NFL Coaches are Sacrificed

Saturday, January 17, 2009 -- The list of NFL coaches and GMs continues to grow as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Friday that they were firing head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen.

Gruden Gone

The announcement came just weeks after the Bucs 2008- 2009 collapse. Gruden, who put in seven seasons as head coach with the club, became unpopular after the team ended the season with a 9- 7 record. That mark was especially worrisome due to the fact that the franchise was 9- 3 and in a tie for first-place in the NFC South before losing four straight and missing the playoffs by one game.

Gruden’s Record with the Bucs

Gruden’s record in Florida, which included a Super Bowl win, was 60- 57, which included all playoff games. In his first year, Tampa Bay’s mark was 15- 4. That was the season that they won it all. After that, the club went 45- 53. This year, the wheels came off at the end of the season after the club started out 9- 3 and ended up 9- 7 and one game away from a wild-card berth.

How Many More will Fall?

Gruden is one of a long list of coaches who have been axed at the end of the 2008- 2009 season, making the position of head coach in the NFL one of the more tenuous ones around. Eric Mangini of the Jets, Romeo Crennel who coached the Browns, Rod Marinelli the head man of the Lions and Mike Shanahan from the Broncos were all let go after the 2008- 2009 regular-season.

Gruden’s Fate

Everyone should expect coach Jon Gruden to resurface as the head coach for one of a half-dozen NFL franchises. The 45-year-old head coach is simply too young to let the league pass him bye.