Washington Redskins: Dan Snyder Has Some Serious Decisions To Make

The Washington Redskins are four losses away from having the same exact record they had in 2013. After 12 games and only three wins, the Redskins haven’t shown much to give anyone in that organization hope for the future. At season’s end, Owner Dan Snyder needs to reassess his front office, coaching staff and locker room. It may take some tough and unexpected changes to propel this organization into the right direction.

In typical Washington Redskins fashion, they signed Jay Gruden to a pretty lucrative five-year, fully guaranteed contract worth about $4 million a year. Gruden will get paid over $20 million in that duration. That’s pretty much unheard of for first year head coaches. But for the second consecutive season, Dan Snyder may have to reevaluate what he has at the Head Coach position. This is Jay Gruden’s first NFL Head Coaching gig and mistakes were certain to happen. However, Gruden hasn’t only made innocent “rookie coaching mistakes,” he’s proven to have poor judgment — and that can be a huge issue down the line.

I wasn’t necessarily high on Jay Gruden during the pre-hiring process. One of those reasons being, I had a feeling he’d holdover coaches from the previous regime. At the time, my feeling was that the team needed a total makeover. Instead, Gruden went ahead and kept coaches from the previous regime, including defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. Although, part of why Haslett was retained is because Snyder didn’t want to absorb the final year of his contract. Either way, Gruden ended up keeping coaches he worked with in the past. This marked the first display of Gruden’s clouded judgment.

Jay Gruden appointed Sean McVay as offensive coordinator. McVay is touted as a “rising star” in this league. I’m still trying to figure out what justifies that sentiment on McVay. It must be because of his grandfather who had a successful career as GM of the 49ers. McVay has spent most of his coaching career in Washington and that’s not a complement. So now you have an inexperienced Head Coach and a inexperienced offensive coordinator.

Part of the reason Washington hired an offensive minded head coach was to help QB Robert Griffin III develop into a quality quarterback. Neither Gruden nor McVay qualify as “QB whispers” or a “QB guru.” Although Gruden, a former Arena League quarterback, knows the position well — he was in over his head thinking he could truly develop RGIII as a first year head coach. Again, poor judgment. What Jay Gruden should have done is hired a Quarterback coach. Bill Lazor worked wonders for a young Nick Foles in Philadelphia last season. Now, in 2014, Lazor is doing an excellent job with a young Ryan Tannehill in Miami. A good QB coach can help young quarterbacks. Due to Jay Gruden’s poor judgment, Washington’s young gun-slingers suffered. Not only did Robert Griffin III regress, but I saw a guy in Kirk Cousins who regressed in several areas as well. The Washington Redskins have burned bridges with both quarterbacks this season, it’s unclear what the future holds at the position.

Another concern I had with Jay Gruden pre-hire was the fact he lacked an identity on offense with the Cincinnati Bengals. Does he have an identity? Earlier this year, QB Robert Griffin III said finding a team identity was up to the players. That shouldn’t be the case. Every great franchise in the NFL carries the identity and personality of their coach or organization. Much like the Patriot-way. However, in Washington, it’s more like the “Redskins no-way.”

Jay Gruden only has 12 games under his belt as a head coach, but Dan Snyder needs to reconsider if this is truly his coach of the future. Gruden could certainly be the guy who turns this organization around on-the-field. However, if Snyder doesn’t believe Gruden will work — eat the money and wash your hands. There’s no sense in waiting and further crippling your franchise. Just look at the Cleveland Browns — they fired Rob Chudzinski after one year and are in the playoff hunt this season with a 7-5 record.

The Washington Redskins should also consider making a move at General Manager. Bruce Allen is decent at budgeting, moving papers, rounding up alumni, drinking beers at hotels in Loudoun County and being Dan Snyder’s wingman. However, he has yet to do any real GM things. All Bruce Allen does is hire people he knows. He doesn’t know how to evaluate coaches and he doesn’t know how to scout players. At least former GM Vinny Cerrato spent time scouting before becoming a General Manager.

Dan Snyder has two options when it comes to Bruce Allen. He needs to either move Bruce Allen to a position where he can worry only about politics, business and beer. Or, if Allen refuses to relinquish his football duties, fire him. Cut ties and do it immediately. The Washington Redskins need a football mind running their organization. Bruce Allen has done well keeping Dan Snyder from tripping over his own legs. However, Bruce Allen might as well not even have legs because he has no direction to walk in with this organization.

It’s time for Dan Snyder to roll up his sleeves and do some dirty work. Some real soul searching. This organization has been a doormat for far too long and at some point Snyder has to learn from his mistakes. So before anyone considers trading any Quarterback — how about assessing the true shackles that have and will continue to bound this franchise?  That’s what I think they should do.

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