Bruce Allen Spoke At The Senior Bowl, And It Did Little To Help His Cause

Redskins media and fans finally had their their request granted to hear from team president Bruce Allen nearly one month after the final game of the season. It was a lengthy interview; however, the answers given by Bruce Allen left a lot to be desired. A summary of Allen’s responses at the Senior Bowl paints a picture of what the front office is feeling about the state of Washington. Obvious, optimistic, indistinct, and lastly misleading.

Obvious: Bruce Allen made clear that there is a possibility that Alex Smith can come back in 2019 and contribute to the Washington Redskins. The Redskins also likes quarterback Colt McCoy, and they believe that he will be ready before the off-season programs. Bruce Allen also stated that the 2018 season was a roller coaster (for obvious reasons now) and Washington needs to find better players. When asked about the #FireBruceAllen movement, Allen stated that the fans want to win.

Optimistic: The Redskins are very optimistic that Alex Smith can return from injury and contribute to the team. Jay Gruden will have the opportunity to build his staff (which he is currently doing at Redskins Park) and hopefully have a healthy team for 2019. Lastly, the Redskins goal is to “build the best sports stadium in the world and “we believe that is going to happen.”

Indistinct: Allen did not state that the Redskins were looking for another quarterback, although they met with a few quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl already. Allen also stated that Greg Manusky was in the meetings with new potential defensive coordinators; however, it was more of a meeting of the minds in his view in an attempt to “find a winning combination of 2019.” Allen stated that in 2019 the fans would see a significant change in as a result of the new business executives to replace Brian Lafemina and his team who were shown the door less than one year into their tenure with Washington.

Misleading: 7-9. Allen mentioned the record of 7-9 multiple times throughout his interview to remind the public essentially that “it is not as bad as you think, we are almost there!” Allen insists that the Redskins were close, only being two games out of “it,” Washington was a middle of the pack team over the past couple of years and need the talent to get over the hump. Allen also believes that the team had great promise that were hamstrung by late-season injuries. Lastly, he stated that he was the right person for his job because he is as passionate as the fanbase is; however, nothing to note regarding on the field success statistics during his tenure.

For just over 500 days people have waited to speak to the Redskins brass and were granted the opportunity to speak with Bruce Allen for a lengthy amount of time. He exited the press conference leaving many stakeholders just as agitated as they were before him speaking. Allen did not come off as transparent or honest in any sense regarding the current reality of the team’s circumstances. The questions asked were tough and fair, no doubt about it; however, Allen gave responses that were short and once again, left a lot to be desired.

He plans to speak again around the time of the combine, but lower your expectations if you are expecting a great interview from a savvy media man such as Allen.