It appears Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has found his man-again.
The Redskins hired former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden as their new head coach. Gruden, who called the Bengals' plays from 2011-2013, replaces Mike Shanahan who had been fired after four seasons. Gruden will be the eighth Redskins head coach since Snyder purchased the team in 1999.
Washington interviewed a number of coaching candidates, but knew when it talked to Gruden it had found its next coach. In fact the Skins were so sure they had their guy, they signed him to a five-year contract.
"Once Jay's interview was about three-quarters through, we knew he was the right guy," Redskins general manager Bruce Allen said in a press conference. "It was a unanimous decision."
This will be Gruden's first NFL head coaching job, but he brings plenty of football experience to the nation's capital. He was an offensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 to 2008 under his older brother, Jon, former head coach of the Bucs and Oakland Raider and current color commentator on "Monday Night Football". Gruden also coached in the Arena League and the United Football League.
His resume is extensive, but Redskins fans are more interested if that experience will help him with the coaching and development of star quarterback Robert Griffin III. How that relationship will play out remains to be seen, Gruden is looking forward to coaching him.
"I'm excited to work with (Griffin)," Gruden said. "Hopefully he's excited to come to work. And I know everything I've heard about him as a person, as a player, has been positive. I know he's a great, talented player and he's got everything you want in a quarterback - the leadership, the toughness, the speed, the accuracy both long and short, anticipation. So it's definitely going to be an exciting time to coach Robert."
Gruden plans to call the offensive plays, but besides that, the rest of the Skins' coaching staff remains a question mark. Tight ends coach Sean McVAy, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and defensive backs coach Raheem Morris are still currently on Washington's staff. Gruden has worked will all three in the past, but hasn't made any announcements about coaching decisions.
"I don't think finding a great coach and coaching staff is going to be difficult," Gruden said. "It's finding the right ones that fit what I want to do and what the players want to do."
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