Redskins: Why head coach Jay Gruden is on the hot seat this year
Like it or not, Washington Redskins Coach Jay Gruden is on this hot seat this coming season. This isn’t a shocking revelation, but concerning to say the least.
Jay Gruden had an Illustrious college career playing quarterback at Louisville, but we will save that conversation for another day. Gruden had a decent resume prior to becoming head coach of the Redskins. He had a successful tenure as an offensive assistant under his brother Jon Gruden with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They won the Super Bowl in 2002. Then in 2009, Gruden took his talents to the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, which he then helped take them to two consecutive championship berths.
After his short stint with the Tuskers, he came back to the NFL to join the Bengals as their offensive coordinator. There, he spent three seasons and helped the Bengals make the playoffs three consecutive years and won an AFC North Championship. Gruden also was enormously responsible for the development of Andy Dalton.
Why am I stating all this? Because Gruden’s career with the Redskins has been mediocre. His four-year tenure in Washington has left him with a 28-35-1 record, with a .445 winning percentage. After the 2015 and 2016 seasons, I honestly believed that the Redskins were heading in the right direction. However, last season the team took a step back finishing 7-9. It was not only disappointing to Washington fans, but to the public eye as well. Many people thought the franchise was finally on the right track after years of dysfunction.
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Gruden has done better than previous coaches, but at the end of the day the record is all that matters. The Redskins have had 29 coaches, including Gruden, and the last winning coach for them was Joe Gibbs. I will say that nothing was worse than former coaches Jim Zorn and Steve Spurrier. I think everyone contemplated being Redskins fans during those troubled times.
Nevertheless, coaches are expected to do one thing: win. Even if the franchise is a project, they are expected to turn things around quickly. Especially now days with the emergence of all these young and upcoming coaching candidates.
Unfortunately for Gruden, he probably won’t receive the same luck as people like Marvin Lewis, who’s coached the Bengals for 15 sub-par years, or his brother Jon Gruden who got a ridiculous 10-year contract from the Oakland Raiders.
For the most part, Gruden has a similar team to last year, if not better. The defense will be much improved with the additions of Daron Payne, Tim Settle, Orlando Scandrick, and the re-signing of Zach Brown. Greg Manusky had this defense headed in the right direction and I believe he will continue that trend this season.
The offense has improved as well. The run-game will be more dominant with the combination of Derrius Guice and Chris Thompson. The receiving corps will have quickness and experience. Lastly, Alex Smith will be able to fill the void of Kirk Cousins. Gruden is a great play caller. He should be able to come up with different creative schemes for this offense.
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There will be no excuses for Gruden this year. The schedule is tough, but he’s got the talent to produce a 9-7 record and at least finish second in the NFC East. Anything less would be considered a failed season. Gruden certainly feels the pressure. Myself and Redskins nation hope he can prove himself and stick around.