Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen Fired by Buccaneers

In a move that reportedly “blindsided” him, Jon Gruden is now on the unemployment line. Today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in a rather shocking move, dismissed the fiery head coach along with general manager Bruce Allen.

“We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise,” Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement.

“However after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward.”

Gruden was a difference maker right off the bat, coming to the team in 2003. He right away took them to a 12-4 record and a victory over his old team, the Raiders, in that season's Super Bowl.

The team went into collapse mode after a hot start, and ended 9-7, which left Tampa out of the playoffs for the fourth time in six years.

Allen had been with the team for the past five seasons. Gruden’s record as head coach with the Bucs was 57-55, and 3-2 in the postseason. He also was head coach for four seasons in Oakland before coming to the Bucs.