Jon Gruden is hardly known as the sentimental type; the dream crusher rather than dreamer, the tough man intent on bringing back the fullbacks and smash-mouth 1990s football.
However, behind what is tough exterior there is clearly a man with a heart, especially when it comes to sad news concerning former mentors.
Monte Kiffin, Tampa Bay Ring Of Honor Inductee, Died On Thursday
Monte Kiffin, longtime defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and winner of Super Bowl XXXVII – with Jon Gruden at the helm – died on Thursday afternoon.
Whilst Kiffin’s eventual departure from Tampa Bay and Gruden was not nearly as amicable as it should have been for a man of his stature, Gruden still maintains a respect and fondness for his old coach.
And Gruden has as such reacted accordingly to Kiffin’s passing yesterday with kind words, per Pro Football Talk.
Jon Gruden: Monte Kiffin was a phenomenal teacher and presenter. https://t.co/MA0S7S4red
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 12, 2024
Jon Gruden Calls Monte Kiffin A “Phenomenal Teacher”
Although Gruden was the head coach in Tampa Bay, and as such will always be given a healthy dose of the credit for the Bucs’ first Super Bowl victory, the impact of Monte Kiffin should not be overlooked.
Kiffin, along with former head coach, Tony Dungy, helped build a petrifying defense that, in many ways, carried the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory, despite some help coming from Gruden and 2 x Pro Bowl quarterback, Brad Johnson.
In a statement, the former Raiders head coach had a glowing report for the legendary DC:
“When I got traded to Tampa, Monte and I were really excited to work together because we’d been behind the scenes studying football for several years, he was a great mentor for me, and we worked really well together.
Monte was the same guy every day — upbeat, positive and prepared, he was a phenomenal teacher and presenter. He did the preparation, and he did the presentation. Those are the two things I always thought the great coaches did . . . and he did it better than anybody. God bless him and his family.”
Jon Gruden noticeably falls short of referring to him as a friend – initially slightly surprising considering their 7 seasons together, but most likely due to their bitter falling out during the 2008 season, as Kiffin aimed to join his son, Lane, as a coach for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Regardless, the message is thoughtful and shows no remnants of the personal dispute between the two from nearly 2 decades ago.
Some nice words from Gruden, who has been handed an unfortunate string of losses in his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL.
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