Everyone of a certain age remembers Warren Sapp as a Buccaneer. Most of us remember he ended his career with the Raiders. I though he may have played two years there. Turns out it was four.
He had come off a seventh consecutive Pro Bowl year when he left Tampa. But why did he leave?
I recall him saying in an interview that he had talked to then-Bucs coach Jon Gruden over the phone that year. Sapp was a free agent, but Gruden said things akin to "We'll make sure you'll be here" and "You're my guy." Sapp would then call Gruden repeatedly with what other teams were offering. Gruden never called back.
I was reminded of Sapp when it was reported that now-Raiders coach Gruden never talked to Khalil Mack all off-season even though everyone knew Mack was demanding a new contract. That Gruden traded Mack really wasn't a surprise.
It's hard to discern Gruden's motives, but this style of management doesn't bode well. I think few football fans aside from Raiders owner Mark Davis would have ever trusted Gruden with a 10-year, $10-million contract. He seems like a good football coach, and his record says he is. But he didn't have the credentials to inspire the faith Mark Davis has in him. I think this will be a disaster.
Then again, when I heard about cost overruns of James Cameron's Titanic, I thought it would be a disaster that ends his career, and that promising young actor Leonardo DiCaprio made a wrong choice for signing on. So what do I know?
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