After Sunday’s 33-7 loss to the New England Patriots, the Redskins finally decided it was time to end the Jay Gruden era in Washington. He was requested to a 5 A.M. meeting with Dan Snyder and the rest of the Redskins management to be released of his head coaching duties. At first this seems to be a good decision, and ultimately the best decision for Washington, but can they really find an upgrade from the head coach that lead them to a 35-49-1 record?
While the answer will be no until Dan Snyder and the rest of the front office change regime, they now need someone to repeat the cycle of atrocious management. Washington can choose an offensive or defensive minded coach being they have young talent on both sides of the ball, and are equally repugnant on both sides of the ball, giving them limitless options in the ” Mid Season Available Coaches” pool.
Could Washington look within and run with Bill Callahan or Kevin O’Connell? Maybe they could steal away someone else’s talented coordinator, or lure away a rising highbrow coach from the NCAA ranks? Whoever the poor guy is, it is going to take a lot of convincing to get some to take captain of this sinking ship.
Or maybe just approximately 1 BRINX truck.
Jim Harbaugh
Sooner or later we need to face that Jim Harbaugh isn’t taking Michigan where they want, nor where they need to be as a program. If they go another season with not just losing against Ohio State, but losing the Big Ten, we could see Michigan looking to end this relationship a year early (Harbaugh’s contract is up in 2021).
As the head coach in San Francisco, Harbaugh proved to be one of the NFL’s fastest rising coaches, going to the Super Bowl in just his 2nd season with the 49ers. After going 8-8 in 2015, the 49ers missed the playoffs for the first time under Harbaugh and he was quoted “I felt like the 49er hierarchy left me.”.
If things start to get any worse in Ann Arbor, Snyder needs to be the first person checking in on Harbaugh. The 49ers were in a very rough spot before Harbaugh as well but that turned around very quick for them. And he should already be very aware of Dwayne Haskins potential.
Mike McCarthy
If Dan Snyder wants a safe hire, he probably goes with a Super Bowl winning head coach in Mike McCarthy. McCarthy took a year off from coaching after being let go from the Green Bay Packers, but was a relatively good coach for most his time there. There was a lot of rumors flying out of Green Bay as McCarthy left; could he use Washington to show the sports world that Rodgers could have really been the issue?
He reportedly declined the Browns job last year, making it hard to believe he would actually find this job more appealing and take it. Snyder still needs to make the call and give him an offer hard to turn down. Haskins would benefit from a coach with McCarthy’s experience and might even be able to catch some of that Aaron Rodgers-esque chip going forward in the offense.
Kris Richard
Even though he isn’t even technically the DC in Dallas, Kris Richard has become one of the fastest rising coordinators in the NFL. Richard started in Seattle, working his way up to defensive coordinator while forming the Legion of Boom along the way.
This off-season the Redskins PAID Landon Collins, and also have big contracts with Josh Norman and Ryan Kerrigan, and could use someone who can help them get the most of their money. Not to mention the defense in general ranks in the Top 5 Worst in almost every category measured. If the Redskins were able to steal away a rivals top coordinator, that would be killing two birds with one stone.
Byron Leftwich
Another coordinator that is rising fast to become an NFL head coach is former quarterback, Byron Leftwich. Even though he hasn’t even been a play caller in the NFL, he has proven to be very beneficial in player development. Many people, players and coaches alike, have gushed over Leftwich’s ability to maximize the best out of his players and help develop young offensive talent.
For a team filled with young talent, and more importantly a talented raw quarterback in Dwanye Haskins who reminds me a lot of Byron Leftwich to begin with, it would seem to be smart to hire a coordinator like this. It has been made public that Jay Gruden didn’t want to draft nor use Dwanye Haskins in his offense, so bringing in a coach that can get behind a guy like Haskins could be critical.