Jon Gruden - is it time to go home?

The past four years have not been kind to Jon Gruden. Ever since he was the youngest coach to win the SuperBowl (and on top of that to do it during his first year with the team), Tampa Bay are 26-35 and have only one season with winning record (went to 11-5 in 2005 and lost to Redskins in the first playoff game). This season, the Buccaneers are 3-10 and are out of the playoff with three more weeks to go. What was once a perfectly balanced team assembled by Tony Dungy is now a thing of the past. Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Keyshawn Johnson and Keenan McCardell have left for other teams over the years, and the key players that stayed have been plagued with injuries and less than stellar performances. It's true that on the average, Tampa has one of the toughest schedules this year, but that's not a real excuse in the league.


I don't believe that deep inside Gruden really believes that he was the one to win the SuperBowl. Dungy was with Tampa for six seasons, leading them to the playoffs four times. He was the one that has built the team and he should be the one credited for winning the title. Sadly, it is not perceived as such, and Gruden continues coaching the team after all these years.