Unsurpringsly, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went after Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden on Tuesday morning.
Smith was hardly the only person to do so, but he was a big critic during the Redskins’ ugly Monday Night Football performance during a loss to the Chicago Bears.
Appearing on First Take, Smith said while he understands Gruden has had to put up with a lot when it comes to ownership and that he understands football, he’s missing a critical component that is hurting the team.
“The head coach has to be a leader of men. He has to be somebody that’s able to get something extra out of others under his stewardship. That is not Jay Gruden. Jay Gruden to me…you see coordinator…you don’t see the guy who is hovering over everybody else.”
That point is a tough critique for an outsider to make on any coach, let alone a guy like Gruden who indeed has to juggle so much given the ownership situation.
Even then, Smith is right that the Gruden era indeed feels like it is coming to a close. The team is only three games in, yet the temperature of the seat has perhaps never felt hotter.
