When this story is relayed to backup quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, he says, “He got you too? He got me with the same one in my rookie year.”

Unbeknownst to the lineman, Gannon is asking the questions. He suspects nothing out of the ordinary until asked about the size of…again, it’s locker room humor.

He says Gannon has been arriving in the morning darkness, angry that he doesn’t have a key to the facility so he can get in and watch film. Gruden says an angry Gannon throws rocks at his window, demanding to be let in.

A television crew sees it and comes out to document the story. Turns out Gannon indeed wanted to get in early, but never threw so much as a pebble. He can’t find a rock anywhere near a window, and curses Gruden under his breath. Later, as Gannon relates the story, he is laughing about it.

He tells the support staff, comprised of Raiders employees, to stand along the sideline and gawk at Manning. They’re instructed to say, “Oooh,” and “Aaah,” on every Manning pass, and remain silent when Gannon throws.

Finally, Manning misfires, and Gannon runs to the sideline and says, “What do you think of that throw?”

The story is put in a weekly Internet diary I was ghost-writing for Gruden in 2001. Gannon thinks it is hilarious. He requests a printed copy.

Gannon could be a pain to teammates, coaches and the media. In fact, he saw it as part of his job description. But he had another side.

“Rich is a very sarcastic and intelligent guy,” Gruden said. “He could cut you up with his words but could also make you laugh like hell.”

Center Adam Treu, who considers Gannon and family to be close friends, agreed. “He was a lot of fun – sometimes at the expense of other teammates,” Treu said. “But what are you going to do? You’ve got to have a thick skin.”

The Hackett Factor
Davis and Gruden relied heavily on the advice of Paul Hackett, Gannon’s offensive coordinator in Kansas City, when coming to the decision to pursue their eventual MVP.

“When Jon was looking for a quarterback, I told him, `This is the guy you want,’ ” Hackett said. “I mean, this is his guy. A guy who is just like he is.”

Hackett, now Gruden’s quarterbacks coach in Tampa Bay, said Gruden and Gannon made each other better.

“Their ability to work together is one of the great stories in the NFL” Hackett said. “Here was a first-time NFL coach in his 30s, a quarterback in his 30s, and they get the most out of each other. There’s only one person I’ve ever known that prepares more than Rich Gannon. And that happens to be Jon Gruden.”

Hits And Misses