Keith Smith finds his purpose with Raiders in Jon Gruden’s scheme

With Jon Gruden coaching the Oakland Raiders again, everyone expects quarterback Derek Carr to light up the skies. He will, but some slept on the fact that Gruden has always loved a physical running game. He reminded people right away with his comments about ‘throwing the game back to ‘98’.

The first question he asked was, “Do we have a fullback?”

At the time, the Raiders had Jamize Olawale, a pass-catching fullback, a good fit for his favorite play. Yes, I’m talking about the famous Spider 2 Y Banana, where the fullback is the primary receiver. But catching passes isn’t all he’s looking for in his fullbacks. He wants guys that can pass-protect and take it to opposing linebackers as the lead…