NAPA, CA—Determined to ensure the editing team “had enough coverage to work with,” perfectionist head coach Jon Gruden forced the ‘Hard Knocks’ production crew Wednesday to film 78 takes of a scene where he cuts a rookie running back. “I really liked how your face looked in that first take when I rattled off your major weaknesses—could you hit those moves with just a little more intensity?” said the Raiders signal-caller, who reviewed raw footage of the scene before instructing the 21-year-old halfback to adjust his chair to the left so Gruden could get a cleaner over-the-shoulder shot. “Actually, could you go back into the hallway and then walk into my office, so I can cut you again? I thought my ad-lib about what it means to be a Raider was pretty good, so I’ll try that again with a stronger inflection this time. Oh, and could you wipe the tears out of your eyes until I tell you to turn in your playbook? It doesn’t work if they come in too early. And now that I think about it, you probably shouldn’t be wearing that Raiders jersey either, wardrobe can get you a T-shirt.” At press time, Gruden had fired the ‘Hard Knocks’ crew and taken over all filming, directing, audio, and editing duties.

Advertisement