Speaking personally, he’s certainly won me over.
Not that he had to do burn a lot of calories to do so.
I’ve always been a Big Gruden guy.
That’s what these Old Balls like.
Bourbon for the Patriots fan’s soul.
Who turned a 34 year old Rich Gannon into a Pro Bowler and future MVP.
Then went to Tampa Bay and immediately won a Super Bowl with a 34 year old Brad farking Johnson.
And in his second career go-round, coached Derek Carr to the first 100.0-plus passer ratings of his career.
Allow me to offer you proof.
While I know the noob isn’t into analytics at all:
… some numbers speak for themselves.
And graph says a thousand words:
Maye is on a team that has a rookie head coach.
An offensive coordinator who hasn’t actually offensive coordinated in 15 seasons.
Has had a constant shuffling of bodies along what was already a paper-thin offensive line.
And a wide receiver depth chart filled to the rim with first-, second- and third-year players.
Which is something we haven’t seen around here in the decade of the 2020s.
Now imagine what it will be like when his young team has had time to play together.
When they’ve added pieces along the O-line in the draft.
And spent some of the motherlode of cap space available to them on the skill positions.
Most of all, when Maye has climbed further up his learning curve.
There’s no lie in Gruden’s words, just like there was no hesitation in his answer.
And he’s saying exactly what these ears need to hear.
Drake Maye and Jon Gruden: The two best additions of 2024.
To Boston sports, to Barstool, and to my life.
