NFL condemns Jon Grudens racist comment, plus 10 observations and our Raiders-Bears predictions

June 21, 2024

The NFL is reviewing Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s status with the franchise and exploring potential disciplinary action, according to a report Friday in the Wall Street Journal, for a racist comment he made regarding NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith in 2011.

Gruden, reached by The Athletic’s Vic Tafur on Friday afternoon, said he didn’t recall sending the email but “certainly I will take accountability for it if it was on my email.” He added that he had reached out to Smith to apologize and spoke with the Raiders players on Friday morning to tell them this story would be coming out.

The email, according to the Wall Street Journal, was sent in July 2011 as the NFL was in the midst of a lockout that wiped out the offseason program and was threatening the start of training camp and the season. Gruden, then an ESPN commentator for “Monday Night Football,” sent the following email to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen: “Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of michellin tires.”

“I know at that time the Collective Bargaining Agreement was changing, there was a lockout going on or the threat of a lockout, if I can remember,” Gruden told The Athletic on Friday. “I probably looked at De as the villain. And I was really upset. I was really upset that there was going to be a lockout. I felt that Gene Upshaw would never have allowed that to happen.

“I didn’t feel like we were getting the truth. I refer to guys when I see them lying — and I can tell they’re lying — I refer to them as ‘rubber lips.’ I went too far calling him the Michelin lips. I never had a blade of racism in me. I was just pissed and used a terrible way to insult a guy.

“I called De, I have reached out to him and I haven’t heard back from him yet, but I will continue to try.”

The NFL released a statement on Friday condemning Gruden’s comments.

“The email from Jon Gruden denigrating DeMaurice Smith is appalling, abhorrent and wholly contrary to the NFL’s values,” the league’s statement read. “We condemn the statement and regret any harm that its publication may inflict on Mr. Smith or anyone else.”

Raiders owner Mark Davis also released a statement Friday afternoon:

“The content of an email regarding DeMaurice Smith from Jon Gruden when he worked for ESPN 10 years ago is disturbing and not what the Raiders stand for. We were first made aware of the email late yesterday by a reporter and are reviewing it along with other materials provided to us today by the NFL. We are addressing the matter with Coach Gruden and will have no further comment at this time.”

More details will surely emerge in the days and weeks to come and could potentially cause some distraction for a Raiders team that’s 3-1 and finishing preparations to play the Bears (2-2) at 1:05 PT on Sunday in Las Vegas. Here are 10 observations from the football side of things this week and our predictions for the Raiders’ Week 5 matchup.

1. Injury report: Cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen (foot) and Damon Arnette (groin) and tight end Derek Carrier (pectoral) didn’t practice all week and won’t play Sunday. Gruden, who spoke to the media Friday before the Wall Street Journal report was released, said the injuries could have long-term recovery timelines and mentioned injured reserve as a possibility, but didn’t have clear-cut details to share. Running back Peyton Barber (toe) didn’t practice Wednesday and Thursday, but returned Friday and is questionable to play Sunday.

For the Bears, tight end Jesse James (personal), tight end J.P. Holtz (quad), linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe (hamstring) and running back David Montgomery (knee) won’t play Sunday. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (groin) is doubtful to play. Linebacker Khalil Mack (ribs/foot), safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. (hamstring), tight end Jesper Horsted (knee) and linebacker Christian Jones (back) are questionable to play.

2. It’s too early to jump ship on the young offensive linemen. The Raiders didn’t trade away three veteran linemen this offseason to punt on their inexperienced ones — John Simpson, Andre James and Alex Leatherwood — as soon as they struggled. They couldn’t have predicted losing veterans Denzelle Good and Richie Incognito, but the point remains: They’re in this for the long haul. Benching James, Simpson or Leatherwood will likely only stunt their development. Making a desperation trade or signing might have a short-term payoff while hurting the team in the future. The lineup adjustment to a unit composed of Kolton Miller, Simpson, James, Leatherwood and Brandon Parker makes more sense. The unit needs to be better, of course, but the emergency glass hasn’t been broken.

“There is no panic,” quarterback Derek Carr said Wednesday. “There are definitely things we have to do better from a communication standpoint that would solve a lot of problems. There’s been spurts where we’ve done really well and there’s spurts where we haven’t all been on the same page. And coach (Tom) Cable always talks about when we’re all on the same page, usually there’s good results.”

