Former Raiders Executive Thinks Jon Gruden Will Be A "Revelation"
(KPIX) -- Former Raiders director of college scouting Jon Kingdon joined Dennis O'Donnell on Gameday to discuss the hiring of Jon Gruden.
"I think the players are going to be in for a revelation working one-on-one with Jon," said Kingdon, the co-author of a book about former team owner Al Davis.
In 1998 Davis hired Gruden when he was 34-years-old, and in four years Gruden became one of hottest coaching commodities in the NFL.
In 2002 Davis famously traded Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for multiple draft picks. Gruden's stock went up when he joined the Monday Night Football broadcast team on ESPN.
"Everybody knows Gruden now," said Kingdon. "And they know not to challenge this guy, and if they do, they'll learn to regret it pretty quickly."
Kingdon left his scouting position with the Raiders in 2012.
"I spoke with someone who is close to Jon," he said. "He wanted to go to a team that wasn't rebuilding, he wanted a team with a legitimate quarterback, and he wanted control."
Questions about Gruden's "control" should be answered tomorrow when the Raiders introduce Gruden at team headquarters in Alameda.