Redskins coaches’ report cards through two weeks of preseason
By Ian Cummings
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden
I wouldn’t call Jay Gruden’s preseason up-and-down, because there’s not much time to go up or down in the preseason. But Gruden’s preseason did get off to a rocky start. His team got bruised up by the better-equipped Browns, and after the game, Gruden conceded that his team wasn’t prepared enough for the outing.
That concession has been a common one through Gruden’s tenure, but the next week, he came out and gave a better showing. The Redskins didn’t win against the Bengals either, but Gruden’s offense was using a good mix of plays and subjugating the quarterback snaps effectively.
Gruden also took to the fight when the referees kept making suspect calls. As opposed to merely jawing off, Gruden took action and challenged one call. The referees backed up their own decision, but Gruden showed some fight there, which players like.
Overall, it’s been an unspectacular preseason for Gruden, which is both good and bad. The development of Dwayne Haskins is going well, but one would like to see less of a drop-off from the first team to the second team. That falls on multiple coaches, including Gruden, and his comment about preparation after Week 1 can’t be ignored, because it might not be the last one. If Gruden takes these opportunities to improve as a coach for granted, then he could be gone this year, as many have predicted.