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The Raiders were getting ready to play the Denver Broncos, and Jon Gruden was deep into his pregame preparation. Gruden was 34 years old, looked closer to 24, and in his first season as head coach.
Bucky Brooks, an NFL Network analyst who played for the Raiders during Gruden’s first season in 1998, described the scene.
“He had headphones on, and he was kind of rocking out to whatever music he was listening to,” Brooks said.