The Redskins and coach Jay Gruden agreed to a two-year extension over the weekend, an "affirmative move that capped a rocky week for the franchise," according to Clarke, Jones & Tesfatsion of the WASHINGTON POST. The team has dealt with reports regarding GM Scot McCloughan's absence from the NFL Scouting Combine. However, giving Gruden an extension marks a "signal of continuity" from Owner Dan Snyder and President Bruce Allen that they believes the Redskins are "building a consistent playoff team that can contend for Super Bowls," The move is "intended" for fans, would-be free agents and franchise-tagged QB Kirk Cousins. Gruden is the first Redskins coach to "earn a contract extension" in Snyder's 18-year tenure. Whether the extension "represents Snyder's ringing endorsement of his coach or is primarily intended to project an image of continuity is difficult to say" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/6). In DC, Todd Dybas writes Gruden's extension was a "beacon in a week of scrutiny." The Redskins had "wobbled through the combine, chased by stories focused on the whereabouts of its general manager and here-we-go-again headshakes about the organization's ability to stay on a straight path." Dybas: "For a night, a drop of joy entered the narrative" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/6).
DAN BEING DAN? ESPN’s Max Kellerman said of the Redskins extending Gruden, “The point is Dan Snyder as an owner is rudderless, at least it appears on the outside, and the results also suggest the same thing. There is no cohesive game plan, there’s no overarching strategy. It’s just kind of a perfunctory move to a perfunctory move." But ESPN's Molly Qerim said of Snyder, "How about him wanting consistency at the head coaching position. He’s never had it and there’s something to be said for that. I get that there are mediocre results but the changeover is not working either" ("First Take," ESPN, 3/6).
UNCERTAINTY LINGERS: In DC, Mike Mike Jones noted Redskins officials "downplayed the seriousness" of McCloughan's absence from the Combine. But many outsiders, namely agents, "aren't sold." They "expressed concern that there was more to McCloughan's absence than the Feb. 6 death of his 100-year-old grandmother." Sources said that the "uncertainty surrounding McCloughan's standing within the organization, plus earlier reports of division in the front office, would prompt them to steer their clients clear of the Redskins." But Jones wrote given that Redskins officials had "already indicated a plan to primarily pursue second-tier free agents, it's possible the uncertainty surrounding McCloughan might not have much of an impact on their plans" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/5). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote there is a belief that McCloughan will "never return" as Redskins GM and that the franchise "already is talking to potential replacements." From a PR perspective, it is "unclear who is calling the shots." Florio: "Maybe the answer is 'no one,' because that's the way it currently seems" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 3/3). Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw said it is "very curious" that Allen "apparently still has control over the roster, not the GM" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 3/3).
