Gruden No Longer Valero’s BFF

I touched on Art Valero's farewell "fuck you" to the Buccaneers yesterday because it was the catalyst for the Times's story. The Times only had a couple brief quotes from Valero and they were evidently taken somewhat out of context. Pewter Report dug deeper and, it turns out, he is much more pissed than he initially sounded. Valero talks about how he was passed over for promotions, how his ideas weren't listened to, and how he was promised things that were never delivered on. It apparently all started at the Senior Bowl a couple years ago.

"To appease me, Jon [Gruden] was going to allow me to call the plays and call the game at the Senior Bowl," Valero said. "That was when [running back Cadillac Williams] was there, and I never got the chance to. I was prepared. I was ready to go, but he called the plays. I don’t know why I wasn't allowed to. I told him my displeasure with how they were doing it [with Aaron Kromer] and he said, 'Well, you know that you're going to be the coordinator here.' I knew right there that he was B.S.ing me. Why would you want to be a coordinator for him when he is going to call the plays? That's a paper lion, you know? That, professionally, wouldn't have done me any good. He sits there and tells people one truth just to appease them and he thinks they are dumb, when people really do realize it. I think that was the turning point [between me and Gruden]."

He goes on to clarify his quotes on the Times and gives credit to Gruden and Bruce Allen for doing what they did with the season and, at the same time, sticking the knife in for resting the players for the playoffs. Read the whole thing when you have time, if for no other reason than it's the only thing happening that's even remotely Buccaneer-related.

Of course, neither Gruden nor Allen have commented on Valero's comments and I'm sure they won't. When the topic is raised by a reporter next week, they'll say they have no comment on it except that they wish Valero well in his new position and that will be the end of it. Valero's position is lessened somewhat by the fact that Bill Muir seemed to have options this season but still chose to stick around and re-sign. But if stories like this become too commonplace, Allen and Gruden are going to find it hard to attract quality assistant coaches. As I remember, Mike Tomlin had a couple words to say about Gruden on his way out, too. I don't recall any explicit things Joe Barry or Rod Marinelli said after they left Tampa Bay, but I have a feeling the Grudens aren't on their Christmas card lists since they were both held back from leaving for promotions at one point. It's going to be interesting to see who they get to replace Valero in the next couple weeks.