Jay Gruden gives G&D the lowdown on how different prep for a Monday night game can be
Football, by nature, has always been an ‘afternoon’ game for the most part, with a good chunk of the week’s games kicking off at 12 or 1 p.m. local time (with some exceptions weekly in the late window).
But even before Thursday night and international games and all that jazz, there was always Monday Night Football, a completely different animal because it kicks off just after 8 p.m. ET no matter where it is, and is, most weeks, the lone game on the schedule.
The former is the case but not the latter for the Commanders Monday night in Cincinnati…and while they were there live ahead of the game, Grant & Danny welcomed in Jay Gruden in his weekly spot and asked exactly what is different about preparing for a Monday (or other) nighter versus a Sunday game, and if players or coaches treat it differently?
“I've seen coaches get wide eyed, too! It's a little nerve wracking, and sometimes they get a little nervous and try to show their ass a little bit with their creativity and the cool plays that they draw up for you so they get their name on TV!” Jay joked. “But not really (players), I think sometimes when the lights do come on, some guys do get nervous and you see them you miss a block or whatever, whatever it might be, but the big thing is they try to do too much, too early, and do things that they're not really capable of doing. But for the most part, these guys are all pros who have played at a high level in college, too, and this is their time to really show what they can do. Monday Night Football is a great time to play for these guys, and they should be all excited.”
Given that the game starts hours later than a normal Sunday game, though, there’s a lot more of the day to get through before you do get out under the lights – so how different is THAT?
“Typically, the main talk is the night before the game, and Monday is a little bit different because typically, I have a walk through around 11 and then I'll have lunch, and they have pregame meal three or four hours before the game,” Gruden said. “Then they get there and warm up, and right after team warm-up, they come in and get ready and I’d talk to them for a minute or two with a few reminders of things we’ve worked on during the week, and some slogan points: ball security, start fast, whatever. Just remind them of that, and remind them to have some fun and go kick some ass.”
All seems straightforward, but because it is different than most of the game days of a season, it is a little bit of a shock, especially the later in the season that might come.
“It’s tough, because you sit around a hotel all day long. That's why you try to get them up and moving for a little walk through and a meeting for like 45 minutes or an hour, maybe walk through the first 15 plays again offensively, and defensively make some calls for empty or some empty automatics,” Gruden said. “Remind them of coverages, walk them through a two-minute drill and just to get them up and moving, and then they go back down and rest for a little bit, and obviously get to the trainer. Maybe some guys need some more treatment, and that’s a good time to get extra treatment. Then, they go to the stadium and they're ready to go.”
