Isn't it far more likely that if Gruden had decided he was ready to be coaching again, he'd have found something else? Do you really think that he was really ready to walk away from his incredibly lucrative, cushy life and go back to 20-hour days for the rush of competition, and then when it didn't work out with Dave Hart....he just didn't do anything? So that five years later he's still sitting here hoping that this time around this one job works out?
What this scenario requires is that for whatever reason our job is the only one Super Bowl-winning Jon Gruden really wants. No NFL job, no other college job. I love Tennessee as much as anyone but I find that pretty hard to believe.