INDIANAPOLIS -- New Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been away from the sidelines for a long time, but being in the ESPN Monday Night Football booth has given him a chance to take a broader look at the league.
Speaking Wednesday at the NFL combine, Gruden admitted he's envious of the Patriots.
"Oh man, I'm envious of the Patriots. I really am," he said. "The Patriot Way: finding players that are versatile, finding players that can adapt on a weekly basis to win a game. They don't care how they beat you, either. They're not afraid to use the 60-minute clock to beat you in the final seconds. And they're not afraid to blow you out, either. But they can morph themselves into a two-back team, they can come out with five receivers, play no-back formations.
"It's just a pleasure to watch them adapt every year to the new rules and to the new men on their roster. And on their coaching staff. And it all starts with [Bill] Belichick and Tom Brady, obviously, but the people behind the scenes there deserve a lot of credit."
With New England facing the Raiders this past season, the two teams will not meet for awhile in the regular season.
