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Jon Gruden's first NFL season in over a decade didn't exactly go as planned. The Oakland Raiders went just 4-12 in 2018, a depressing record that nevertheless fails to convey the organizational upheaval his return to the sideline prompted.
Gruden traded superstar pass-rusher Khalil Mack and former top-five pick Amari Cooper during the season, both of whom went on to re-establish themselves as true impact players with the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, respectively.
Despite his wholly unsuccessful season in Oakland, though, don't expect Gruden to abandon his old-school principles. In fact, he's doubling down on them.
At the NFL combine last week, the Raiders coach, during a time of growing support for additions to the league's replay rules, advocated for doing away with the system altogether.
“I don’t have any interest in expanding replay,” Gruden said, via Peter King of NBC Sports. “I have a strong interest in eliminating replay.”
A few weeks ago, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the NFL will consider a plan this offseason that allows coaches to challenge judgement calls by officials with video review, under penalty of a flag or time run off the clock if the call on the field is upheld.
The proposal is designed to assuage concerns of those against allowing the review of judgement calls by ensuring the team asking for it incurs some measure of risk, lowering the incentive for coaches to challenge them altogether, Schefter said.
The potential rule change comes in the wake of nationwide uproar following a crucial no-call late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship game.
Despite clearly making contact with New Orleans Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived, Los Angeles Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman was not assessed a penalty, forcing the Saints to settle for a field goal in a game they would go on to lose 26-23 in overtime.
