Jon Gruden offered a somewhat head-scratching quote about the Oakland Raiders’ running back situation.
Gruden spoke with the media on Friday ahead of the team’s rookie camp. He discussed the running back situation and made some odd comments. Here’s what he said, via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
Gruden mentioned that "Doug Martin was a three-down back last year" and that "Jalen Richard wants to be a three-down back" too, "And I think DeAndre Washington is also going to be a contributor" … "We'll see what happens with Jacobs." …
What?!?!— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) May 3, 2019
First, Gruden called Doug Martin a three-down back last year even though that was hardly the case, as the AP’s Josh Dubow pointed out.
Third down snaps for #Raiders running backs last season:
Jalen Richard 155
Doug Martin 21
Marshawn Lynch 19
DeAndre Washington 11 https://t.co/Si1R6cqYZR— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 3, 2019
The other part of the quote that was curious was Gruden downplaying Josh Jacobs’ involvement. The Raiders made Jacobs the No. 24 overall pick in the draft and are likely expecting him to have a huge role in the offense. Maybe Gruden wants to make Jacobs earn his role on the team, which is the way it should be, but he’s reaching if he expects us to believe the former Alabama back won’t rack up the carries in 2019.
