After the Raiders introduced Jon Gruden as head coach in January with a massive news conference that was closer to a political rally than it was to a news conference, I had only one question racing through my mind.
Yes, I was curious if Gruden — after a decade away from coaching — had the ability to lift the Raiders back to playoff contention after a disastrous six-win 2017 season. And, yes, I wondered how Gruden would deal with general manager Reggie McKenzie and quarterback Derek Carr. I even pondered if Gruden’s hiring would bring about more prime-time games for the Raiders (spoiler alert: It did) and lamented the games that can only be described as “deadline busters.