I'm not sold on Gruden. He hasn't done a great deal since winning the 2002 Super Bowl - and the more he's put his stamp on the franchise, the more mediocre it has become, primarily because he has had nothing but a revolving door at QB -- a position where he seems to like stockpiling personnel, but one he doesn't seem very good at developing or being loyal to.
Brad Johnson from Super Bowl to out, two stints with Brian Griese, Chris Simms (who, admittedly, got hurt), Bruce Gradkowski (by default thanks to injury), and then Jeff Garcia with Griese seeing plenty of action.
Unfortuantely for Gruden, most of these guys were either past their prime or
too inexperienced. Another Rich Gannon never walked through the door. And I think not being able to convince Jake Plummer to come on board hurt. Though it is only fair to acknolwedge that Gruden's teams have been hit hard by injury over the year (at QB and at RB), it also appears that people are not eager to go play for Gruden, especially if they are going to be playing in his offense --- and now that Monte Kiffin is gone, I'm not surprised the powers that be in Tampa want to make a change.
Promoting Raheem Morris from in-the-house, though, is an interesting pick. Also interesting that they waited this long to pull the trigger, after some of the hottest coaching prospects had already landed elsewhere and restricting, to some degree, the potential landing places for Gruden.
The Jets job hasn't been filled. Leslie Frazier is reportedly "in" at St. Louis. A return to his philosophical roots in San Francisco, or cutting the rug out from Jim Mora Jr. in Seattle and replacing his mentor, might seem like particularly attractive/obvious options, but those teams would have to abandon current committments to make that happen.
There is always TV. Chuckie...er, Gruden, would make an interesting analyst for a season or two.
