Why Jon Gruden's Firing by Buccaneers Is Bittersweet

So Jon Gruden got fired today. I'm both shocked and not surprised, which might sound a little weird, but I'm also happy and sad, so it's fair to say I have mixed feelings about the matter.

Let me be clear: I think the Glazers probably made the right move.  Yes, Gruden took the Bucs to the Super Bowl, but it's always been a fair rap on him that he did it with a team built by Tony Dungy and Rich McKay. 

I think that the firing of Dungy was a necessary move and I don't think the team would have won the championship without that turbo boost provided by Gruden.  But likewise, I think Gruden has been given enough of a shot to separate himself from that heir to Dungy charge and he simply hasn't done it.  His record with the team is 57-55.  That's only barely a winning record and barely winning (even with three playoff berths in the meantime) isn't what an NFL head coach is required to deliver.

There have been a lot of little indicators.  Over the Gruden years, the Bucs have figured prominently in the league in terms of penalties and penalty yards (it's hard to find this particular stat on any of the stat sites, but I remember being peeved at them repeatedly for this), a sure sign of a lack of coaching discipline. 

The team has historically been shockingly inconsistent, starting at the very top of the team, where the Bucs have not had "the guy" at quarterback throughout the Gruden regime.  The philosophy and execution of the offense especially (Gruden's realm) has been uneven, unpredictable, ranging from competent to just plain junk. 

The 2007 season seemed to portend the end of this season: last year's playoff berth may have softened the losses to Houston and the woeful 49ers and the 1-4 season ending, but these were leading indicators for the loss to New York in the wild-card round and the drastic collapse we saw this season.

The mark of a great coach is consistency, discipline, and most all winning.  Gruden failed to deliver on any of these and reaped the harvest.