Jon Gruden still isn’t worried about hurting (Martavis Bryant’s) feelings

Jon Gruden had no problem calling out his new star receiver Martavis Bryant for not performing as well as he should be in training camp.

As long as we’ve known Jon Gruden, whether it be as a football coach or a football analyst, he’s never been one to hold back his thoughts. If he believed a certain player wasn’t playing very well, he wouldn’t hesitate to come right out and say that this player needs to play better.

Now that Gruden is finding himself back on the sidelines as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, he still has the same mentality he’s always had. He wants to get the absolute best out of his players, and if he has to call them out when they aren’t playing well enough, he won’t hesitate.

Newly-acquired receiver Martavis Bryant is having a rough go of it in training camp thus far. He’s just been all right on the field, and he even missed a practice due to illness.

So far, Bryant hasn’t lived up to Gruden’s expectations, and he had no problem saying it.

“He’s got to get out here and play better,” Gruden said, according to USA Today. “He’s in a competitive situation. Right now, a lot of the other receivers have had a nice camp. He’s just got to learn the offense. He’s got to stay out here. He’s had some illnesses. He’s got to get on the field. He’s got to master the offense and become more versatile, and that’s the key to making this team better.”

Gruden has never really concerned himself with players’ feelings. During his run as the centerpiece of the ESPN series Jon Gruden’s QB Camp, Gruden was always quick to critique the young quarterbacks he worked with and to point out their flaws. There’s no doubt he’s bringing the same style of coaching to the Raiders this season.

But, nobody will be complaining about it if he can help the Raiders improve on their 6-10 campaign last year and get back to the playoffs.