Last Sunday, before the Washington Redskins fired Jay Gruden, running back Chris Thompson was emotional talking about the subject. Less than a week later, he opens up on the situation; which entails losing his head coach, being 0-5 and seeing the massive change in the organization.
“For me, it's just, the whole situation is frustrating, being 0-5. I care more about the person than I do the coach,” Thompson told NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay on Thursday. “At the end of the day, it's somebody losing their job, somebody that I care about, somebody that I feel helped give me a big opportunity in this league on top of the Redskins drafting me.”
Other than his rookie year (2013), under Mike Shanahan, Gruden was the man that coached Thompson for most of his NFL career. Now, he will have to get used to playing for interim head coach Bill Callahan, and possibly a new face after the 2019 season.
Article Continues Below“I've never in my football career had this happen so its just a huge change,” Thompson said on adjusting to the in-season change. “It's a big shock for everybody dealing with a new coach and coach Callahan has his ways of how he wants to run everything and it's different. It takes guys some time to get used to that.”
Thompson has been with Washington for all of his career, including the last six years with Gruden. In that span, he has seen a role every season, despite a lengthy injury history. Under Gruden, Thompson rushed for 1,102 yards and five touchdowns on 229 attempts and caught 190 passes for 1,645 yards and 10 touchdowns.