Tag: Jay Gruden

Should the Redskins look to hire newly unemployed coach Ron Rivera?

Rivera was ousted in Carolina after losing to the Redskins, so could they look at him to fill their coaching void this offseason?

One more candidate just became available for the NFL coaching merry-go-round set to begin once the 2019 regular season comes to an end.

Ron Rivera was fired by the Carolina Panthers, just days after an embarrassing loss to the Washington Redskins.

Such a move is sure to cause some ears to prick up in Washington, not only because it reflects how disgraceful it is for any team to lose to them in this current state, but also because the firing provides one more highly competent coach looking for a new job in 2020, which just so happens to be the same year the Redskins will be looking to fill their coaching vacancy.

If we’re being honest, ‘River Boat Ron’ would be a great get for the Redskins, as he has a long history of successful seasons in his career.

  • Carolina Panthers Head Coach (2011-2019) (76-63-1)
  • Two-time NFL Coach of the Year (2013, 2015)
  • NFC Champion, Super Bowl 50 Runner Up (2015)
  • Super Bowl XX Champion as Player (1985)

He’s a far cry from Jay Gruden, and he has a heck of a better resume than Bill Callahan. It may be that Rivera is overqualified to coach a team like the Redskins, but they’d better at least try to get him to fill that position. He saw first-hand on Sunday that there is some talent in Washington, and with the right coaching, they could end up being pretty good.

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And the meek Bengals, Dolphins, Redskins shall win

And the meek shall inherit the NFL fields. At least in Week 13, that is. It’s unlikely that anyone in Las Vegas or wherever sports betting is allowed these days put money on a parlay of the Bengals, Redskins and Dolphins winning Sunday. They were a …

And the meek shall inherit the NFL fields.

At least in Week 13, that is.

It’s unlikely that anyone in Las Vegas or wherever sports betting is allowed these days put money on a parlay of the Bengals, Redskins and Dolphins winning Sunday. They were a combined 4-29 heading into the weekend and appeared like the only contenders for the top spot in next April’s draft.

Now, with their eight-game skid, the Giants might wind up with the inside track to starting off the draft, particularly if the Bengals again perform anything like they did in dismantling the, well, bungling Jets 22-6. Of all the tail enders in action Sunday, the Giants were the only also-ran to get run over, by Green Bay at a snowy Meadowlands.

Cincinnati had lost 13 in a row dating to last season, 11 of those in 2019 under new coach Zac Taylor. It was the flat, unprepared Jets — coming off a huge upset of Oakland no less — who looked like the team searching for its first victory, though.

Of course, the Jets also handed a winless Miami its first victory this season, becoming the first franchise to lose to opponents with at least an 0-7 record twice in the same year.

With Andy Dalton reinserted at quarterback after a failed experiment with rookie Ryan Finley, it was all Cincinnati.

“How do I feel? I can’t even describe it. … It’s emotional,” Taylor said. “You go through it with all of these guys, and to finally get it, it feels really good. … Now the pressure is off of you a little bit.”

That was a classic example of a desperate team taking advantage of an opponent that never seemed to have its game face on.

That was not so much the case in Miami; the Dolphins have been competitive for a month and now have won three of five. That they fell behind by 14 points to the supposedly playoff-contending Eagles, then stormed back in a tribute to their resolve. The sort of resolve few teams “tanking” the season for a high draft selection possess.

Sure, they needed a trick play in which holder Matt Haack threw an underhand 1-yard pass to place-kicker Jason Sanders on a fake field goal, sort of. But the Dolphins never were intimidated, something bottom-level teams usually are when they fall into big holes.

And they got win No. 3 in great part because of that.

“This team knows how to deal with adversity,” said rookie coach Brian Flores. “We’re just going to keep swinging.”

They might have knocked out the Eagles. Philadelphia (5-7) has lost three in a row and will likely rue this fiasco if it falls short of equally mediocre Dallas in the NFC East.

That division also houses Washington, which has won two in a row to get to 3-9. When Jay Gruden was fired in October after five losses to begin the season, the Redskins had no fire, no true starting quarterback and, seemingly, no plan.

They’re hardly ablaze now, but there’s a bit of progress in DC, which has to be encouraging for Redskins fans who haven’t felt much of that since Joe Gibbs’ days. Gibbs’ first go-around days.

Interim coach Bill Callahan probably won’t be considered for the full-time gig as owner Daniel Snyder searches for a bigger name. Still, Callahan has instilled something with this team that could work as a foundation for future success.

“I think that we’ve got good veteran leadership and I think with any team anyone can lead it,” Callahan said. “The way you come in the building, how you prepare, how you practice, how you support each other. I’ve mentioned that many times to the team. It’s not one guy, it’s not one player with a C on his chest, anyone can lead, and that’s the beauty of leadership.”

There’s not much beauty to behold with the Bengals, Dolphins or Redskins. Any of the three is capable of dropping its final four games and securing that top draft spot.

However, for one given Sunday, Cincinnati, Miami and Washington gave it to opponents. Who would have called that?

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AP Sports Writer Joe Kay contributed.

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The 365 days since Alex Smith’s horrific injury have felt like an eternity

It’s been 365 days since Alex Smith saw his life changed for the worse, but it’s felt like an eternity for fans of the Washington Redskins.

Exactly one year ago today, all was well for the Washington Redskins.

The team was 6-3 with a top spot in the NFC East and a clear path toward a playoff berth.

What happened next changed not only the course of Washington’s season, but completely altered the path of Alex Smith’s career and put into motion the wheels of change for the Redskins franchise.

In the third quarter of a game against the Houston Texans, Smith dropped back to pass. Pressure came, and Smith’s leg was rolled up on, resulting in a compound fracture that would place his career in jeopardy. The Redskins would end up losing the game 23-21, which would kick off a brutal 365 days in which they would only win two of the next 16 games.

Since Smith went down on that fateful day — one that bore eerily similar circumstances to when Joe Theismann suffered a gruesome broken leg in 1985 — the Redskins have seen six different starting quarterbacks take the field, all of whom have faced insurmountable criticism. The need for a new answer at the position led Daniel Snyder and Bruce Allen to select a QB with their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, a player who has yet to find his footing in the league. They’ve also seen a longtime head coach fired, and an interim flirting with the idea of being ousted as well.

In his first year with the team, Smith was off to a hot start and looked to be the answer to Washington’s woeful stretch. He ended up being just another chapter in the book of misery and misfortune. In the months after the injury, Smith has had a tough road getting back to the point where he can walk under his own power, and multiple infections and surgeries have slowed the recovery. However, he continues to be determined to play football again, no matter how unlikely it seemed a year ago.

As for the Washington Redskins, they’re still looking for an answer at the QB position, anyone who can bring the hope and success that Smith brought for nine games in 2018. It may have only been 365 days since he took the field for the Redskins, but it’s felt like an eternity, and there’s no end in sight.

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