"Everything is a little crazy now" - NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice shares his take on Raiders' current situation
Jerry Rice has officially weighed in on the drama surrounding his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders. Rice is best known for his 16 seasons spent with the San Fransisco 49ers. However, he elected to join the Raiders in 2001 and played three-and-a-half seasons for them.
He also played for them in 2001, when Jon Gruden was the head coach. Thus, it was only a matter of time before Jerry Rice had something to say. But Rice didn't have as much to say on Gruden as he did on the Raiders team overall. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Rice made his thoughts on the Raiders public.
I spoke with @JerryRice about the 4-2 Raiders.
Rice couched his Jon Gruden thoughts carefully. But he sees something in this team and was impressed how the players responded to the franchise's darkest week.
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Jerry Rice says, "Everything is a little crazy now" surrounding the Raiders.
Jerry Rice was asked by Yahoo Sports about his thoughts surrounding his former head coach. Gruden has been a hot-button issue to talk about, but Rice was more interested in the fallout. Rice said about Gruden:
"I really don’t have a strong reaction to that. We all have to move on. It’s not something I condone. ... Everything else is a little crazy now. Now we have to sit back and watch this entire thing unfold."
Rice is accurate about things being crazy right now. The Raiders have a new interim head coach, Rich Bisaccia. The Raiders had Jon Gruden running the entire organization for the last three seasons. That sudden change in the middle of the season can derail teams.
But credit is due to the Raiders for their handling of the situation so far. The Raiders beat the Denver Broncos in Week 6 and were incredibly explosive on offense. Rice gave the Raiders team a lot of credit for their resiliency and ability to move on. He said:
"They had to [move on]. We all have to move on," Rice said. "... I just feel like it was up to those players to say, ‘Hey, look, we’ve got to put that behind us. The season is not going to wait for us.’ And that’s what they did. They played an exceptional football game."
Jerry Rice also has high praise for Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III.
Jerry Rice didn't just praise the team in general. He specifically mentioned Henry Ruggs III. Rice said he sees a lot of his younger self in Ruggs. Ruggs has broken out this season as he's learned the playbook better and has improved his route running. Rice said:
"Oh, man, yes indeed," he said. "He’s one of those guys that he’s so fast, once the ball is up in the air, it feels like the ball belongs to him. He’s now making those plays. He puts points on the board."
There's no greater compliment than receiving one from the greatest to ever do your profession. Ruggs deserves this praise as he's proven worthy of being the 12th overall pick last year.
Henry Ruggs III has 445 receiving yards in 6 games this season. He had 452 in 13 games last year. He has arrived 🔥🔥
The Raiders will likely hear more about Gruden as the season goes on. But having the right attitude and staying focused on football is going to keep the Raiders successful. They're 4-2 and have a legitimate shot to win the AFC West.
Jerry Rice and the rest of the NFL will keep tabs on this Raiders team to see how they continue to respond in the weeks going forward.