After the Raiders franchise decided to exchange the city of Oakland, California for the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, head coach Jon Gruden found himself sweating about the team’s sudden culture change. No longer having to contend with the beaches and bikinis of the Bay Area, the controversial play caller found himself attempting to safeguard his players from a new kind of distraction, the casino.
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During a recent episode of Gruden Goes Long, the head coach sat down with one of his most beloved running backs, Josh Jacobs, to discuss, among other things, the unique challenges that come with the location of any given NFL franchise.
“There’s a lot of distraction over there at the casinos for all of our young players,” Gruden noted. In highlighting that “There ain’t many places to go” in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Gruden was curious as to how Jacobs spent his free time.
Admitting that Green Bay is a rather lackluster location compared to the other environments in which he has played, Jacobs explained –
“Really man, just fish. That’s about it. Anything outdoors, they let us go out and shoot bow and arrows and that type of stuff. It’s real chill… Kind of reminds you of a small college town.”
Given the Raiders’ proximity to one of the devil’s favorite pastimes, there are numerous rules in place for both them and the rest of the NFL. For instance, during the week of Super Bowl LVIII, which was hosted by the city of Las Vegas, the league reminded players about its gambling policies.
Goodell’s message clarified that members of the participating teams were not allowed to gamble or enter any sportsbooks or casinos prior to the game’s completion.
Furthermore, the NFL has a policy in place that prohibits any and all players from entering sportsbooks while the season is active. Meaning that, despite living in Sin City, members of the Raiders’ roster are almost always disincentivized from enjoying the city’s main attraction.
Gruden reflects on Jacobs’ rookie season
In reminiscing about their past, the Super Bowl-winning head coach stated that he believed Jacobs’ rookie season could have been even more special than it initially was.
“What a day draft day was, bringing you to the Raiders. You became the feature back, could’ve won rookie of the year had you not gotten hurt. I still think you should have won rookie of the year… I just want to thank you again, personally.”
With his love for the running back position well documented, Gruden failed to contain the grin on his face while talking up Jacobs. Clearly appreciative of the opportunities given to him by Gruden in the early days of his career, Jacobs responded,
“I want to thank you too, man! You took that chance on me and I tell people all the time that you’re one of my favorite coaches for sure.”
Jacobs produced a consecutive pair of 1,000 rushing-yard seasons throughout his first two years under the tutelage of Gruden. Averaging 18.4 rushing attempts per game throughout that time span, it’s clear that Gruden placed a great deal of trust in Jacobs in the final days of his coaching career.
Suffice to say, regardless of whether or not Gruden will ever see the sidelines of the NFL again, he is still cherished by the countless players that he crossed paths with, throughout his head coaching career.
