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The Washington Redskins suddenly have a winning attitude and a bright future. This new swagger would not be possible without Jay Gruden. Gruden has wasted no time getting down to the business of creating a new atmosphere in DC. “It’s too early to start talking crazy, but I’ll just tell you, man, right now the aura in the building is just tremendously great”, stated WR Santana Moss to Don Banks of SI.com. Under Gruden’s leadership, the Redskins are preparing to win games and compete for the division title in 2014.
After the team finished 3-13 last season, franchise owner Dan Snyder decided to show Mike Shanahan the door. Snyder hired Jay Gruden who has a well established reputation of developing young quarterbacks and maximizing their potential. Gruden, a quarterback in college and later the Arena Football League, was crucial in the development of QB Andy Dalton. He was also responsible for the formidable offensive attack, during his time with Cincinnati Bengals as Offensive-Coordinator.
With the Free-Agency addition of Pro Bowl WR DeSean Jackson, Snyder and company believe the roster is only a few players away from returning to the playoffs. DeSean is an explosive playmaker with a competitiveness about him that can change game momentum instantly. The team is “going for broke”, with a playoff window that will likely close in the short term due to salary cap restraints in two years. In an effort to maximize the possibility of a Super Bowl appearance during that time, Washington’s front office, has made bold moves in the offseason to make a championship run possible.
Snyder, clearly dissatisfied with the status quo, scored a major coup in landing former Dallas Cowboys DE Jason Hatcher who is coming off a season with 11 sacks. Hatcher will be relied upon heavily to improve an otherwise weak pass rush. The front office also upgraded the Offensive-Line by signing 26 year old free agent Guard Shawn Lauvao by way of Cleveland and engineered the acquisition of offensive weapon, Andre Roberts, who spent his first four years learning the ropes under future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. These offseason moves combined with the new staff, have made the franchise a formidable opponent in the NFC.
Gruden has Washington believing that now is the time to win. “Our Bar is set high here,” Gruden told Don Banks of Si.com “The way you build a team, it can happen quickly.” Gruden cited the rapid turnarounds of the 2-14 Kansas City Chiefs and the Phildelphia Eagles who went from worst to first in one season with a few changes. He further elaborated “It takes some weapons, but I think we have enough people here in the building that we can be competitive every week, and there’s no reason why we can’t do great things this season.” Free agency is not over yet and there is talk of the Washington’s front office making an effort to further reinforce the offensive line, however, the first year head coach has the team ready to play to win now.
Christopher DuVall is a writer for Couch Rider Report