"Once a Raider, always a Raider," with that phrase Jon Gruden was presented as the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders, a team he previously coached between 1998 and 2001.
In the presence of former players and legends of the Raiders such as Charles Woodson, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, Jim Otto, and Rich Gannon, team owner Mark Davis introduced Gruden and expressed his readiness to return to coaching in the NFL almost a decade later.
"I have a lot to prove, no doubt. I haven't coached a game since 2008. I haven't won a game since 2008. I haven't lost a game either.
I know there is a big target on my chest. If people want to use that as motivation, so be it. I worked for Al Davis in 1998; that was pressure. You were 34 years old back then. I've dealt with pressure before, I don't really feel pressured. I love the thrill of competing and I can't worry about things that are out of my control," said the former "ESPN" analyst.
Gruden was the head coach of the Raiders between 1998 and 2001, during which he achieved a regular season record of 38-26. In the 2000 season, Oakland, under the guidance of Chucky, achieved its best record in a decade with 12 wins and four losses. Additionally, the team reached the conference finals.
In the following season, the Raiders lost in the divisional round with the controversial "tuck rule" against the New England Patriots. That was his last season leading the Raiders before making the leap to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he would win Super Bowl XXXVII.
Gruden was fired by the Bucs in January 2009 and has not coached an NFL team since then.
"It's very emotional for me, I never wanted to leave the Raiders. I never thought I would come back, but here I am ready to work (...) I love the Raiders and above all I like to win, and I will do everything I can, with no guarantees or promises, to achieve it," added Gruden.
Gruden joked while addressing Charles Woodson, one of the attendees at the press conference and the player who sacked Tom Brady in the controversial play of the 2001 playoffs. The coach showed that he hasn't forgotten that moment: "Brady fumbled that ball."
Instead of ruling it a fumble, the officials called it an incomplete pass and the Raiders lost that game in overtime. Now, many years later, Gruden will seek to restore success to a talented team that lost its way in the last season.
Gruden's coaching staff will consist of Greg Olson as the offensive coordinator, Paul Guenther as the defensive coordinator, and Rich Bisaccia as the special teams coach.