That sort of thing improves with time, but the offensive line has also had difficulties consistently winning one-on-one matchups. That can be accounted for through double-teams and blocking help from tight ends and running backs, but the Raiders need to be able to rely on their linemen to hold their own, too. Beyond physical traits, that comes down to fundamentals, technique and other tricks of the trade, which younger offensive linemen tend to be short on. The O-line is going to take time to come together. The Raiders signed up for this, and they have to remain patient unless things reach untenable levels up front.

“I don’t see any reason to panic,” offensive line coach Tom Cable told The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. “This team is 3-1, and we’re part of that team. Continuing to develop is the most important thing to me. The power, size and experience that we lost with Denzelle and Richie goes a long way in this league. We’re having to fight through this. And it will be a good thing once we do and we’re able to say, ‘We’re all right, let’s go.’”

3. The Bears’ pass rush could create problems. They have a pretty average pressure rate at 31.3 percent (14th), but they’ve registered 14 sacks (T-first). Chicago’s 3-4 front is led by Robert Quinn (14 pressures, 4 1/2 sacks) and a familiar face in Mack (11 pressures, 4 sacks). It’s easy to see why Carr might not have a ton of time to throw Sunday.

Las Vegas’ offensive line had its worst performance of the season in the loss to the Chargers last week and it was one of the primary reasons Carr set season lows for completions, passing yards and yards per attempt. It can’t have a repeat effort against this kind of front if the passing offense is going to get back on track.

“As a unit, really, we all take responsibility for it, including the coaching staff,” offensive coordinator Greg Olson said of the O-line struggles. “Like we’ve talked about from Day 1, it’s an ongoing process. Certainly, it’s an area that we have looked at and realized we needed to address. And anyone on the outside can see that. We’ll continue to emphasize and address it in how we practice and how we prepare and the game plan that we put together.”

4. The Raiders’ pass rush also has a favorable matchup. The Bears O-line is second in pressures allowed, but that’s largely because they’ve passed the ball only 101 times (31st). The unit has given up 16 sacks (T-31st) and has the worst sack rate in the league at 13.7 percent. Las Vegas is only 16th in pressure rate and 13th in sacks, but its defensive front certainly has the ability to take advantage of porous pass blocking.

Maxx Crosby has been its best pass rusher with 26 pressures (most in the league), and Yannick Ngakoue has been pretty good with 16 pressures (T-14th) despite not yet registering a sack. Additionally, fellow defensive linemen Carl Nassib, Darius Philon and Solomon Thomas have flashed as effective rotational rushers. There should be an opportunity for them to collectively rattle Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who was named the full-time starter earlier this week.

5. It might be more important, though, that the Raiders are able to stop the run. They’re just 23rd in rushing defense and 29th in defensive rushing average. They’re going against a Bears offense that’s tied for ninth in rushing. While the absence of Montgomery will surely hurt them, Damien Williams is a capable runner who averaged 6.9 yards per carry last week as Chicago reeled off 188 rushing yards against the Lions.

“We’ve seen (Williams) play multiple times when he was in Kansas City and he’s been very effective,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said Thursday. “He’s a very talented back. … So, he’s a guy that can really do it all. He can run inside and outside, attack the perimeter. He’s a guy that doesn’t shy away from contact. He gets close to the sideline; he likes to stay inbounds and try to get as many yards as he can. So, there is some distinct personalities with him that have made him successful.”

Plus, Fields is a legitimate rushing threat on scrambles and zone reads. If Las Vegas is able to successfully contain the run game, it’ll force the Bears to pass more and open up the chance to exploit their subpar pass protection.

“It starts with us,” Crosby said Wednesday. “It starts with our get-off, getting after the quarterback consistently, stopping the run and then feasting. That’s what we got to do no matter who the opponent is.”

6. The Raiders are in a precarious position at cornerback. With Mullen and Arnette out, they’ll need someone else to start opposite Casey Hayward. Amik Robertson played 28 coverage snaps against the Chargers and spent 23 of them at outside corner. According to Sportradar, he was targeted six times and gave up five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. At this point, he’s the option that makes the most sense.

Fellow cornerback Keisean Nixon practiced for the first time in weeks Wednesday, and it seems riskier to start him right away. Moving nickelback Nate Hobbs, who played eight snaps outside against the Chargers, to the outside is another alternative, but then the Raiders would need to find an answer at slot corner. Safety Roderic Teamer played a couple of snaps at nickelback against the Chargers, but that should be an emergency option only. The Raiders signed Brandon Facyson, who played 44 games and started four contests with the Chargers from 2018 to 2020, and there’s a chance he could get in the mix at outside corner if needed.

The Bears have the worst passing offense in the league statistically, but they showed the ability to create explosive passing plays against the Lions last week and still have two talented outside wideouts in Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Hayward and Hobbs have played well this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago attack whoever starts between Robertson and Nixon.

