Rex's Rants     Volume 1, Edition 6    Saturday January 18th

Gruden

Are we seeing the making of yet another legendary coach in the NFL? Will
John Gruden's name be thrown around with the likes of Landry, Shula, Tuna
and even Lombardi? The two teams that he has most recently and currently
coach are potential opponents in the upcoming Super Bowl.

Tony Dungy started the Bucs on the way but they seemed to stall and stagnate
under his leadership. Gruden came in and his influence on the Bucs is
undeniable. They set a team record for wins this year with 12 with him on
the sidelines.

A few more stats to cement his imprint, the team averaged 3 points scored
more per game and QB Brad Johnson's rating as a passer is 15.2% higher than
last year.
 
He seems to thrive on inner team conflict and use it to motivate his players
as well as constantly challenging them. His work ethic is unreal and he
expects it from his players too. He has a rep as a players coach, but only
for those players that have gained is respect. Jerry Wunsch, a 3 year
starter at right tackle, came to camp overweight in Coach Gruden's eyes, he
rode him hard and referred to him publicly as Wunsch Munch and ended up
cutting him in training camp.

Only time and history will tell if he is the real deal!

Until next time.... Rex