Tag: Jay Gruden

Alex Smith discusses Washington football dysfunction

Alex Smith opens up regarding some of the dysfunction in Washington.

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Only 24 hours after Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said he was “tired of it,” one of his former quarterbacks, Alex Smith wasn’t shy to declare some off-the-field distractions around Ashburn.

Smith appearing as a phone guest on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday, opened up when Eisen inquired what advice might Smith have for new quarterback Carson Wentz heading to the Commanders?

Smith (laughter) “Oh man, that’s tough. I think you have to try to eliminate the noise there. You know, there is a lot of noise. There are a lot of distractions. That entire organization, everything surrounding it, and obviously deservedly. It’s been flawed for the last 20 years. There is a lot of stuff going on there, a lot of distractions. It makes it difficult to focus in on football.

But I think that is where Carson is at this stage in his career. This is kinda his make or break. He is getting one more chance to kinda be the guy. This is a team (Commanders) which has been almost desperate to get a franchise quarterback these last few years.

So, can he be that? He has got to lock in and not get distracted. Like I said, this is an opportunity; he’s got to go and make the most of it. I think it is going to be telling. Can he do that?

The Cowboys kinda ran away with that division. The Eagles are going to continue to be better and we will see what happens up in New York. But yes, can he make the most of this last opportunity to be the guy here with all of that going on?

…They have had a ton of turmoil there. I know they are trying to settle it down. It still remains to be seen if that is going to happen.”

Eisen asked if what was going on in the front office impacted Smith’s ability to play football. Smith replied, “How could it not? How could it not? All the stuff there in the organization from ownership down, head coaching and GM. There has historically been a lot of drama there.

It is a big market; obviously the capital. That organization is a really storied franchise. Yes, there is a lot of turmoil and a lot of distractions. To say the stuff going on in the building doesn’t infiltrate the locker room or out on the field would be crazy. That happens everywhere. I think that is what great organizations eliminate and the bad ones have a hard time with it.

All that noise creeps into the building. Yes, it does affect the product out on the field. The great organizations and coaches have a knack of keeping that out of the building, to quiet the noise, to decrease distractions and focus on football. But that is easier said than done.”

Here is a shorter video for Washington Commanders fans.

 

Former Washington coach Jay Gruden interviews for another offensive coordinator position

Jay Gruden interviewed with the New Orleans Saints this week. It’s his second interview this offseason.

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Jay Gruden spent almost six full seasons as Washington’s head coach beginning in 2014 until he was fired five games into the 2019 season. Gruden was the rare coach under owner Daniel Snyder to sign a second contract, signifying some success.

After being fired in D.C., Gruden spent the 2020 season as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately for Gruden, he joined a coaching staff that was already on the hot seat, thus he lasted just one year in Jacksonville despite achieving some success with little talent.

Gruden sat out the 2021 season after auditioning for some television gigs. While Gruden didn’t work in TV this past season, he did have a weekly spot on Washington’s Team 980 where he talked about his former team and the entire NFL.

Could Gruden be back in the NFL in 2022? According to Matt Zenitz of on3, Gruden interviewed with the New Orleans Saints for their vacant offensive coordinator position under new head coach Dennis Allen Tuesday. It’s Gruden’s second interview this offseason after speaking to the Carolina Panthers about their offensive coordinator position last month. Somehow, Carolina selected Ben McAdoo over Gruden.

Sadly for Gruden, he came up short again, as the Saints chose to keep former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Carmichael, who was hired by the Saints in 2006 when former head coach Sean Payton first arrived in New Orleans, has been the Saints’ OC since 2009. However, it was Payton’s offense. Now, Carmichael will call plays and have the opportunity to install his own style of offense.

With most coaching vacancies filled this cycle, it looks like the former Washington coach may have to wait until 2023. It’s a shame as Gruden is an outstanding offensive mind and deserves an opportunity to lead an NFL offense again.

