The Washington Redskins did not get back on track this past season, as many fans had hoped. First-year head coach Jay Gruden, after working so well with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, was expected to reinvigorate Robert Griffin III's career. To put it nicely, things did not go as planned.
RGIII suffered a dislocated ankle and fell out of favor with the coaching staff. The Redskins stumbled their way to a 4-12 season, their eighth last place finish in the NFC East over the past 11 seasons.
Now fans are wondering if owner Dan Snyder will lose his patience with Gruden sooner rather than later.
"I'm inclined to think that he has two more years to get the team moving in the right directions," Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com wrote. "However, he does have to show improvement and that's where the seat is getting hot."
Tandler notes that while Washington's overall record is important, one deciding factor will be how well he develops young players.
"So, yes, Gruden's seat is warm. But if he and his team appear to have their acts together, the temperature dial won't get turned up any higher," Tandler wrote. "If it looks like he's in over his head and the players aren't buying in it could get very hot very fast."
Not for nothing, but Gruden appeared at times to be overmatched in his first season as a head coach. Some of that can be chalked up to first-year jitters, but Washington hoped to finish better than 26th in points per game (18.8) with skill position players such as DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Alfred Morris healthy.
Snyder hasn't been known to be the most patient of owners, so Gruden may want to figure things out soon.
"Jay Gruden has four years left (all guaranteed) but he was 4-12 in his first season with an owner who has never had a head coach last more than four years," ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim wrote. "In fact, in Redskins owner Dan Snyder's tenure, he's had three coaches that he hired last two years or less. Snyder also fired a fourth who had been with him for a season and a half (Norv Turner, whom he inherited)."