

In Tampa, his record is slightly above .500 (57-55).  He’s a great sound bite for NFL Films, which has done a great job promoting the legend of Jon Gruden.  The won-loss record doesn’t tell the whole story – it’s just numbers.  Nevertheless, when you look at the core of the team, the foundation, Jon’s inability to truly “Love You, Bro” prevents him from being successful.  He does not want to fall in love with any one player, and he is very hard on the players.  (I promise you, Michael Clayton’s quotes were just the ones on the record; there were many similar to his that were off the record.) 

I once referred to Gruden as the Larry Brown of the NFL.  I meant that as a compliment because I love Brown, but when Brown, the well-traveled NBA coach, has control of the personnel on a team, he makes horrible decisions and hates the players he coaches. He wants new, but after new is over, he wants more new.  Does that sound familiar? 

From Brad Johnson to Chris Simms to Brian Griese to Luke McCown to Jeff Garcia, there was never stability at quarterback, the one position that is vital to a franchise.  In addition, this is the one position that Gruden can coach as well as anyone in the league.  Yet his refusal to fall in love (I called him the Warren Beatty of quarterbacks coaches a while back in a column) with a quarterback was his downfall in Tampa Bay. 

We have all read the reaction of the players on the record -- some positive, some negative -- but the one consistent theme when you’re talking about Gruden is that he loves football, but loves NO players.  The negativity and the inconsistent message to the players never seemed to go over well.  Gruden is the type of coach that needs to have consistent turnover in his roster.  He needs new players every year and might be best suited for college football since graduation and the NFL draft promote the change he craves. 

When Tampa hired Gruden, the one thing it had to expect was solid and consistent quarterback play for the franchise.  In theory, Gruden could select a talented young player, develop him into the cornerstone of the franchise and enjoy consistent seasons challenging for the Super Bowl.  However, this is all theory, as Gruden on his own will never fall in love with one player at the position.

Unless the front office or the owner refuses to submit to his constant change, no development will take place.  He is incapable of falling in love with anyone.  Love you bro he don’t. 

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