With Jay Gruden named the new head coach of the Washington Redskins, some have wondered what might happen when his brother Jon Gruden called one of his games on Monday Night Football.
There's a chance we won't see the Gruden & Gruden Show in 2014. After all, the NFL's scheduling czars are loathe to putting a 3-13 team in a primetime showcase… unless it's the mandatory craptastic Thursday Night Football appearance, that is.
Nevertheless, any NFC East team is a ratings draw and with the drama surrounding Robert Griffin III, it's not outside the realm of possibility to see the Redskins on Monday Night Football at some point in 2014. We've seen analysts call games of family members plenty of times in the past and all the announcers involved did a professional job – Jeff and Stan Van Gundy, Darrell and Michael Waltrip, and Ned and Dale Jarrett, are just a few that come to mind. There's no reason to think Jon Gruden will be any different in not showing favoritism to his brother calling a game. To that end, we may have got a preview thanks to Jon Gruden's appearance on Mike & Mike. DC Sports Bog transcribed Jon's quote on Jay and it's remarkable…
“Well, I’m really proud obviously,” Jon Gruden said. “Here’s a guy that not only is my brother, but he did it the right way. He played in Arena football, he played for Howard Schnellenberger at Louisville — that’s some tough two-a-day practices — was my assistant for seven years in Tampa, and really did double days. He coached for the Orlando Predators in the spring and coached for us in the fall. I remember one year he coached in 40 games. So he’s done it the hard way. He gets the keys to one of the NFL’s most global franchises. It’s recognized, I think, around the world. This has got a great tradition, a world-championship tradition. It’s a tremendous responsibility, and I’m happy for him. I expect him to make the most of it.”
LET ME TELL YA MIKE, HERE'S A GUY, THIS JAY GRUDEN, HE CAME UP THROUGH THE ARENA LEAGUE. HE COACHED WITH ME FOR SEVEN YEARS IN THE LEAGUE. I LOVE THIS KID. PARTLY BECAUSE HE'S MY BROTHER, BUT ALSO BECAUSE HE'S A CLASSIC GRUDEN GRINDER.
And now we have proof that Jon Gruden would give his brother Jay no special treatment. He would "this guy" the heck out of him just like he would anyone else.
I just can't wait until the first time Jay Gruden runs a Spider 2 Y Banana with his brother in the booth. That could be a special moment in broadcasting history.
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