The Washington Redskins have decided to shake things up following a winless start to the 2019 NFL season. As a result, they parted ways with head coach Jay Gruden.
There had been plenty of speculation regarding how warm the coaching seat was for Gruden. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, team president Bruce Allen discussed the reasoning behind the firing:
“It was a brief conversation” with Jay Gruden to fire him. More Allen: “To make a decision like this was difficult, but it was necessary. We had much different expectations for the beginning of the season.”
Redskins President Bruce Allen says the firing of coach Jay Gruden is “not for cause.”
Allen's comments indicate that Gruden's firing can be solely attributed to his inability to help this team win and nothing else. To that end, there is certainly plenty of truth to it.
Gruden finished with a 35-49-1 record during his six seasons in Washington. The Redskins made the playoffs just once in 2015 and their appearance was short after losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card. Outside of their lone playoff year, they finished no better than third in the NFC East during Gruden's tenure.
Washington has since named offensive line coach Bill Callahan as the interim head coach for the time being. He will certainly have a tall task ahead of him with 11 games remaining in the regular season.
Although Gruden's firing hardly came as any surprise, the decision is still further proof that the problems with the franchise start in the front office.
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