It's No Longer About the Money
A huge move was made Las Vegas by Raiders head coach Jon Gruden this past weekend against the New York Jets.
Healthy and available defensive end Carl Nassib was scratched for the contest.
It was a move to show where the true priorities of Gruden’s staff are. It’s not about how much money the franchise is paying a player but rather… what they can deliver on the field.
“We’re going to put the ball down Wednesday morning for practice and we’re going to play the guys that perform their best on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,” Gruden said on Monday.
Nassib is the sixth highest-paid player on the team with a $7.5 million salary.
However with a scratch against the worst team in the NFL right now, it shows just how important daily practice habits are to Gruden and Co. when it comes to playing time.
The Raiders (7-5) have been struggling at times this year, particularly with the pass rush.
Las Vegas is currently ranked 29th in the NFL with 15 sacks this year. It’s been a primarily defensive end Maxx Crosby show for the most part.
The Raiders are 28th in the NFL in tackles for losses with a mere 39.
The defense has particularly been a consistent struggling point for the Raiders this season.
Gruden and his crew have made it evidently clear that moving forward, it doesn’t matter how much the team is paying a player or whether they’ll keep playing him.
It’s about their practice habits, and ultimately if they're improving on the field on a weekly basis.
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