For Jon Gruden, Christmas morning is almost here.
After waiting months since being hired by the Oakland Raiders as head coach, Gruden finally will be able to start working with his players on Monday, April 9. That’s the date the NFL has decreed as the first day Gruden can begin Phase I of the team’s offseason workout program. While Gruden won’t be putting his team through on-field drills and scrimmages, he will be able to meet with team and start to communicate with players in a team setting.
Recently, Gruden told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com it has been frustrating for him, not being able to get together to talk football with his team or players since returning to Oakland.
“I’ve been head coach 65, 70 days and I haven’t been able to even meet my players yet,” Gruden said. “It’s a challenge for all the new coaches, especially. Yeah, you’ve got to get over it. But you know, you have to come in, you have to evaluate the players and you’re not able to really ask them, ‘Hey, why’d you do that?’ Or, ‘Hey, what happened on this play?’ And you’ve got to make some tough decisions. It’s been uncomfortable. It’s been uneasy. But I’m not the only one.”
Other key dates for Gruden and the Raiders this offseason include voluntary minicamp, April 24-26; organized team activities (OTAs) May 22-24, May 29-31 and June 4-7; and mandatory minicamp, June 12-14.
The starting date of training camp in Napa in July has not yet been determined.
