The Tennessee Titans need to avenge the Vols with a win against Jon Gruden

The Tennessee Titans play the Oakland Raiders this Sunday, and they need to avenge the Vols and beat Jon Gruden.

After Butch Jones was fired as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, many Tennessee fans thought that would be the time that Jon Gruden would come coach the Vols.

Grumors was probably the most popular word in VolTwitter during that coaching search, and Gruden didn’t play down the Grumors either.

He teased Tennessee fans throughout the coaching search in multiple ways. Once came on Monday Night Football during one of his broadcasts where he claimed he missed coaching.

This was when the Grumors were starting to heat up, so that sent Tennessee faithful into a frenzy. “Gruden is coming. Gruden is coming.” You would have thought Paul Revere was riding through the streets, warning Americans that the Red Coats were on their way.

A couple of weeks later, Gruden made a Rocky Top reference on a radio show in Seattle. This, once again, sent VolNation into a frenzy.

"“I get in Saturday, and I can’t wait to get out there,” Gruden said on a Seattle radio show. “Hope to see you guys. I hear (Brock) Huard’s heading out to Knoxville. Just be singing that song, man. That’s a great song. Rocky Top.”"

You might have thought during that time that Gruden may be interested in coaching at Tennessee. The likelihood of him taking the job seemed small, but the interest had to be there, right?

This hasn’t been only a month or so chase between Gruden and Tennessee. This has been going on for years, which is why some Tennessee fans thought that year was the year Gruden would “come home.”

You can trace it all the way back to 2015 when Gruden went on the Paul Finebaum Show and said, “Tennessee is a dream job for a lot of people, me included.”

Well, Gruden seemed to clear everything up this week when he was asked if he seriously considered coaching the Tennessee Volunteers.

"“Nah, I did strongly consider, though, buying season tickets and just enjoying Neyland Stadium, because I love UT,” Gruden said earlier this week."

Gruden also added that he’s “where he wants to be” in Oakland. When you see the contract that the Raiders gave him, I don’t blame him for picking the Raiders over the Vols, but he could’ve given Tennessee fans the courtesy of publicly turning down the job instead of leading them on.

That’s why many fans of both the Vols and the Titans have an extra excitement for the Titans’ game against the Raiders on Sunday.

I’ve already seen some fans that are ready for the Titans to open a can of you know what on Gruden’s Raiders.

I am too, and now with Gruden making these comments are going to amplify everything. I am excited for this game only because the Titans are on a roll, and I think the Titans can win their division after a horrible start to the season.

I am ready for the Season of Tannethrill to continue. Ryan Tannehill is going to light up Gruden’s defense, and Derrick Henry is going to hit triple digits on the ground again.

Jurrell Casey and Harold Landry are going to feast on the 16th-ranked offense in the league, and Kevin Byard is going to shut down the secondary.

Am I still salty about the Grumors and everything that happened during that coaching search? You’re dang right, I am, and it’s because Gruden led Tennessee fans on for years, including the most recent coaching search.

I’m not the only one that wants the Titans to destroy Gruden and the Raiders, either. A lot of Vols and Titans fans want to see Gruden’s team eat dirt all game.

This Titans team is better than that Raiders team, too. The Titans are on fire and should absolutely light up the Raiders on Sunday. If they do what they’re supposed to do, then this is going to be a fun game for a lot of Tennesseans.

Tennessee is currently three-point favorites in the game right now, and ESPN’s FPI gives the Titans a 53% chance to beat the Raiders.

I think that the best Titans players are better than the best Raiders players based on stats and their play on the field throughout the season.

The Titans are also on a winning streak while the Raiders are on a losing streak, which could also be a factor that plays into Sunday’s game.

The game will be on the road in Oakland, so the Titans don’t get the comfort of playing in Nissan Stadium, but that’s ok because they shouldn’t need it.

I really like the Titans in this game on Sunday. The Titans are 3-3 on the road this season, and Tannehill is 1-1 on the road, with a loss to the Panthers and win over the Colts.

This game could be a big game for the Titans to prove that they can win on the road because if they want to make the playoffs and win any playoff games, then they’re probably going to have to play some games on the road.

The Titans can avenge the Vols with a win against Jon Gruden, and if they can get it done, then the win will feel so sweet for so many fans that are fans of both the Vols and the Titans.