Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden will attend Thursday morning’s training camp practice as he prepares for a return to the broadcast booth.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported Gruden’s expected appearance at practice. The visit comes ahead of his assignment as the play-by-play announcer for Tampa Bay’s second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 22 at Raymond James Stadium.
Gruden will work alongside Buccaneers legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronde Barber on the WFLA-TV broadcast. WFLA is Tampa’s NBC affiliate. The pairing gives the local production two prominent members of the franchise’s Super Bowl XXXVII championship team.
Gruden coached the Buccaneers from 2002 through 2008, compiling a 57-55 regular-season record and leading the organization to its first Super Bowl championship during his first year in Tampa. Barber spent his entire 16-year playing career with the Buccaneers and delivered one of the defining moments of that title run with his interception return for a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game.
The preseason assignment will mark Gruden’s first time calling an NFL game since leaving ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” booth following the 2017 season. He returned to coaching with the Raiders in 2018.
Attending practice should give Gruden an opportunity to reconnect with the organization while gathering information about the current roster and coaching staff before the broadcast.
The Buccaneers and Chiefs will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. With Gruden handling play-by-play and Barber providing analysis, the local broadcast will feature two of the most recognizable figures in Tampa Bay franchise history.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Jon Gruden returning to Bucs training camp before preseason broadcast
Reporting by Glenn Erby , Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Glenn Erby , Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
