It wasn’t like this in Cincinnati.
That quote, by Coach Gruden, is one of the key quotes I keep coming back to when thinking about all the changes going on at Redskins Park.
It was given by him in response to a reporter’s question about all the media attention, leaks, rumors, finger pointing and backstabbing within the organization.
It is something that has plagued the organization over the past 14 years. Through countless head coaching changes and changes in personnel, one thing has remained the same (OK, two) They suck stink and there has always ALWAYS been a snitch, an anonymous source, a person on the inside leaking rumors. It creates a caustic locker room environment full of backstabbing and distrust.
So what is an organization, or more importantly, a new head coach and a GM who is supposed to support him do?
On the most simplistic level you do the following.
Get better personnel you can trust.
And this is exactly what Coach Gruden, Bruce Allen, and the Washington Redskins are trying to do. They have started with building their “inner circle” of coaches and supporting staff. Gruden himself has said as much. When asked about his hire of a new DC (because many fans and media pundits question his qualifications), one of the words he used to describe his qualifications was loyal. That one word thrown in with all the other catch phrases (like experienced, focused) spoke volumes to me.
The other part of this reorganization which is important is to me is the fact that the Redskins suddenly realized that there are some things that they simply do not do well. Somehow, someway, Bruce has suddenly realized that he sucks as a GM and Gruden found out that being a Head Coach in Washington is bigger than him. In other words, he can’t do it all. Bruce graciously stepped down as GM and hired a real GM with a proven, quality, resume. Gruden admitted that he can’t coach the team AND build QB’s all at the same time, so he hired a proven, quality QB coach.
This methodology of building a winning team is perfectly reasonable to me and I do not have a problem with it. They are making honest, calculated changes in what they feel are key areas within the team.
I don’t think there is anybody who would disagree with the fact that change needed to happen. And as is always the case, there are folks out there who are already criticizing some of the decisions before the first draft pick is made, before the first free agent is picked, before the first OTA, Practice or even Game is played! Unlike many of the media and vocal fan base out there, I reserve judgment until I see what the results are. And that will not be until at least 6 months to a year from now. So until I see what the results are, I will withhold judgment.
Until then, congratulations to Gruden and Allen for realizing what is wrong with not only them but the organization and taking steps to improve it – Like it was in Cincinnati!
HTTR
I blog about two of my three favorite things in life, Sports and Stocks. Ok, mostly about stocks....
Passing Perfection 
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