When Jon Gruden called, Rod Marinelli answered

There wasn’t much need for a sales job. No convincing or cajoling. When Raiders head coach Jon Gruden offered longtime defensive guru Rod Marinelli a chance to come to Las Vegas to coach the Raiders’ defensive line, all Marinelli wanted to know was what day he should report to work.

The chance to reunite with Gruden, a friend for more than 20 years and a former colleague in Tampa Bay, and the opportunity to begin a new adventure in the Nevada desert was reason enough for Marinelli to make the move.

“There was no doubt in my mind,” Marinelli said. “I had worked with (Gruden) in Tampa Bay. I won a Super Bowl with him. I understood what he’s about. I understand his intensity, his passion for the game.”

And from his vantage point, also evident was the investment the Raiders had made in the defensive line.

“I thought they all could play. When I was in Dallas I started watching them on tape a ton. I could see they had some young guys … some nice talent.”

Six months later, the 71-year old Vietnam War veteran seems right at home patrolling the practice field at the Raiders’ new facility in Henderson, dropping colorfully worded knowledge on a bunch of young Raiders defensive linemen while pushing and prodding them to reach their individual and collective ceilings.

“Like an old drill sergeant,” said Raiders defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who spent four years with Marinelli in Dallas. “He’s gonna get it out of you every chance he can.”

That’s exactly what Gruden envisioned when he invited his old friend to join him in Las Vegas. The timing could not have been better, given the investment the Raiders made the previous two years in young defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby and Maurice Hurst, and free agents Collins, Carl Nassib and Daniel Ross.

There is no bigger foundational piece to a sturdy defense than a defensive line that can rush the passer and build a wall against the run. And there’s no coach better suited to coax that out of a group than Marinelli, a 47-year coaching lifer who has overseen defensive lines stretching from Rosemead High School in his California hometown to USC to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys.

The emphasis Marinelli puts on fundamentals, playbook command and 24/7 effort is exactly what a promising group of linemen needed.

“But at the end of the day, it’s a show-me game. I’ve always believed that,” Marinelli said. “We’ll find out what we have when we open the season. I like them, but it’s still a show-me game.”

With Crosby needing to build off a productive first season — while also dealing with the inevitable adjustments teams will make — and Ferrell poised to blossom in his second year, the biting but guiding voice of Marinelli might be what both players need to fulfill their promise.

“I love the way he coaches,” Crosby said. “I can’t wait for the season to get here. He’s getting us better every single day. He’s pushing us to the limits.”

Collins is living proof. A former third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2016, Collins has steadily improved. He’s developed into a classic interior anchor as a three-technique defensive tackle. His ability to create pressure up front and his improvements as a run defender were appealing to the Raiders, who reeled him in during free agency.

Marinelli, a no-nonsense taskmaster, played a pivotal role in that development.

“He’s demanding. And I say that in a good way,” Collins said. “Like, he wants you to be the same guy every day. That’s the main thing. He wants you to be consistent as a player just as he is as a coach.”

Among Marinelli’s new understudies is Ferrell, whom the Raiders selected fourth overall in the 2019 draft and who is just scratching the surface of his potential. Ferrell has already checked off some of Marinelli’s most prominent boxes.

“High football character, right off the bat,” Marinelli said. “He’s a guy that comes out and really works. He has a great tempo about him every day. And that’s what I ask. Tempo. He’s got position flexibility. Now it’s just a day-to-day grind.”

Marinelli’s track record of helping get the best out of NFL talents like Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice and so many others was an instant attraction for Ferrell.

“To learn from someone that’s considered a legend in the game” is a privilege, Ferrell said. Plus, “he doesn’t carry himself that way. He carries himself like he’s still that young coach who’s dying to make an impact on the league.”

Marinelli already is making an impact.

“I really love his teaching,” Ferrell said. “He understands and appreciates that football isn’t a scientific thing … it’s a game that we love to play. You just have to play hard and play with disposition.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter