WASHINGTON – When the Washington Redskins decided to fire Mike Shanahan last week, many of us began the “Gruden Watch.”
The Skins got Gruden. Just not the one we were thinking.
It’s Jay Gruden who’s been tabbed to lead the Burgundy and Gold, not his older brother Jon, who coached Tampa Bay to their lone Super Bowl in 2003, and currently resides in ESPN’s Monday Night Football booth.
We don’t know if Jon was ever truly on the Redskins’ wish list, but we know there’s a warm spot in general manager Bruce Allen’s heart for the Gruden family from their time together in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization.
Jay doesn’t just carry the family name, though it’s a good one. In addition to his brother’s success, his father Jim was a longtime coach and scout. But he’s paid his dues. He’s coached for over 15 years at various levels, and was the head coach and general manager of the United Football League’s Florida Tuskers. Even though he hasn’t done so yet in the NFL, he’s got experience running a team — which puts him ahead of the curve as far as first-time head coaches are concerned.
As the events of Wednesday and Thursday unfolded, it became increasingly obvious that key assistants like Sean McVay on offense, and Jim Haslett and Raheem Morris on defense
