The “hardest working man in sports television” needed an off day Thursday, and Jon Gruden noticed.
Stephen A. Smith became an instant meme during Thursday’s “First Take” when he gave some questionable analysis on the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did Smith refer to the LA Chargers as the “San Diego Chargers,” but he also focused his breakdown on Spencer Ware, Hunter Henry and Derrick Johnson. The only problem was that Ware had been ruled out for the game, Henry suffered a torn ACL in the spring and Johnson was cut by the Chiefs in the offseason.
Gruden must have been watching because the Oakland Raiders head coach took a shot at Smith when he was asked about former Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper’s claim that owner Mark Davis wanted to trade him and not Gruden.
“I’ve heard some things in the media that are absolutely hilarious, that aren’t even close,” Gruden said, via CBS Sports’ Will Brinson. “I’m not commenting on any of that stuff.
“We gotta get ready for Dan Ross and Boobie Clark. We gotta watch out for Isaac Curtis down the middle. We gotta get Tim Brown and all our receivers ready to play.”
That’s cold-blooded.
We can’t blame Gruden for dodging questions. His first year in Oakland has been a disaster. The team traded away star defensive end Khalil Mack and Cooper, both of whom have been stars for their respective new clubs, and currently sits at 3-10 heading into Week 15.
But hey, at least the $100-million coach has jokes.
