Gruden out in Tampa

In a move that has apparently 'blindsided' the man that brought a Championship to one of the league's worst franchises historically, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have parted ways with coach Jon Gruden and G.M. Bruce Allen, after the team failed to make the playoffs despite being in pole position at the beginning of December. The Bucs were usurped by Atlanta and Carolina, who both finished strongly, whilst the Bucs closed the season with something of a whimper.

The move could have wider repercussions around the league, though the timing makes me wonder if the Buccaneers are well aware that the Jets and Rams have narrowed their coaching candidates down to a final shortlist, and that Gruden may not be able to get another Head Coaching gig in 2009. Apparently the Rams wanted to make a decision before Saturday, which would seem to rule Gruden out, whereas the Jets are allegedly enamoured with Ravens Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. If the Ravens are beaten in Sunday's AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh, then it is widely assumed that the Jets will then move to appoint Ryan quickly, but if the Ravens make it through to the Superbowl, it will be interesting to see whether the Jets choose to complete 'due diligence' by interviewing Gruden.

Whether Gruden is interested in getting straight back into coaching is another story. It's too early to tell, though it must be galling for him to know that he could potentially have had the University of Tennessee job earlier this year.

Incidentally, I purposely left out the Oakland job, as there is more chance of hell freezing over than Gruden heading back to Oakland. There has been speculation that Gruden's availability could trigger another team to fire their head coach and appoint Gruden. The immediate assumption is Buffalo, but would Gruden be enamoured by the Bills? It's hard to imagine. One place where Gruden could certainly cause a change in direction is in Dallas, where Jerry Jones has been far from unequivocal about the status of current incumbent Wade Phillips.