NFL Rules Expert Rips Jon Gruden For Being Blowhard
Blowhard
Jon Gruden is a blowhard who doesn’t understand the NFL rule book, according to the league’s former director of officiating Mike Pereira. The former NFL VP who now writes for Fox Sports blasts Gruden in a column regarding the ESPN commentator’s remarks on this week’s Monday night game.
Writes Pereira:
“I am not a fan of Gruden’s. Not today, not yesterday, not when I worked for the NFL and not when I was working on the field as a side judge. He was a loudmouth as a coach who constantly disrespected officials and he is a blowhard in the broadcast booth who spouts off when he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
I respect his knowledge about the X’s and O’s when it comes to coaching and playing the game of football, but I have very little respect for him when it comes to officiating and his knowledge of the rules.”
Specifically, Pereira assailed Gruden for his criticisms on two catches. Gruden opined that if the officials flagged Atlanta Falcons Curtis Lofton for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the New Orleans Saints Marques Colston then they also should have penalized Malcolm Jenkins later when he took down the Falcons Reggie Kelly.
“I just don’t understand how games are being officiated,” Gruden said.
Pereira says Gruden totally misunderstood the NFL’s guidelines on when a receiver is considered a “defenseless receiver” and that the two collisions were very different.
Says Pereira: “Gruden said he doesn’t understand how games are being officiated? Correctly and consistently in this case. But that’s OK, Jon. Just throw the officials under the bus when you don’t know the rules.”
