In mid-December, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported that former colleagues of Jon Gruden believed the Super Bowl winning coach could potentially be lured out of the broadcasting booth by the Rams. Gruden didn't end his retirement (hiatus might be the better word) from coaching to head to L.A., but the Rams might've still landed their own version of Gruden when they hired Sean McVay on Thursday.
According to Rams COO Kevin Demoff, he hears Gruden in McVay.
"There are times when I close my eyes, you hear Jon Gruden -- whether it's the cadence, whether it's the hand movement," Demoff said Friday, per NFL.com.
Yeah, I can see it. Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
It's not just their looks. McVay, 30, is the youngest coach in the history of the NFL. When Gruden was hired by the Raiders in 1998, he was 34. At age 39, Gruden even became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl when he was with the Buccaneers, though that record was later broken by the Steelers' Mike Tomlin.
It goes beyond their youth. McVay's first coaching job in the NFL was with the Buccaneers in 2008. His boss? Gruden. That season ended up being the final one of Gruden's career as a coach.
Since 2010, McVay's been with the Redskins, so he's worked with Jon Gruden's brother, Jay, since 2014, which is also when McVay was promoted to offensive coordinator. The point being, McVay comes from the Grudens' coaching tree, which is probably why he uses similar mannerisms.
If the Rams really did hire the next Jon Gruden, they'll be in good shape. Gruden won 54 percent of his games as an NFL coach and made the playoffs five times in 11 years. Then again, young coaches don't always work out in the NFL -- just ask Lane Kiffin, Raheem Morris, and Josh McDaniels.
