Could Jon Gruden Be the Next Coach to Go?

The holiday season doesn't bring good tidings for everybody. Just ask those head coaches who are spending the New Year cleaning out their offices.

Four weeks ago, this question probably wouldn't be asked. Then again, four weeks ago the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were tied for the top spot in the NFC South at 9-3 and looking like a playoff lock. Today, four weeks later, the Buccaneers find themselves at 9-7, out of the playoffs, and trying to figure out how in the hell they lost four games in a row, including a must-win game, at home, against the Oakland Raiders. Ouch.

Following the Buccaneers' latest defeat, capping off one of the league's top choke jobs of the 2008 season, it seems that head coach Jon Gruden is finding himself on a bit of a hot seat, at least in the eyes of Tampa Tribune columnist Joe Henderson. He writes that the Buccaneers' ownership -- the Glazer family -- has "a responsibility to view this season with cold-blooded detachment - starting with the head coach." Translation: might be time for a change. And while he doesn't come out and say Gruden must be fired, he at least gets the ball rolling in that general direction, calling for some sort of change, whether it be with the head coach, the general manager or the overall attitude of the franchise.

Could Jon Gruden Be the Next Coach to Go? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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