Charles Woodson knows what kind of environment Oakland Raiders players will face when practices start under new head coach Jon Gruden. Hint: it’s not going to be easy, and people will lose their jobs if they don’t toe the line.
Speaking about his own experience with Gruden, Woodson made it clear that the coach demands nothing but the best.
“If you don’t respond, you gotta go,” said Woodson, per Levi Damien of silverandblackpride.com. “That’s gonna be the bottom line. I don’t think Gruden’s gonna come in here favoring or babying anybody. He’s going to come try to hit the ground running and if you’re not ready to jump on that train, maybe there’ll be another team for you or something else you can do. But it’s gotta be all in or nothing.”
Woodson isn’t the only former Raiders great who knows the players are in for a big surprise.
“It’s gonna be work and I’m not just talking about physical work, but it’s gonna be mental. They’re going to have to learn the game of football,” said Tim Brown. “Not saying these guys don’t know the game of football, but it’s gonna be different. You’re gonna have to know defenses, you’re gonna have to know when to sit down, where to keep going, you’re going to have to know things that maybe you haven’t had to do in year’s past. It’s going to be an adjustment, no doubt about it.”
These comments mirror those made by none other than the GOAT, Jerry Rice, who recently warned the Raiders that “Chucky” was coming for them.
They also mirror what former Gruden pupil Rich Gannon had to say about the work ethic of Derek Carr, who may not realize what’s coming his way. What we do know is that Carr will be tasked with shouldering more responsibility than he’s ever had before.
The resounding message is clear: Gruden is going to baptize his players in fire. Whether they can handle it or not is up to them.