Gruden`s Second Coming Too Much Fun
Dan Ryan
Monday April 15, 2002
Maybe it’s just my mid-life crisis and the fact that once the Johnny Unitas of Arena Football decides to finally pack it up, he’s got the dream gig courtesy of his older brother. Hell, my brother runs a Waffle House, so my nepotism yellow brick road quickly ends in a brick wall. [By the way, anyone know what has eight breasts and 14 teeth? The graveyard shift at Waffle House. Bada-Bing]
Gruden already has the best of runs on and off the field. Six rings in all. A statue in wherever the Arena Football Hall of Fame is currently placed in storage. A coaching gig in the NFL beckons. The financial security. The wife and kids.
 Gruden is back. Too bad his line doesn`t look like this. Image courtesy of Dan Ryan |
Five years out of the game and he throws deep on the first play of the Orlando Predators’ recent scrimmage. Overthrew the guy, but hey. Then he goes 19 of 26 for 223 yards with five touchdowns in the first preseason game at Indiana.
Few people get a second chance like Gruden has this season with the Preds. Unlike Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards, there’s a good supporting cast. Having Siaha Burley, Cliff Dell and Junior Lord to throw to could make a lot of people look good, and Gruden seems confident in his offensive line.
Maybe that’s why life is so good right now. It’s a hoot to trash talk teammates during a scrimmage after he decides to scamper out of a pocket [that’s right, a 35-year old QB scrambling] or Indiana fans who less than politely suggest he go back to coaching. It’s a trip to see the new kids still calling him “Coach.” It’s fun to trade barbs with the writers on a morning media day when hangovers could be in effect and correct the PR guy in jest for missing one of his TD passes, or even say, “That Arenafan stuff is great.” [See? Important people actually enjoy this schlep. Do I get the frickin’ golf shirt now?]
Yeah, life is pretty good after all.
Dan Ryan has been involved with all forms of arena football since 1988, including writing for ArenaFan when Joe Kauffman and Tim Capper aren’t killing his columns because they don’t get his jokes or perspective. His day job is at Bethune-Cookman University, which has produced both an NFL Hall of Famer (Larry Little) and an Arena Football Hall of Famer (Stevie Thomas) and his hobby is tracking how many f-bombs Adam Markowitz drops in the chat room on game nights.
