Gruden on Gruden: Jay says Jon won't cut him any slack

Jim Corbett | USA TODAY Sports

Jon Gruden is strolling the streets of Georgetown in the nation's capital Sunday with his wife, Cindy, celebrating his 51st birthday by sharing memories of growing up with his best friend and notorious taunter – younger brother, Jay, the first-year Washington Redskins coach.

As the former high-strung Oakland Raiders and Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach notes, Jay has the more even-keeled, less irritable coaching persona.

"I wore my emotions on my sleeve. Jay is going to live a lot longer, happier life than me,'' the ESPN Monday Night Football analyst tells USA TODAY Sports. "He has a lot of work to do. Expectations are soaring in D.C. So I just hope for the best for Jay.''

Jon interviewed his younger brother Saturday in preparation for tonight's preseason telecast when Jay Gruden's Redskins host Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns.

"Jay's team has a short week and a big game against Baltimore Saturday,'' Jon says. "So we didn't spend a lot of time reminiscing, eating birthday cake.''

But Jon Gruden spent 20 minutes recalling how ultra-competitive brothers grew up to answer their coaching calling, earning a Super Bowl ring together with the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They had their share of fights growing up on the fields of northeast Ohio, but always had each other's back as sons of a football coach. Jim Gruden, an assistant under Notre Dame's Dan Devine, later served as San Francisco 49ers regional scout.

"Jay and I are really close and I'm really proud of him, obviously,'' Jon says. "We were on the same baseball team. He was the second baseman. I was shortstop. He was always just better than me. Period.

"We competed at everything from Wiffle Ball to tackle football. We fought a lot. But we also supported each other.

"I could tell you a million stories.''

One stands out.

Jon was proud of how hard he trained twice a day when he was Dayton's backup quarterback during the 1980s.

"I'd challenge Jay every day to a 1.2-mile run I had mastered,'' Jon says. "Every day, he'd turn me down, lay on the floor drinking soda pop, chilling.

"But one day, I said, 'Want to race?' And he got up and said, 'Let's go.'

"And without doing any exercise in his life, he beat me by 250 yards and did the Rocky Balboa dance taunting me in the driveway. He still rubs that in my face.

"That's when I realized I'm a small-college backup. And he's got a chance to be really good.''

Younger brother finished his 1985-1988 Louisville career with 7,024 yards passing (fourth all-time in school history), completing 572 of 1,049 passes for 44 touchdowns. As a senior, he led the 8-3 Cardinals to their first winning season in a decade. He was signed as Dan Marino's developmental backup on the 1989 Miami Dolphins before chasing his dream in the Arena League.

"Howard Schnellenberger (Jay's coach at Louisville) would tell you, Jay had a lot to do with putting Louisville football back on the map,'' Jon says.

"He was a heck of a quarterback, an Arena Bowl MVP. He just didn't get an NFL opportunity. And I think he still deep down has a chip on his shoulder because he didn't.''

After three years as Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator grooming quarterback Andy Dalton, Jay is tasked with helping Robert Griffin III take the next step as a polished pocket passer.

"Jay is really good with quarterbacks, he can adjust to his personnel, the strengths and weaknesses of his quarterback,'' Jon said.

"It's going to take time. He's implementing a new offense, changing to a degree the style of Robert. He's had tremendous success. And we all know what a tremendous athlete and a great kid (Griffin) is.

"But maybe by improving within the pocket and utilizing his supporting cast, hopefully, Robert continues to grow in all areas.''

What will Jay's coaching identity be?

"He's still writing his script,'' Jon says. "The Redskins won just three games last year. Hopefully, he gets the chance to put his program in place and see it grow. He's prepared himself well.

"He was a head coach in the Arena League and United Football League. A lot of people roll their eyes at that. But he was in charge of a budget, had to find and release players, make all kind of game day decisions.

"He's dealt with some real characters.''

The Gruden brothers realized the ultimate dream when they earned a Super Bowl XXXVII ring.

"Jay didn't get a lot of credit for that ring,'' Jon says. "He was the guy I talked to in the press box every game day for seven years. In the Super Bowl, he called, '374 WASP' at the end of the first half, the fly stop from Brad Johnson to Keenan McCardell.''

That 5-yard touchdown put the Bucs up 20-3 at halftime en route to a 48-21 throttling of quarterback Rich Gannon's Oakland Raiders, whom Jon coached the previous four seasons.

Jay was asked if big brother would go easy on him.

"No,'' he says. "He called a couple of my games last year in Cincy. Jon is Jon.

"He's going to be positive if he can. But if I do something that's out-of-line ignorant, I'm sure he'll call me on it.

"Jon is obviously very good at what he does. And he won't jeopardize what he does for my feelings. He never has.''

Hey, older brother has to get payback for that Rocky Balboa taunt, right?

"You're going to be second-guessed when things don't go well,'' Jon says. "You have a job to be yourself. I'll do the best I can to keep improving as an analyst.

"I'm not going to go out of my way to destroy anybody. I just want to have fun, showcase our ESPN preparation.''

Jay and his family bought a home in the same neighborhood as RG3 and his wife.

"Jay plays golf once in a while on those hills,'' Jon says. "And Robert is running up those same hills with a tire strapped to his back. I don't think they're on the same page in terms of how to use that golf course.

"It's going to be a great battery. It's just like any great relationship. There will be times where they bump heads and have to fight through adversity. It might be Monday night.''

Jon told USA TODAY Sports if he had the No. 1 pick in the May draft, he would have taken Manziel, who gets his last shot to win the starting job from Brian Hoyer alternating first-team reps.

"It's going to be a challenge alternating series,'' Jon says. "I never liked to do that.

"I expect Johnny to improve every time out.

"I don't think the crisis is, is he ready for opening day? It's get himself ready to be a starter, whether it's Week 1 this year or next. He's still raw.''