Jon Gruden may be working in media now, but the coaching fraternity still comes first.
The former Raiders and Buccaneers coach came to the defense of Bears head coach Ben Johnson on Monday’s Wake Up Barstool, after Johnson came under fire for his curt response to CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala during Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The exchange happened at halftime with the Bears trailing 14-9 after managing just two rushing yards and 100 total yards of offense in the first half. When Kinkhabwala asked Johnson if he needed to change what he was doing, Johnson responded, “I don’t know, you think so?” before adding, “We’re gonna be just fine,” as the camera cut away.
The moment sparked immediate reaction on social media, with some defending Johnson’s frustration and others criticizing his treatment of Kinkhabwala. Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho posted that Johnson “was tripping,” noting that “reporters don’t want to talk to losing coaches, they have to.”
Unsurprisingly, Gruden sided firmly with Johnson.
“I’m always on the coach’s side,” Gruden said. “I’ve been the first to say I hate those sideline interviews. Now, they’re doing live interviews with coaches during the game. Can you imagine that? ‘Hey, Coach Gruden, it’s third-and-six, you’ve punted three straight series, how are you feeling?’ For Ben Johnson not to take that microphone and slam it on the ground is a real credit to him.”
Gruden also questioned the value of in-game coach interviews entirely, arguing that the format produces nothing of substance.
“Some of these broadcast teams should think clearer: ‘What do we want to ask the coach?’ and ‘What do we really think the coach is going to say?’ You think we’re gonna go, ‘Hey, we’re going to run an onside kick to start the third quarter, and we’re going to run flip right double XX jet 36 counter naked wagon 7 on the first play.’ You’re never going to get a technical answer, so why do the interview?” he continued. “Sometimes, more access is bad access. And what access you do give to people, I do think you gotta do a lot better job than that asking questions.”
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy agreed the question seemed “provocative,” saying he didn’t know if Kinkhabwala meant it that way but didn’t hate Johnson’s reaction either.
Kinkhabwala addressed the exchange on 670 The Score, acknowledging it wasn’t ideal but maintaining she wouldn’t be intimidated by a coach’s reaction.
“I’d wish I’d been a little bit more specific on that follow-up, instead of saying ‘You need to change something.’ What I was trying to get at is if it was just simply about being cleaner, or is that you need to make some very specific adjustment, or is it something — for me, it was the run game — but I don’t want to put any words in somebody’s mouth. I could’ve been more artful,” she said.
“Things happen,” she later added. “They happen.”
The Bears went on to win 25-24 after blocking a Raiders field goal attempt with less than a minute remaining, and Johnson appeared to be in a much better mood after the victory.
Gruden may hate sideline interviews, but Johnson still has to do them. At 2-2, the first-year Chicago coach is still trying to prove he’s the right guy to lead the Bears. Snapping at reporters during a rough first half doesn’t help that cause, regardless of how pointless the questions might be.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.