5 takeaways from Jon Gruden’s introductory press conference with the Raiders
By John Buhler
Yes, Paul Guenther, Greg Olson and Rich Bisaccia will be Jon Gruden’s coordinators.
Though a lot is still unknown about Gruden’s coaching staff. He did state that he has all three of his coordinators lined up and under contract. Paul Guenther will run his defense. He had spent the last decade plus with the Cincinnati Bengals. When Teryl Austin was hired as the Bengals new defensive coordinator, Guenther’s arrival on Gruden’s staff was obvious.
Given that Gruden is an offensive-mind, it was interesting to see him bring back a familiar face in Greg Olson to be his offensive coordinator. Olson had worked for Gruden in Tampa Bay. He had even worked with Derek Carr during his rookie year with the Raiders in 2014. Gruden did make a point that he will be calling plays and not Olson in this arrangement.
Gruden’s third coordinator hire is also the one that he has the most history with. He worked with special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia during his entire time in Tampa. Bisaccia had also coached the Buccaneers running backs at some point and worked most recently with the Dallas Cowboys. Expect the kicking game to be strong with the Raiders under Bisaccia’s direction.
It will be interesting to see who Gruden ultimately chooses to round out his staff. If he was going to come back into coaching, he would certainly be putting together a proven staff. Experience is absolutely not an issue when it comes to Guenther, Olson and Bisaccia.