| 03 February 2011
In a move that no one saw coming, the Cincinnati Bengals have hired Jay Gruden as their new offensive coordinator.
ProFootballTalk.com broke the story late Wednesday evening and confirmed the news Thursday morning.
Gruden is the younger brother of former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, who currently serves as a Monday Night Football analyst for ESPN.
Jay Gruden, 43, was the head coach of the UFL’s Florida Tuskers from 2009-10. He was set to be the head coach of the UFL’s Virginia Destroyers in 2011, but needless to say he found a better gig.
Gruden served as an offensive assistant coach under his brother with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002-08. He also was a head coach in the Arena League with the Orlando Predators.
Gruden was a standout collegiate quarterback at Louisville (1985-88) and played eight seasons of professional football in the Arena League.
I like this hire for the Bengals very much. Gruden is obviously unproven as an NFL coach, but this is a risk worth taking.
He appears to have a bright offensive mind – and can always tap his brother’s brain for advice. I also like that Jay Gruden was a successful player, which I knew nothing about until researching him after learning about this hire. He’s actually one of the most-successful Arena League quarterbacks ever, leading his teams to four AFL championships.
I have to think Carson Palmer will like this move. I can’t imagine someone named “Gruden” bringing anything less than an innovative, attacking offensive scheme. Head coach Marvin Lewis is determined to build a strong running game, so that will be a staple of the offense. But I also look for more creativity in the passing game, which was sorely missing under the leadership of former offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.
What an interesting offseason it’s been for the Bengals thus far and it should only get more intriguing from here.
Bottom line? The Bengals just traded Bratkowski for Jay Gruden. That should make all of us happy. There’s no guarantee it will work out, but it’s a roll of the dice I’m glad Mike Brown made. (Wait, did I just compliment Mike Brown? I apologize. It won’t happen again.)
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