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Gruden Not Holding Grudge

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By IRA KAUFMAN

ikaufman@tampatrib.com

Published: February 8, 2009

Updated: 02/08/2009 12:12 am

TAMPA - Jon and Cindy Gruden were prepared for a Friday night out.

Dinner and a movie.

After hiring a babysitter, they looked forward to seeing Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino." But while the couple savored a meal at their favorite pizza restaurant Jan. 16, the head coach's cell phone rang.

It was Bucs general manager Bruce Allen.

Like most Eastwood movies, the message was brief and to the point.

"Bruce wanted to let me know the Glazers were making a change," Gruden said during a wide-ranging interview with The Tampa Tribune and the Orlando Sentinel. "They wanted to see me, but I called them instead."

And with that, Jon Gruden's seven-year tenure as Buccaneers coach was over.

In his first remarks to the local media since his dismissal, Gruden, 45, vowed to be "the biggest Bucs fan" in 2009 and talked candidly regarding his accomplishments and failures on the Tampa Bay sideline.

He also spoke about spending his newfound free time reinventing himself as a coach, playing golf with Lou Piniella and planning for a potential career as a football analyst.

"I'm the president of the FFCA - the Fired Football Coaches of America," Gruden said with a laugh over drinks at a local restaurant. "I'm not being sarcastic. It's the first time I've ever been fired. It was hard. Man, I'm not good enough. The thing I'm struggling with is, I really miss football.

"I'm really proud of working hard. I've always been taught you can always look yourself in the eye. Is that the best you got? Is that the best you can do? I'm not going to criticize anybody, ever. It's the best I could do."

After being fired for the first time in his life, Gruden accepted an invitation from Tampa Bay Storm coach Tim Marcum to work out of an adjacent office at the Forum, where Gruden has been watching collegiate tapes, arranging football clinics and planning for appearances.

"Tim Marcum let me move all my films and my projector to the St. Pete Times Forum, and I'm going in there and working on football," Gruden said. "I want to learn the spread offense. I want to try and learn the college hashmarks and get refamiliarized with the field. It's exciting, man."

Gruden lauded Gators coach Urban Meyer and suggested Florida quarterback Tim Tebow could "revolutionize" the pro game when he is eligible for the 2010 draft.

"He's like Brandon Jacobs playing quarterback," Gruden said. "Tim Tebow is 250 pounds, and he's the strongest human being that's ever played the position. He can throw well enough at any level."

Gruden finished 60-57 in Tampa, winning a Super Bowl in his inaugural 2002 season after the Glazers engineered a trade to pry him out of Oakland with one year remaining on his contract.

"They're the best, they really are," he said of the Glazer family. "They gave up a lot, obviously, to get me here, and when I got here I felt a responsibility to do everything I could to help them win. Obviously, I didn't do well enough to continue. But I have a lot of great memories of Tampa. This is where my mom and dad live. This is where I live. This is where I want to be."

Gruden said he was disappointed by criticism levied against him by quarterback Jeff Garcia and receiver Michael Clayton after he was fired. Former Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice was particularly harsh, calling Gruden "a scumbag."

"Yeah, it hurts," said Gruden, who has registered 100 wins as an NFL coach, "but I've had some of the greatest phone calls, too. I'm disappointed that I'm a scumbag, disappointed that I couldn't get along with the quarterback, because I live my life through the quarterback. Mike Clayton has his own opinion, and I respect it."

Asked whether he would change anything about his tenure in Tampa, Gruden said he harbors no regrets.

"I worked as hard as I could work," he said. "I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I also feel a great loss. I did my best. My body of work is out there for everybody to evaluate."

Gruden said he plans to attend Bucs games in the fall, praising his successor, Raheem Morris, and new GM Mark Dominik.

"Raheem will do fine," he said. "He's got a really good nucleus around him, and he's a heck of a guy. I love Raheem. I hired him twice, and I have a lot of confidence he can do the job. Mark's solid. He's been in the league a long time, and he's been trained by both Rich McKay and Bruce. He knows what he's doing."

Gruden said he plans an eventual return to coaching and didn't rule out a job at the college level. He also is interested in working as an analyst next season and would like to attend some college camps to expand his perspective.

On Friday, Gruden sank two birdies while playing golf with Piniella, the Chicago Cubs manager. The two men became fast friends when Piniella managed the Rays.

Gruden said he understands the frustration of Bucs fans regarding a December swoon that saw a 9-3 NFC power miss the postseason.

"You lose four straight games before the playoffs, and they should be upset," Gruden said. "But we won three division championships here, we won 60 games in seven years and we won a Super Bowl. It wasn't like it was total futility. Hey, they're going in another direction. So am I."

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