Is Alex Smith’s supporting cast better in D.C. than it was in K.C.?
By Ian Cummings
Head Coach
Dare I menton Jay Gruden in the same sentence as Andy Reid, the coach who went to the NFC Championship four times with the Philadelphia Eagles and consistently keeps the Chiefs in the AFC playoff conversation? Jay Gruden? The guy with a 28-35-1 record?
Yes. I dare.
Gruden’s case is a sad one. There are plenty Washington Redskins fans who recognize him as a coach who’s faced stacked odds his entire career in D.C. But there are others who see his record, and nothing else. It is the scapegoat syndrome at its finest.
Hidden behind Gruden’s record, which is a product of both the instability he inherited and the talent deficiencies that he’s dealt with his entire time here, is the fact that Gruden is truly one of the most underrated head coaches in the NFL.
Don’t take that statement out of context. I’m not saying Gruden should be share a pedestal with Bill Belichick. But Gruden doesn’t get nearly enough credit for what he’s done with the Washington Redskins. Gruden brought stability to a franchise that was seemingly allergic to it. He helped mold Kirk Cousins into a solid NFL starter, and he created a scheme that perfectly fit around Cousins’ strengths and weaknesses. With a good roster, Gruden can go far.
As a level head, as a motivator, and, most notably, as a play designer and offensive mind, Jay Gruden is secretly one of the better coaches in the league. I encourage you to browse through Twitter moments and clips by Mark Bullock. Bullock often delves into the details of Gruden’s concepts, and after going over Gruden’s plays in action, it’s clear that he knows how to beat defenses.
Gruden is the mastermind behind the Washington Redskins’ offense, but with Kevin O’Connell providing a bit of a west coast flare, the two should find it easy to create a scheme that is tailored to Alex Smith’s strengths: His mobility, and his accuracy.
Gruden has the ability to create dynamic route concepts that get receivers open in space, and keep defenses one or two steps behind. Meanwhile, Andy Reid’s teams commonly stall. His Chiefs did just that through Weeks 8 to 12 of last season, and Reid was forced to relinquish his offensive play calling duties to Matt Nagy.
Like Nagy, Gruden is an adept play designer. He can improve on his play calling in the red zone and in short yardage situations, but his bad moments, which are fewer in number, garner unjust scrutiny, when compared to his skill as a play designer. With a quarterback who is more accurate than Cousins, and with a quarterback that is more willing to throw it deep than Cousins, Jay Gruden should have a lot of fun in 2018.
On a somewhat unrelated note, Smith’s personality also seems to be a better match with Jay Gruden than Cousins was. Smith and Gruden are both laid back leaders who find it easy to attract the respect of players and personnel around them. It’s important that co-workers get along, and in the NFL, where chemistry matters, both on the field and on the sidelines, this could be a marriage that isn’t getting enough attention. Smith is the perfect leader for this Redskins squad, and the perfect quarterback to work with Gruden. Big things could be in store. Gruden doesn’t have the edge on Reid yet. But his pairing with Smith should not be overlooked.