ALAMEDA — A day after absorbing another demoralizing defeat and with a compacted schedule heading into Thursday night’s game against the 49ers, Raiders coach Jon Gruden was saving his energy for what’s most important.
It’s as if Chucky was replaced by a low-key altar-ego named Charles.
Gruden’s weekly press conferences have been must-see TV, a treasure trove of video clips and quotes to be parsed, skewed in terms of context and then parceled out to social media for further dissemination. Most of it with a mocking tone.
No so on Monday, after a 42-28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, where Gruden was subdued and resigned to making his regularly scheduled appearance without an edge and uninterested in doing any sparring over questions he took issue with.