Jon Gruden reportedly heading to Raiders, taking Bengals assistant

Credit: Jim Witmer

Credit: Jim Witmer

Jon Gruden, the former Dayton Flyers backup quarterback, is headed back to the NFL.

And he is taking a Cincinnati Bengals assistant with him.

NFL Network reported Friday afternoon Gruden will be introduced as head coach of the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday.

That has reported as a strong possibility for a week or more, as had the chance he would hire Paul Guenther as his defensive coordinator.

This will be Gruden’s second stint leading the Silver and Black. He went 38-26 as the coach there from 1998-2001 before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and beating the Raiders in the Super Bowl the following season.

He was fired following the 2008 season and has since made a living working for ESPN on telecasts of Monday Night Football.

Ironically, news broke on a significant day for another former Flyer who coached in the NFL.

Chuck Noll, who led the Steelers to four Super Bowls in the 1970s, was born Jan. 5, 1932.

Guenther was the Bengals defensive coordinator for four seasons, and the team finished no worth than 12th in points allowed during that time.

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