Jon Gruden Apparently Surprised Khalil Mack Is Dominating With Bears

Raise your hand if you’re surprised Khalil Mack is dominating with the Chicago Bears.

That’s what we thought.

Wait… who’s that lone ranger in the back? Ah, that would be Jon Gruden.

The Oakland Raiders head coach, as you might recall, traded Mack to the Bears before Week 1. The move unsurprisingly didn’t go over well with Raiders fans, who rightfully believe Mack is among the best pass rushers in the NFL.

Much to the chagrin of Raider nation, Mack has responded by logging five sacks and forcing four fumbles in his first four games with Chicago, which suddenly has one of the best defenses in the NFL. Oh, and the two-time All-Pro had yet another strip sack Sunday in the Bears’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Upon learning of Mack’s Week 4 performance, Gruden was in a state of disbelief.

Check out this nugget from NFL.com’s Michael Silver:

What do you think?  Leave a comment.

“As he readied his game face for what he hoped would be his first NFL head-coaching victory in exactly nine years and 10 months, Jon Gruden sat in the coaches’ area of the home locker room at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday morning, scrolled through his cell phone and got some decidedly disturbing news.

” ‘Damn — Khalil Mack had another strip sack?’ Gruden asked rhetorically, shaking his head at the Oakland Raiders assistant coaches in his midst. ‘Are you … kidding me?’ ”

No, Jon: We’re not kidding you. Mack probably is the most dominant defender in the NFL and you traded him away for two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick

All that being said, we kinda think the Raiders got the better end of the deal — seriously.

About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.