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The old adage is true. When you are on top of the mountain, there is only one place to go. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay’s golden boy Jon Gruden, he is finding that out very quickly.
The problem for Gruden is simple.....NFL games are not contested on an even playing field and the most valuable commodity in this league is talent, not coaching.
The same drive, ambition and obsession that garnered Gruden a ring was his downfall the past two seasons in Tampa. Gruden may have been the perfect one-year coach for a veteran team with enough talent to get to the big game. Long term has been a different story and Gruden‘s ego has been the deciding factor.
Known as an offensive “genius“, Gruden’s Super Bowl team won with anything but. The defense, fashioned by the departed Tony Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, along with the virtually mistake free play of quarterback Brad Johnson were the reasons Tampa was a champion.
Gruden’s ego would not allow him to ride that out and his willingness to overhaul an average offense and in turn, let defensive leaders like Warren Sapp and John Lynch walk was a miscalculation.
When all is said and done in the Central Florida “Chucky“ era, it’s conceivable Tampa will be a vastly better offensive team but no where near the Super Bowl.
Gruden should have learned from another “offensive genius” with a ring, Baltimore’s Brian Billick. Billick led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory on the backs of one of the generation’s best defenses and the mistake free play of quarterback Trent Dilfer.
Instead of riding that formula for another season, Billick, the architect of Minnesota’s record setting 1998 offense, wanted a better pure passer and signed Elvis Grbac. While the Ravens’ offense perked up, they weren’t the same team. The quiet steadiness and reliability of Dilfer was missed greatly.
As “leaders of men”, football coaches often loved to be compared to famous military figures. Well.... there is a famous saying among military planners: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
And you guessed it.......Gruden is repeating history and he is doomed.
-You can reach John McMullen at jmcmullen1@comcast.net
