Oakland Raiders: 5 reasons they’ll reach playoffs

2. Jon Gruden is back

There is a lot of hype surrounding Gruden’s much anticipated return to coaching, and there is plenty of reason for Raiders fans to be excited about what the future holds. Many people are taking his quotes about bringing football back to 1998 seriously and saying Gruden is too old-fashioned. However, Gruden is already proving he is more than prepared for this job and is already incorporating new concepts into his practices and schemes. Just because he doesn’t like to use as much fancy technology means he is incapable of coaching? Yeah, right.

Quarterback Derek Carr has already gone on record saying how much he enjoys working with Gruden. Other players like linebacker Marquel Lee have expressed how Gruden gets the best out of people and commands respect, which is more than could be said of the previous regime.

They won’t be, but even if Gruden’s ideas are a little outdated, he has already proven he can still motivate his players. He is intense, and that intensity translates onto the field. So far, it appears that the players love to play for him and enjoy his detail-oriented fixation on being perfect. That is already an upgrade from last season.

In addition, Gruden has spent the last 10 years studying the game and analyzing how every team goes about their work. With that knowledge, Gruden will be able to take what he believes works and incorporate those concepts into what he does with the Raiders. He is a proven offensive mind and has won a Super Bowl, he knows what he is doing.

Perhaps there will be some cobwebs, he has been away for a decade. But there should be no questions regarding his intelligence when it comes to football. He lives and breathes football, it is what he knows. The Raiders are on the right path, and there is no better man to lead the storied franchise back into the playoffs.