7. Bradley has had pretty good success when it comes to limiting rookie quarterbacks. In his career as a coordinator and head coach, Bradley has faced 24 rookie signal callers. Collectively, he’s held them in check as they’ve completed only 58 percent of their passes while averaging 181.1 passing yards per game and 6.3 yards per attempt, which would all be among the worst figures in the league for qualifying quarterbacks this season. None of that guarantees Fields won’t have a big day Sunday, but it shows Bradley has had a habit of making life difficult for inexperienced quarterbacks.

“You just keep seeing the plays from the preseason to now (and) you’re just seeing a guy keep getting better,” Bradley said of Fields. “Very athletic. Very strong. Throws a really good deep ball. (He) can make plays. He looks downfield when he’s scrambling and getting away from the rush. So, he’s been impressive. I think the biggest stat is they’ve had like 14 or 15 explosive plays on the year, which is down, but last week they had seven when he was at quarterback. So, he’s a guy that can definitely stretch the field on us.”

8. The Bears defense has played well, but its secondary can be exploited. Chicago is 10th in scoring defense, 15th in total passing defense and 14th in total rushing defense. They’re allowing only 4.07 yards per rush (12th), so the run defense is still legit on a play-by-play basis, but they’re giving up 8.58 yards per pass attempt (28th). Starting outside cornerback Jaylon Johnson is pretty good, but fellow outside corner Kindle Vildor and nickelback Duke Shelley have had their struggles. Again, the Raiders O-line has to be better, but they can be successful through the air against Chicago.

9. The idea that Carr loses aggression when pressured hasn’t held weight this season. He’s been pressured 64 times this season (fourth most in the league), but it hasn’t changed his approach. He’s averaging 11.04 air yards per attempt (15th) and 7.61 passing yards per attempt (eighth). In second halves and overtime (after Carr has typically been hit multiple times), his rankings go up to 13th in air yards per attempt and third in passing yards per attempt.

“Maybe he was just trying to get under my skin, which he did piss me off,” Carr said Wednesday when asked about Chargers’ outside linebacker Joey Bosa’s postgame comments. “So, good job for that, but that’s not a bad thing, either.”

Carr’s completion rate when pressured is only 44.9 percent (21st), but a big reason is how often he’s attempted to pass the ball downfield when pressured. Against the Chargers, for example, he was pressured 18 times but still averaged 14.2 air yards per attempt and had 58.3 percent of his passes travel 10-plus yards downfield on those dropbacks. The Raiders’ issue isn’t his behavior when he’s pressured; it’s finding a way to ensure he isn’t pressured so frequently.

10. The Raiders are all in on the present. General manager Mike Mayock made that clear before the season, and the majority of personnel decisions have fit the bill: Regardless of draft positioning or salary, Las Vegas is hell-bent on putting its best lineups on the field. It’d be nice if more of the players whom the Raiders spent high draft picks and big money on were their best players, but that’s not always going to be the case, and the coaching staff hasn’t been shy when it comes to tweaking the depth chart accordingly.

That’s helped lead to a 3-1 start to this season and put them on track for a potential playoff berth. Even if the Raiders accomplish that goal, anything short of a deep playoff run probably isn’t worth mortgaging a significant part of your future. It’s an aggressive approach, but that’s what happens when you have an owner who spearheaded a relocation, a 63-year-old GM with his job potentially on the line and a 58-year-old coach who hasn’t led a playoff team since 2007. The effects of whether it pays off will reverberate throughout the franchise for years to come.

Raiders vs. Bears predictions

	WINNER	SCORE	SEASON RECORD
Vic Tafur		28-20	2-2
Tashan Reed		27-21	1-3

WINNER

SCORE

SEASON RECORD

Vic Tafur

28-20

2-2

Tashan Reed

27-21

1-3

Vic Tafur: Much like in London two years ago, Gruden will use two or three guys to make sure Mack won’t beat him. And the Raiders have too many receiving weapons for a shaky Bears secondary to deal with. Meanwhile, the Raiders defense will be able to contain Fields somewhat — playing Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert in the last month helps — and they confuse him enough with their different zone packages to get a couple of interceptions.

Tashan Reed: The Raiders’ offensive line gives cause for pause, but I think the offense gets back on track this week after having a rough outing against the Chargers. Meanwhile, the defense prevents Fields from having his way downfield and contains the Bears’ rushing attack with Montgomery sidelined. Chicago’s sturdy defense still keeps things close, but Las Vegas’ offensive firepower helps it pull away late.

(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

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