'He's the best I've ever coached': Las Vegas Raiders HC Jon Gruden has high praise for Darren Waller
The Las Vegas Raiders officially opened Allegiant Stadium on Monday Night Football and delighted their fans with a thrilling overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens.
After the win, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden had high praise for his star tight end Darren Waller which, although deserved, left a lot of people scratching their heads considering the Hall of Fame players Gruden has coached in his NFL career.
Darren Waller appreciative of HC Jon Gruden's compliments
After the Raiders defeated the Ravens 33-27 on Monday night, head coach Jon Gruden made his routine post-game media appearance. Gruden was asked about tight end Darren Waller, who had a career-high 19 targets, 10 receptions, 105 receiving yards and a touchdown. Waller tied the Raiders' single-game record for most targets, tying Amari Cooper, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown.
"We threw it 60 times. If you throw 60 times, you'd probably target him 29," Gruden said, via Adam Hill of the Los Vegas Review Journal. "He's the best player I've ever coached, so I'm going to continue to look for him."
Waller was clearly Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's favorite target last season, and that was also the case on Monday night.
When asked about Gruden's comments, Waller was shocked at the extraordinary compliment given by his head coach. Waller simply said, "Dang, that's crazy he said that."
To most who have heard those comments, it probably is. Jon Gruden has coached John Lynch, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Warren Sapp and Keyshawn Johnson. Was Gruden just overly excited that his Raiders team, which was down most of the game, not only forced overtime but somehow pulled off the victory? Maybe. Or perhaps Waller is just easier to coach than some of Gruden's former players?
Waller has overcome a lot in his personal life to get back on the football field. Waller's motivation last night could have also been fueled by redemption. A former sixth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, Waller was waived by the team in 2018 after being suspended by the NFL for an entire season due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
While Darren Waller is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, whether he can already be declared one of the very best seems a bit premature.