Tampa Bay Firings Make Us Wonder What It Takes To Keep a Job in the NFL

When Jon Gruden led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl in franchise history during his first season as head coach, he appeared to have a long career ahead of him as the coach they had waited so long for. Unfortunately for him, that long career lasted only seven years.

On Friday the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the firing of head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen after the team failed to make the playoffs and was part of one of the worst collapses in NFL history. The Bucs started the year off 9-3 and lost their final four games of the season, including a home game against the Oakland Raiders.

Gruden was hired by the Buccaneers in 2002 after Tony Dungy was fired for his inability to get the team to the Super Bowl. In his first season as head coach, Gruden led the Buccaneers to a 12-4 record and their first Super Bowl in franchise history. In Super Bowl XXXVII, he defeated his former team, the Oakland Raiders, 48-21.

After his first season, Gruden was treated like a king in the city of Tampa Bay. Everybody thought the best was yet to come if he was able to win the Super Bowl in just his first year with the team.

However, many believed that it wasn't Gruden who was responsible for the team's success. With the No. 1-ranked defense in the league that season, many believed that Gruden's success was only because of the team that Dungy put together. He may not have been able to get the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl, but he did help the team make four playoff appearances in six seasons.

After the Super Bowl victory in 2002, it seemed like Gruden and the Buccaneers were on a roller coaster ride over the next six seasons. In the following two years after the Bucs won the Super Bowl, Gruden's team finished the next two seasons with a combined 12-20 record. In 2005, the Buccaneers finished 11-5 and won the NFC South division title, only to lose in the opening round to the Washington Redskins. 

The following season was the worst of Gruden's career. With a handful of injuries, the Buccaneers finished the 2006 season with a disappointing 4-12 record. Once again, the Buccaneers turned it around the following season. The team signed Jeff Garcia after his breakout season with the Philadelphia Eagles the season before. Garcia helped lead the team to a 9-7 record and another NFC South title. Unfortunately, they lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the New York Giants, who would end up winning the Super Bowl that season.

A 60-57 record in seven years. Four winning seasons. Three division titles. One Super Bowl victory. Not bad statistics for seven years. So was Gruden's firing the best move for the Buccaneers? Of course not.

When a team struggles, the blame is put on the head coach. Gruden has helped the Buccaneers gain a reputation over the last couple of years for their strong defensive play. They were always ranked as one of the best defenses in the league.

With a 9-3 record and one month left in the regular season, the Buccaneers seemed like they would at least get a wild card in the playoffs. The way they were eliminated from playoff contention almost seemed impossible. They controlled their own destiny in the final week of the regular season. It seemed so simple. Win against the Oakland Raiders at home and you get to play in the postseason.

It's crazy to think that if the Buccaneers just won ONE game in the month of December, they would have been the team playing against the Arizona Cardinals or Minnesota Vikings in the opening round of the playoffs. The fact that they lost against the Raiders the way they did is unbelievable. Their late-season collapse will go down as one of the worst in NFL history.

One thing we have learned about the NFL over the last couple of weeks is how easy it is to lose a head coaching job. One late-season collapse can cost a head coach his job. Along with Jon Gruden, Eric Mangini and Mike Shanahan were fired after their teams fell short of the playoffs from late-season collapses.

Three coaches from three different teams. Two of them with 9-7 records. The other with an 8-8 record. It doesn't make sense how the three of them lost their jobs because of late season-collapses, yet head coaches like Marvin Lewis is still with a job in Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Bengals have always been a team with high expectations behind a strong offense led by Carson Palmer. Lewis has been a head coach who has struggled over the last couple of seasons. After leading the Bengals to their first winning season in fifteen years and an AFC North title in 2005, he has posted a 19-26 record the last three seasons.

The Bengals have had numerous arrests from their players over the last couple of years, an issue that has made others wonder how much control Lewis truly has over his team.

The Bengals finished the 2008 season 4-11-1. If head coaches like Marvin Lewis can keep their job after consecutive losing seasons, then how are coaches like Jon Gruden getting fired?

Gruden may be remembered as the guy who took over the Super Bowl-winning team Tony Dungy spent years putting together. He may have had a few rough seasons as Buccaneers coach. Still, nobody's perfect in this world.

The firing of Jon Gruden was a mistake by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At one point in the season, the Buccaneers appeared to be one of the best teams in the league. The Buccaneers should have performed better than they did at the end of the season. However, three of their four losses in December were against playoff teams.

Gruden may have been the head coach for a team that will be remembered for one of the worst end of season collapses in NFL history. Still, his time in Tampa Bay was too short.

There are plenty of other head coaches in the league that should have been fired before Jon Gruden. Some organizations have such high expectations of winning that most coaches get fired even if they do have better records than other coaches.

One thing is clear after the firing of Jon Gruden. It doesn't matter what a head coach has done for a team over a span of time. As a head coach in the NFL, there are no guarantees when it comes to keeping your job.