Jon Gruden dislikes the new-age offensive trends in the NFL. There is no surprises there, though. The former Las Vegas Raiders HC has always been a traditional taskmaster. However, his choice for the best quarterback does raise some eyebrows. Gruden made his pick based on his preferred style of play, and chose Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions over Patrick Mahomes, who consistently finds ways to win for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Jon Gruden appeared recently on Pardon My Take and opined that Goff is currently the best QB in the league by a long margin.
Gruden backed this view up by sharing his observation from the Lions training camp last week. Seeing the way Goff was performing in practice, the Super Bowl-winning HC couldn’t resist admitting that he could see shades of the legendary Joe Montana in him.
“Man, I don’t even think it’s close. I did a thing with the Detroit Lions last week. I think Jared Goff is starting to look like Joe Montana to me,” stunningly said Gruden.
Jon then listed out the things Goff gets right. Be it anticipating plays, making efficient passes, or simply being tough enough to shrug off defenders, Goff ticks all these boxes for Joe.
“He plays with continuous movement. He completes almost every single pass. He’s tough as hell. He has continuity in the same system. He knows and anticipates what plays are gonna be called.”
The best part about Goff is his ability to pass all around the ground. Unlike modern playmakers who use their physicality to evade defenders and rush ahead to make plays, Goff’s ability to pass to all his best weapons with equal proficiency, and without much vertical movement, correleates with Gruden’s his notion of offense.
That would make us wonder: what exactly is Jon Gruden’s style of offense?
Gruden wants his QB to play the good old passing game
Gruden wants his QBs to stick to their primary role of passing rather than roaming around the pitch.
Be it throwing versatile routes or calling audibles to set up the offense, Jon wants his offensive players to be focused on their primary roles. Anything other than this is “Friday Night Football” for the coach.
“I want to see these NFL quarterbacks drop back to pass, throw an array of routes with different route trees and audibles. I want to see a professional style of pass offense. I don’t want to see the Friday, Saturday night football.”
But why does Gruden dislike the modern evolution of the QB role so much? One of the main reasons is the injury risk associated with it. The more you advance, the more you rush forward, and the higher the chances of you picking up knocks and injuries.
Interesting point, that is validated by Tom Brady’s insane longevity. Brady had a traditional approach to the QB role. That said, QBs like Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels have the chance to prove Gruden wrong. But when the GOAT, himself used to embody Gruden’s style of offense, one would think twice before pointing fingers at his views on modern trends.
