Sometimes, the best moves are the ones you don’t make.
Former Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock made plenty of head-scratching moves during their tenure together with the AFC West organization: The Clelin Ferrell pick, the acquisition of Antonio Brown and the Khalil Mack trade to Chicago in 2018…just to name a few.
Fortunately for Raiders fans, Gruden managed to avoid what would have been by far the dumbest move in his forgettable second tenure as the head coach.
Speaking on the Barstool Sports “Pardon My Take” podcast, Raiders superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby revealed that Gruden once threatened to cut him…all because Crosby was batting down balls in practice (WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS LANGUAGE THAT IS NSFW):
“He would get so mad about batting balls. Like we’d be in practice doing team (drills), and he refused to let us bat the ball. But I would tell him, ‘Why the f**k are we practicing…in the game they’ll be doing the same s**t. What’s the point?…I’m just trying to make plays.”
Crosby revealed that during a training camp session, he swatted a ball down three times. Gruden then went on an expletive-filled rant towards Crosby and threatened to cut him.
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Good thing Crosby brought that fiery competition to practice, and good thing Gruden never wound up cutting him. The 2019 fourth-round pick has emerged as one of the game’s top pass-rushers, with 52 sacks and nine forced fumbles in 83 career games.
