ALAMEDA – Even though the new Raiders coach has been away from the sidelines for 10 years, Jerry Rice doesn’t see any problems with Jon Gruden relating with today’s players simply because his motivational skill has always been one of his strongest suits as a coach.
Rice was 39, had already played 16 years in the NFL with the 49ers, set numerous league records and appeared at the end of his Hall of Fame career when he got a call from Gruden in early 2001.
“Jon was the reason I came here (to Oakland),” Rice said Tuesday following Gruden’s official introduction as the Raiders’ new coach.