Meanwhile, he’s pretty good at the analysis thing.

 

After interviewing outside candidates, Saints stick with Pete Carmichael as OC

After interviewing several outside candidates, Saints plan to stick with Pete Carmichael at offensive coordinator:

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Huh. After interviewing multiple outside candidates including Jay Gruden, a veteran offensive coordinator and former Washington Commanders head coach, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the New Orleans Saints plan to stick with longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill confirmed the move. Just as with the promotion of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach, the team is putting a premium on maintaining continuity during the post-Sean Payton era.

It makes sense. Carmichael has held the job since 2009 and has had success before as a play caller, in 2012 and again through much of the 2016 season. Now it’s time for him to fully step out of Payton’s shadow. At least the Saints did their due diligence in meeting with multiple coaches about the job before deciding to stay the course with Carmichael.

We’ll see if it works out, though. Carmichael has had more of a role in planning for games each week than in executing them, but there isn’t a coach in the league who better knows the system he and Payton built. Hopefully Carmichael is eager to introduce some of his own ideas to the mix.

And now, he and Allen have to finish adjusting the offensive coaching staff by hiring a receivers coach — and then tackle the biggest challenge of their offseason in finding a quarterback. Maybe the decision to retain Carmichael helps keep Jameis Winston in town even with other offers out there in free agency. We’ll know soon whether the Saints intend to promote from in-house at defensive coordinator or bring in one of several candidates they’ve met with.

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Former Washington HC Jay Gruden interviews for Saints offensive coordinator job

Former Washington HC, Bengals OC Jay Gruden interviews for Saints offensive coordinator job:

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Here’s another name to add to the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator search: Jay Gruden, as first reported by Matt Zenits of On3.com. The former Washington Commanders head coach most recently worked as Doug Marrone’s offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. And Marrone, of course, is expected to take over the offensive line coaching job with the Saints. So there’s a connection there.

And Gruden could maintain some continuity with the established Sean Payton offense. Both coaches follow West Coast passing philosophies and tendencies, so bringing in Gruden to revitalize the passing game while Marrone coaches up the line and reemphasizes the running game might make sense. Gruden’s run in Washington didn’t go far (his teams went 35-49-1, losing their only playoff game) but he was successful as a play caller for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011 to 2013.

Maybe that’s the best role for him rather than all of the other responsibilities that come in an executive position. It’s likely exactly what the Saints hoped to figure out in meeting with Gruden to discuss the job. Other candidates they’ve interviewed for the position include newly-hired Dallas Cowboys wide receivers coach Robert Prince and Indianapolis Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery. Montgomery and Gruden were both finalists for the Carolina Panthers coordinator gig, though it went to ex-New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo in the end.

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Jay Gruden talks about quarterback options for the Commanders in 2022

The former Washington head coach gives his thoughts on some of the veteran quarterbacks who could potentially be available this offseason.

Jay Gruden spent almost six full seasons as the head coach of the Washington Commanders from 2014-19. Gruden was fired five games into his sixth season as Washington’s coach. These days, Gruden frequently joins some of the radio shows in the Washington area to give his analysis on the Commanders and the NFL.

A former quarterback at Louisville and in the Arena League, Gruden knows quarterbacks. Unfortunately, he never truly got to pick — or keep — his guy during his time in Washington.

The Commanders have a big offseason ahead of them in 2022. They must address the quarterback position, and all indications are that head coach Ron Rivera is prepared to be aggressive.

Rivera has often talked about the four avenues to find a franchise quarterback: current roster, draft, free agency, and trade. We know the answer isn’t on Washington’s roster, and you aren’t going to find the answer in unrestricted free agency. That leaves the draft and the trade market.

In an appearance on “Grant and Danny” of 106.7 The Fan this week, Gruden said if he were Washington, he’d choose the trade avenue.

