Jay Gruden feels good about his chances of remaining Washington's head coach next year.
"Well, hopefully they're pretty good," Gruden said Friday on WTEM-AM, via The Washington Post. "I feel good about it. But you never know. As a football coach, I've learned -- my dad was a football coach, obviously my brother was a football coach -- you know that anything can happen. If an owner feels like he needs to make a change, he'll make a change. There's nothing you can do about it."
In his first season, the former Bengals offensive coordinator has gone 4-11 after the upset win over the Eagles on Saturday. While the victory against the NFC East division power could go a long way toward easing Daniel Snyder's mind heading into 2015, it's difficult to throw Gruden under the bus for all the difficulties in Washington this year.
Gruden has been frank and honest when it comes to his quarterback situation, one that has seen three different starters in 2014. Robert Griffin III continues to regress, which doesn't exactly bode well for the first-year head coach, though it's unclear how much of a fit he ever was in Gruden's system.
"I feel good about my chances of coming back next year," Gruden added. "I feel good about some of the core group of guys we have here and building a football team, and I think we can get this thing turned around a lot sooner than later if given the opportunity."
Looking ahead, it might be wise for Snyder to strive for some continuity in Washington. While Dallas and Philadelphia ran away with the division this year, they do not look like sustainable powers. Dallas has an aging quarterback, and Philadelphia needs to build their defensive secondary while also figuring out their quarterback situation.
If Gruden is as close as he claims, next year could be a good one in Washington.
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