Jan 16 2009
Did Anyone See the Gruden Firing Coming?
That was a surprise to me. Most coaches are fired the first couple of days after the season is done. Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden and GM Bruce Allen were both fired today.
The Bucs finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs after starting 9-3. One more win this season would have given them a wild card spot.
Gruden did win a Super Bowl with the Bucs and was the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. Ironically, he defeated the Raiders who he also coached the previous season.
The story just got more interesting than I originally thought. It seems that ownership had called some players in to get their opinions on Gruden. Needless to say, the opinions could not have been that positive. Although he is considered a top notch coach, his players just don’t like him.
I’m guessing if they were winning more, attitudes would be a little different. Well, let the speculation begin about the next head coach. Next season there will be atleast 10 new head coaches in the NFL. The coaches are getting younger too, which is also ironic for Gruden.
It’s not a surprise to me really. He barely had a .500 record in his 7 seasons going 60-57.