“I don’t think I’d bank on drafting a guy this year,” Gruden said. This year’s draft class doesn’t have a consensus top quarterback, and many scouts believe the top guy this year would have been No. 6 last year. 

As far as the veterans, Gruden likes some more than others.

On Jimmy Garoppolo:

“Garoppolo would help, but I don’t know I’d go after him that hard.”

What about Matt Ryan?

“If Matt Ryan becomes free out of Atlanta, I’d definitely go after Matt Ryan.”

And Derek Carr:

“If Derek Carr becomes free out of Vegas, I’d definitely go after Derek Carr.”

Grant Paulsen then asked Gruden, is Carr a quarterback you give up multiple first-round picks for, to which Gruden replied yes.

 “I would, yes; I would because with these No. 1 picks, you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Gruden said. “You know what you’re going to get with Derek. You’re going to get an established guy with Derek.”

Gruden has more intel than most on Carr, as his older brother, Jon, was Carr’s head coach with the Raiders.

Gruden continued with his praise for Carr:

I think you give up more for Carr than Garoppolo personally. Garoppolo has had some success, won some big games, but I think Carr, overall, at the quarterback position he can do a little more than Jimmy. Jimmy does have some upside, he’s still young. Derek has been pretty durable, pretty productive, come from a great system, great knowledge of the game, pre-snap and post-snap. I just think Derek is a little more seasoned than Jimmy.

Gruden made it clear he likes Garoppolo and if Rivera believes Garoppolo is an upgrade, which he’d clearly be for Washington in 2022, then you have to make that move. Of course, Garoppolo wouldn’t be your first choice, but he gives you a chance to improve and perhaps you can take another swing on a young guy in 2023 or 2024 while competing for a playoff berth in the meantime.

As always, it’s a good discussion with Gruden, as there’s some excellent back-and-forth between Paulsen, Danny Rouhier and Gruden.

 

 

Jay Gruden getting second interview for Panthers’ OC job

Jay Gruden and Scottie Montgomery have now both earned themselves second interviews for the Panthers’ offensive coordinator opening.

Yesterday, it was Scottie Montgomery making it to the next level with the Carolina Panthers. Today, it’s Jay Gruden.

The team’s search for a new offensive coordinator seems to be focusing in, as Gruden will be getting his second interview for the position on Thursday. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, it’ll be an in-person meeting between the Panthers and the former Washington Football Team head coach.

 

Gruden, most recently, served as the play-caller for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. The unit ranked 28th in total yards per game and 30th in points per game en route to an NFL-worst 1-15 record.

Prior to his six-year run heading Washington, Gruden also called plays for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011 to 2013. The Tiffin, Ohio native, in that final campaign, helped guide the Bengals offense to 368.2 yards an outing (10th) with 26.9 points per game (sixth).

Gruden and Montgomery are now the only two known candidates to have received a second interview from the Panthers in this ongoing search. That prior NFL play-calling experience, however, may give the former somewhat of a leg up on the latter.

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Panthers have interviewed Jay Gruden for offensive coordinator job

According to The Athletic, the Panthers have now interviewed Jay Gruden for their offensive coordinator opening.

Last week, it was merely some reported interest that linked the Carolina Panthers and Jay Gruden. Now, the two parties have officially entered the process.

As reported by Joseph Person of The Athletic on Tuesday, the Panthers have indeed interviewed the former Washington Football Team head coach for their offensive coordinator opening. Gruden, along with University of Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, were the first names to surface in Matt Rhule’s crucial search.

Gruden’s most recent position came as the play-caller for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. Under his guidance, the offense ranked 28th in yards and 31st in points as the team finished an NFL-worst 1-15.

Prior to that one-year stop, the Tiffin, Ohio native headed Washington to a 35-49-1 overall mark from 2014 to 2019. That six-year run included one playoff appearance, a 35-18 Wild Card round loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 2015 campaign.

After speaking to Gruden, Carolina has now interviewed a total of at least five candidates with Klint Kubiak, Mike Groh, Scottie Montgomery and Ben McAdoo also in the fold.

