After nine seasons without competition in the broadcast booth Miles Boykin Jersey , Jon Gruden needed only a few plays of the exhibition season to get his old sideline persona back. out the temper that earned Gruden a nickname from the slasher movie “Child’s Play” during his first stint as coach in Oakland.“Chucky came out for a brief moment right there,” Gruden said.It was a moment Raiders fans had been waiting for ever since Gruden was traded to Tampa Bay following the 2001 season. Oakland lost the Super Bowl to Gruden and the Buccaneers the following year and managed just one more winning record since.The good will might have ended when the Raiders traded their best player before the start of the season, dealing elite pass rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago for a package that includes two first-round picks.Owner Mark Davis had been recruiting Gruden since he took over the franchise following the death of his father, Al, in 2011, and finally got his man this past offseason with a $100 million, 10-year contract to replace Jack Del Rio following a 6-10 season.“It’s an honor to be back here and it’s a great story, but I also just want to do everything I can to try to help this team win again,” Gruden said. “I love the Raider fans, I love Oakland, and that’s the primary reason why I’m standing here.”The love is mutual, as evidenced by the hundreds of fans who showed up at a preseason party hosted by Gruden at a local sports bar, and the excited crowds at the exhibition games.But for all the nostalgia and Gruden’s talk of bringing the game back to 1998 when Al Davis first hired him as a head coach, Gruden will need to show his style has adapted since he last coached in Tampa Bay in 2008.He has won over his players with his passion, knowledge and attention to detail, but none of that will matter without results on the field.“What you see is what you get. Rah-rah guy,” edge rusher Bruce Irvin said. “I’ve never seen a person’s face stay red for seven periods at practice. The whole practice he is just red. He’s a great motivator.”Here are some other things to watch:MISSING MACK: Mack held out for the entire offseason and training camp while seeking a long-term contract that came after he was traded to the Bears. His absence leaves a big void. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016 and leads the NFL in QB pressures with 185 1-2 since entering the league http://www.packerscheapshoponline.com/cheap-authentic-darnell-savage-jr.-jersey , according to SportRadar. Oakland’s defense struggled the past few years even with Mack on the field. Gruden and new coordinator Paul Guenther will now need rookie Arden Key and veteran Bruce Irvin to make up for the loss.DRIVE THE CARR: QB Derek Carr went from MVP candidate during a 12-win 2016 campaign to a struggling young passer a year ago as he dealt with an early-season back injury and suspect play from his receivers. Much has been made of how Carr will mesh with Gruden’s hard-driving personality, but the early signs are the two are hitting it off. Whether that leads to improved play remains to be seen. Carr will likely take more snaps under center in Gruden’s offense than he has in the past, but also will have more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage.“He has a photographic memory. It comes so easy to him,” Gruden said. “He’s got the offense mastered more than I do, that’s for sure.”INSIDE PUSH: The Raiders struggled to generate consistent pass pressure the past few seasons even with Mack and Irvin on the outside because of a lack of an inside rush. That’s why Oakland used two draft picks to upgrade that spot by selecting P.J. Hall in the second round and Maurice Hurst in the fifth. Hurst had been projected as a first-round pick before being sent home from the combine with a heart issue that the Raiders say is not a concern. Hall and Hurst have shined in the preseason and figure to provide a big boost to the defense.POUND THE ROCK: Gruden has stressed a power-running game since getting hired in January and has the pieces in place to make it work. Oakland has a stout interior of the offensive line with center Rodney Hudson and guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson. Marshawn Lynch played well in the second half of last season after coming out of retirement and looks even faster this year. Blocking tight end Lee Smith and fullback Keith Smith provide more support. Gruden hopes Doug Martin can regain the form that helped him run for more than 1,400 yards in 2012 and ’15.COVER IT UP: The Raiders have been rotating through cornerbacks ever since Reggie McKenzie became GM in 2012. They hoped they solidified one of those spots last year when they drafted Gareon Conley in the first round, but he played only two games because of injuries. Conley looks healthy now and could be part of the most talented group of cornerbacks Oakland has had in years with free agents Rashaan Melvin, Leon Hall and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie also in the mix.___ Brian Gaine has had a long journey to the top.

After 19 years serving in various roles in the personnel departments of several NFL teams, Gaine is the one calling the shots now.

”I started at the bottom and worked my way to the top at every level of every organization that I’ve been in,” said Gaine, who was introduced as the Houston Texans’ general manager on Wednesday.

Gaine spent time as a player for three seasons before turning to the other side of the game in 1999 as a scout with the New York Jets. He has also worked with Dallas (2005-07), Miami (2008-13), Houston (2014-16) and Buffalo (2017) – most recently as the vice president of player personnel.

”I do believe, with a great amount of humility, I’ve been in five different organizations, so I have a unique perspective on what it has taken to win and what it has taken to achieve,” Gaine said. ”I’ve had a chance to play a small part in going to the playoffs and winning division titles in each of those organizations. But most importantly http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-justice-hill-jersey , I think it requires good people, people that love football and are passionate about winning. Equally, a good process.

”I’ve seen varying processes in terms of how to build a roster and how to build a championship-caliber team, and I hope to implement some of those things here at the Texans.”

When Gaine last worked for the Texans, he served as the director of pro personnel in 2014 and then as the director of player personnel for two years. Heading into this new role with Houston, Gaine said he will work collaboratively with Texans coach Bill O’Brien, who recently received a four-year extension.

”What you see on Sundays obviously is the result of player acquisition and coaching, but there’s a process that’s involved in terms of getting to Sunday,” he said. ”Bill and I are very philosophically aligned in terms of how to do that, how to build a right program, how to build a right culture, and it’s not just the football roster, but it’s also the football operation and that requires every aspect that touches the game and touches the locker room.

”All those aspects of the football operation, Bill and I are philosophically aligned in terms of how to run it and how to do it.”

One position on the Texans’ roster that Gaine won’t have to worry much about is quarterback – once Deshaun Watson returns from injury.

Watson tore a knee ligament during a practice on Nov. 2, but quickly established himself as an exciting playmaker. He finished his rookie season passing for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns – the most TD throws in a quarterback’s first seven career games since 1970.

”He’s certainly a foundational piece for us, in terms of what we can build around Ben Powers Jersey ,” Gaine said. ”It certainly would be an advantage for any general manager coming into a team to have a quarterback in place that you believe in, that you know that can help you win football games.”

Having a high-caliber player such as Watson at their disposal, Gaine – who has been evaluating players since arriving back in Houston – understands they have to put pieces around him to help him succeed on the field.

Some of that will be done through free agency, but also in the draft, in which the Texans will not have a pick in the first or second rounds this year.

”We will pursue every avenue to improve this roster, as it relates to the draft, to free agency, to waiver claims, to trades, to practice squad steals, to tryouts, workouts,” Gaine said. ”Whatever we have to do to upgrade the roster in any aspect of the operation, we’ll continue to do that. If free agency presents the opportunity for us to add a championship piece to the roster, we certainly will pursue that.”

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