Nearly a year to the day of Mike Shanahan's infamous press conference announcing Robert Griffin III's first benching, coach Jay Gruden took the podium Monday and acknowledged that jobs are on the line in the final three games of the Washington Redskins' 2014 season.
In less than a year with Griffin III and the Redskins' sinkhole of dysfunction, a haggard and hangdog Gruden was painted by reporters in a fashion commonly reserved for exiting Presidents.
It's no wonder. One of the jobs Gruden was referring to is his own.
Having made his feelings on Griffin's lack of progress abundantly clear, Gruden is in danger of going "one and done" in Washington, according to the Washington Post.
If owner Daniel Synder and general manager Bruce Allen recommit to Griffin as the 2015 starter, Gruden could be sacrificed in a power struggle.
If the Redskinscapitulate to a Griffin trade next offseason, Snyder will have to deal with the inescapable conclusion that the 2012 blockbuster engineered by Allen to acquire RGIII ended in abject failure.
A former high-ranking team official predicted, via The Post, the move would weaken the franchise for as much as a decade if Griffin failed to become a superstar.
The Redskins' era of unbridled optimismcollapsed in a heap at the 5-yard line 16 games into Griffin's career.
Allen knew the risks when he sold everything but his soul for the opportunity to stake his career on Griffin's unique talent. He acknowledged his regime's carelessness in rushing Griffin back to the field for the start of the 2013 season.
Perhaps most telling, two different head coaches hand-picked by Allen have not only benched Griffin but also publicly and privately castigated the erstwhile franchise savior.
Who could be surprised if Snyder opted to blow up the entire operation and start from square one next offseason?
Whether or not Snyder absolves Allen for his football sins, the futures of Gruden and Griffin are on the line in December.
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