The end of an era, part II (Gruden and Allen gone)

Gruden posted a 57 -55 record after seven
years at Tampa Bay. (NFL.com)

Well, the hammer finally has fallen on the 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season.  The biggest casualty to the pathetic showing is the head coach and the general manager, Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen.

There are many questions to why the owners finally stepped in after years of mediocre seasons.  After posting a 57-55 in seven seasons, there are no more excuses.  Good coaches are hard to come by in the NFL, which may explain why the Glazers were so hesitant to rebuild.  Denver held on to Mike Shanahan for nearly 10 years after he won back-to-back Super Bowls before being finally let go this year.

To probe the mind of this “offensive” genius, we have to go back to Gruden’s first year here.  The defense was at its pinnacle, Gruden’s prior history with then Niner’s coach Steve Mariucci and Eagles coach Andy Reid could have contributed to the success in the playoffs.  If it nothing else but a coincidence, what about the Super Bowl XXXVII’s opponent in Oakland?  Could Gruden see the same success against Bill Belichek and the Patriots?

We will never know.  Gruden was at the top of the football world in 2002, because no team in either conference could figure him out since the Raiders ran almost the exact same offense.  How similar?  On the Super Bowl XXXVII DVD, former Buc safety John Lynch was quoted to saying that they’re running the exact plays they practiced that week.

It takes much to win the Super Bowl, but that year he hit the jackpot.  Could you consider him lucky?  In hindsight, maybe that’s more open for discussion now more than ever.

After the 2002 season, what did they have to show for it?  The answer: A couple of division titles, zero playoff victories and many disgruntled players.

What of the faces of the franchise?  Warren Sapp finished his career in Oakland.  John Lynch still made Pro Bowls in Denver despite ending his career in New England.  Mike Alstott saw his duties severely reduced after the Super Bowl year.

What about the offensive genius that was tagged to Gruden?  The Buccaneers were never a top 10 offense during his tenure.  They finished 15^th overall in offense during the Super Bowl year.  The quarterback carousel saw Brad Johnson, Rob Johnson, Shaun King, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, Luke McCown, Bruce Gradkowski, and Jeff Garcia as starting.  That’s an average of less than a quarterback per season.

Gruden and Allen’s tenure also saw a vast variety of reclamation projects.  Some worked out, many did not.  Charlie Gardner, Tim Brown, David Boston, and Todd Steussie are examples of one-time stars long past their prime. Chief’s former first rounder, defensive tackle Ryan Simms failed here miserably.  Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway worked wonderfully for them, but they were never both on the same field this year to do any damage.  Jeff Garcia shows he can still make plays.

After starting 9 – 3, what happened?  The Bucs defense quit.  They knew in their hearts that they didn't want to play hard for the lame duck defensive coordinator anymore.  The offense can do what it can, but after seven years, Gruden’s well aware of its limitations.  Without the defense propping you up like it tries to do every single year, you do not amount to squat.  Congratulations, Raheem Morris (and Mike Dominik).  You did not get the Denver job, but you are heading up another reclamation project.

ESPN’s Mark Schlereth’s main point to the decision was “what have you done for me lately?”  Frankly, just settling.