Jon Gruden may want more out of Bruce Irvin, but he still is defending the pass rusher from fan criticism.
Irvin’s effort was in question after this video was circulated on Twitter, showing Irvin’s poor effort on the Denver Broncos’ drive to win the game on Sunday:
Raiders let Khalil Mack walk and this is the kind of effort Bruce Irvin gives on a 2 minute drive to end the game. #nfl #raiders #trash pic.twitter.com/sGXHpFeQxD
— Taylor Dees (@Play2win47) September 16, 2018
Irvin (No. 51) looked completely gassed at that point and gave nothing on his pass rush effort or effort to make a tackle. The Broncos ended up driving and setting up for a game-winning field goal to come back and win 20-19.
Asked about Irvin on Monday, Gruden said the team needs to get more out of the defensive captain. However, he added that Irvin is giving “everything he has.”
Full Jon Gruden quote on needing more from Bruce Irvin: pic.twitter.com/eJy06Ej9zo
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 17, 2018
One of Gruden’s biggest complaints after the loss was the lack of a pass rush. Obviously Khalil Mack would have helped with that, but the Raiders made the choice to move on without him and now need the players they do have to step up.