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Panthers 2021 offensive coordinator search tracker

Keep track of all the potential candidates that have been linked to the Panthers’ offensive coordinator opening.

This search for a “rockstar” could get pretty exhaustive for the Carolina Panthers and head coach Matt Rhule and maybe even exhausting for you!

So, let’s keep track of every potential candidate that has popped up for the team’s offensive coordinator opening.

Two years in, how does Ron Rivera compare?

Ron Rivera just finished his second season as Washington’s head coach. We compare the first two years of every Washington head coach dating back to George Allen.

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Washington coach Ron Rivera completed his second season as the franchise’s head coach Sunday.

The thought occurred to me, since I have been following this team in my childhood, how have other Washington coaches produced in their first two seasons coaching this franchise?

1971: George Allen 9-4-1 regular season; wildcard 4th seed. In his 1972 season, Washington won NFC East Title at 11-3, the number one seed, a 26-3 NFC Championship win over defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas and a trip to Super Bowl VII where they lost 14-7 to the 17-0 Miami Dolphins.

1978: Jack Pardee started 6-0, but faded, finishing 8-8, and his 1979 team finished 10-6, but failed to make a top-four spot for the playoffs.

1981: Enter Joe Jackson Gibbs, who lost his first five games, before closing 8-3 to finish 8-8. His second season Washington was 8-1, plus 4-0 in the playoffs, winning Super Bowl XVII 27-17 over Miami.

1994: Norv Turner was in a total rebuild situation going 3-13 and 6-10 in his first two seasons.

2002: Steve Spurrier’s two seasons 2002-03, Washington was 7-9 and 5-11. You thought it was worse, didn’t you? You see, that proves our standards and expectations were higher then.

2004: Joe Gibbs agreed to return in 2004 going 6-10 and then 10-6 in 2005 with a playoff win at Tampa.

2008: Jim Zorn opened 6-2 in 2008, but then the team finished 8-8, followed by a 4-12 2009 and he was fired.

2010: Mike Shanahan’s first two teams were 6-10 and 5-11.

2014: Jay Gruden after a 4-12 first season won the NFC East at 9-7 in 2015.

2020: Ron Rivera followed a disastrous 2019 when Washington was 3-13, fired Jay Gruden and finished the season with interim coach Bill Callahan. Rivera battled his own cancer, endured the gruesome treatments, yet Washington won the weak NFC East in 2020 at 7-9. In 2021, Washington started 2-6, won four straight then lost four straight to division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia, finishing 7-10.

 

Big names begin to emerge in Panthers’ offensive coordinator search

The Panthers’ search for a new offensive coordinator will reportedly begin with a few big names, including former Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.

As reported by ESPN NFL senior reporter Jeremy Fowler on Saturday, the Carolina Panthers are prepared to embark on their search for a new offensive coordinator as they head into the 2022 offseason. And, according to Fowler’s colleague, the groundwork for that project has already begun.

On Sunday, league insider Adam Schefter noted that the Panthers are expected to zero in a few big names for the position. Those targets include former head coaches Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden as well as current Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.

O’Brien, who is now serving under Nick Saban as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Alabama, spent seven years at the helm of the Houston Texans organization. From 2014 to 2020, the former Bill Belichick disciple led the team to a 52-48 record with zero finishes amongst the top-10 in total yards on offense.

His fellow candidate in Gruden had bred similarly unimpressive results, particularly in his last three NFL seasons. Between his final two campaigns as head coach of the Washington Football Team and last year’s stint as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gruden’s units ranked 28th, 31st and 28th from 2018 to 2020.

O’Connell, the least known of this reported trio, has served as a coordinator since 2019—including that final stand alongside Gruden in Washington. He paced the Rams offense to an 11th-place finish in 2020 and has them sixth overall heading into Sunday’s Week 18 slate.

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