It has been nearly a decade since the Washington Redskins won a playoff game, an upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005. The stars on that team were Clinton Portis, LaVar Arrington and Mark Brunell. In the nine seasons since, the Redskins have gone 54-90, finished last in the NFC East seven times and have lost in the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks to end their season three different times (2005, 2007 and 2012).
In the 10 years since that playoff win, the Redskins have written some very bad chapters in the history book of a once-storied NFL franchise. They’ve had four head coaches, all of whom have failed to lead the Redskins to much success.
Joe Gibbs went a combined 14-18 during his last two seasons of his second stint with the club. The Jim Zorn era, remembered more for his eccentric practice drills and his folksy style with the media than for on-field success, resulted in two last place NFC East finishes and a combined 12-20 record. Mike Shanahan brought Super Bowl pedigree and his revolutionary zone-blocking run scheme to the District. He left after four seasons with a bruised ego, a tarnished legacy, a .375 winning percentage and three last place finishes in the NFC East.
Dan Snyder has fired two head coaches after just two seasons at the helm, in Zorn and Steve Spurrier. They had identical career coaching records, 12-20. The Redskins would need to go 8-8 this year for Gruden to reach that level of success.
Scot McCloughan is the new face of the front office, and his well-deserved pristine reputation for building winning football franchises means that he is above reproach at this point. He will be the one given time to “fix” the Redskins.
He has already begun, and it is clear that he is the decision maker. He has had no problem cutting ties with players the Redskins signed as free agents prior to his arrival, including veterans Chris Chester, Tyler Polumbus, Stephen Bowen. Barry Cofield, Brian Orakpo and Tracy Porter. What’s to say that cutting ties with Gruden will be any more difficult?
Gruden’s first year was filled with a revolving door at quarterback, with three different signal-callers starting games. After a 4-12 season, Redskins brass allowed former defensive coordinator Jim Haslett to be the primary scapegoat, as he and the team “mutually agreed” to part ways at season’s end. With several veteran assistants joining the staff this offseason, Gruden will not likely dodge a bullet created by another last-place finish again.
The Redskins have the pieces in place for a Gruden firing and succession plan, even if it were to happen during the season. It would be easy to envision a situation where offensive line coach Bill Callahan or defensive backs coach Perry Fewell are promoted to finish the season as the head coach. Both men have served as head coaches or interim head coaches in the past.
Gruden’s success is likely directly tied to the performance of Robert Griffin III. In May, the team extended Griffin’s rookie contract for one year, meaning that he is under contract through 2016, but they could release him without much penalty if he is unable to regain some of the promise he showed in 2012. If he doesn’t, McCloughan will not hesitate to make a move. The 2016 NFL Draft brings with it what many analysts are considering the best QB class since 2012.
If the Redskins find themselves drafting in the top five again in 2016, that means the Griffin and Gruden eras in DC will be over. If the Redskins start 0-4, start tuning in to Big Ten college football, as Christian Hackenberg (Penn State), Connor Cook (Michigan State) or Cardale Jones (Ohio State) may find themselves in burgundy and gold this time next year.
Jake Miller is a Washington Redskins beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JakeMillerNFL.