Each NFL team’s biggest reason to be excited in 2018
![BEREA, OH - JULY 30: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass during a training camp practice on July 30, 2018 at the Cleveland Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) BEREA, OH - JULY 30: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass during a training camp practice on July 30, 2018 at the Cleveland Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/36af488a4e9398efad096fa31cb406732c5bbc846ac445b48054b671dfa22c0a.jpg)
Oakland Raiders – Jon Gruden Is back
The Raiders had a long-awaited resurgence in 2016, with 12 regular season wins and a division title. But things fell right back down in 2017, with a highly disappointing 6-10 campaign. A four-game losing streak to end the season sealed head coach Jack Del Rio’s fate.
But Jon Gruden is back in the coaching game after nine years in the Monday Night Football booth, and longer than that than since he was Raiders’ head coach the first time, with a 10-year contract and plenty of buzz attached as the franchise nears a move to Las Vegas. Gruden’s primary task is to get quarterback Derek Carr back on track, and thus far Carr is saying all the right things and he’s almost starting to sound like Gruden.
Some coaches are incredibly dull in press conferences, whether they offer much useful information or not. Gruden seems sure to carry some of his unique soundbites from the broadcast booth into a new setting during the week and after games, so he will not be dull and he will be quotable when describing his team. After a particularly bad loss, Gruden’s post-game media sessions should be must-watch.
Exactly how the Raiders will do under Gruden this year and going forward is unclear, and there’s some chance it goes very badly. But it will be interesting to follow at least, and right now there’s nothing but excitement for Gruden’s return to Oakland.