Redskins studs and duds from the team’s Week 2 defeat against Dallas
By Ian Cummings
Dud: HC Jay Gruden
Some were surprised the Washington Redskins kept Jay Gruden as the head coach past the 2018 season. His team went 7-9 in 2018, constituting a second-straight 7-9 season, and Gruden’s individual flaws, while shrouded by the team’s injury issues, were very prevalent.
Still, Washington’s front office gave Gruden a tepid vote of confidence by keeping him in 2019. It was assumed, however, that Gruden would have a short leash. With a young core developing and a structural turning point for the roster on the horizon, it seemed as though a change wasn’t just expected, but eventually necessary, if Gruden wouldn’t be able to flip the script.
So here we are, two weeks into the season, and Gruden is 0-2. His first game featured a devastating second-half collapse at the hands of the Eagles. His second game, a home opener, was marred by poor execution and inconsistency on both sides of the ball. Perhaps the Redskins wanted to see Gruden take this opportunity and run with it. Perhaps they wanted to see him adapt, with the weight of an occupation on his shoulders. But it’s becoming clearer and clearer that such a thing isn’t going to happen.
Next. Three takeaways from Washington's loss to Dallas in Week 2. dark
The sooner the Redskins accept that 2019 is a losing season, the sooner they can prepare to turn the page from Gruden, and set their young core off on a positive note to close out the year. There’s no guarantee the next era brings anything better. But at this point, there’s little sense in prolonging the current one past the bye week.