Graney: Gruden takes all-or-nothing approach to 2021 season

When they participate the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center for regular practice, Raiders players are welcomed by 3 shining examples of excellence.

Super Bowl trophies person a mode of inspiring.

Make nary mistake. Those won by the Raiders are strategically placed to motivate a franchise hoping to again scope specified heights.

“Every clip I locomotion in, I look astatine them,” said eight-year starting backmost Derek Carr. “I can’t ideate thing cooler than that successful football.”

Since Jon Gruden returned to manager the Raiders successful 2018, Carr says determination has been 1 accordant connection from him — bash immoderate it takes to hoist different Lombardi Trophy, the prize that goes to the Super Bowl champion.

First, though, the Raiders person to really suffice for the tournament. It hasn’t been casual of late.

For a truly agelong time.

Must beryllium better

Playoffs oregon bust. All oregon nothing. Pick one. It’s the 4th twelvemonth of Gruden’s 2nd enactment coaching the Raiders, and overmuch bigger things should beryllium expected aft what has been a 19-29 grounds implicit the past 3 seasons. It’s clip they’re overmuch amended nether him.

“The extremity is ever to triumph the Super Bowl,” said linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. “That’s what all-or-nothing means to maine and each feline retired here. Work arsenic hard arsenic you can, and everything other volition benignant itself retired implicit time.”

Gruden besides coached the Raiders from 1998 to 2001. It was successful his 3rd play erstwhile they made the playoffs. Lost successful the AFC title crippled to Baltimore. The pursuing year, it was a Tuck Rule decision to the Patriots successful the divisional round.

He is successful a 15th play arsenic an NFL coach, and his teams person made the playoffs 5 times. That includes a Tampa Bay broadside that bushed the Raiders successful Super Bowl XXXVII.

But the Raiders person earned conscionable 1 playoff berth successful the past 18 years, a forgettable inclination that Gruden seems assured tin beryllium reversed this season.

Few extracurricular the enactment agree. The team’s triumph full is 7.5, and the nether isn’t earning a playoff spot. Nothing abbreviated of 9-8 implicit a present 17-game docket would flirt with one. If that.

The likelihood for Gruden’s squad making the playoffs:

Yes is simply a plus-325 underdog.

No is simply a minus-400 favorite.

You spot wherever astir folks stand, and it isn’t connected the broadside of earning a berth.

There is besides this: The Raiders person the league’s second-toughest docket based connected projected triumph totals.

“Same connection arsenic past twelvemonth and each year,” Gruden said astir his all-or-nothing mantra. “You got to spell each out. I’m not going to get excessively heavy and philosophical, but we each got to beryllium connected the aforesaid page.

“We’ve got a large radical of guys. The vigor level is extreme, and we’ve got bully seasoned enactment connected this team. I similar the civilization present amended than immoderate of the teams I’ve had successful a agelong clip oregon been a portion of.”

Hoping against hope

He hopes cardinal antiaircraft additions volition crook that broadside of the shot from atrocious to respectable. Hopes what was a apical 10 discourtesy past play executes adjacent better. Hopes the reddish portion isn’t again scarier than a haunted house.

Hopes the Chiefs travel backmost to the AFC West battalion immoderate and the Chargers aren’t arsenic improved arsenic galore believe.

Hopes it each occurs. Or astatine slightest a bulk of it.

“Effort, and it’s not conscionable 10 yards effort,” said Carr, who arsenic an illustration mentioned a signifier play from 340-pound antiaircraft tackle Jonathan Hankins.

“I handed a shot disconnected and turned around. Hankins stopped, enactment his ft successful the crushed and bushed 2 guys to the football. That’s the biggest antheral connected our team.”

Carr said helium told him, “‘That close determination is going to triumph america a Super Bowl.’ I deliberation it’s that day-to-day grind that gets america to that extremity end of what (Gruden) expects.”

Which is this: Playoffs oregon bust. All oregon nothing.

Welcome to the Raiders, 2021.

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.