TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen after the team collapsed following a 9-3 start and failed to make the playoffs.
Gruden, who helped lead the Buccaneers to a victory over the Oakland Raiders in the 2003 Super Bowl, was Tampa Bay's coach for seven years before being dismissed Friday. Allen was general manager for the last five seasons.
A source close to Gruden said the coach was "blindsided" but the move, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported.
The Buccaneers were tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December, but finished with losses to Carolina and Atlanta on the road and San Diego and Oakland at home, where they had been 6-0. One more win would have landed a NFC wild-card berth.
The 9-7 record this season left Tampa out of the playoffs for the fourth time in six years.
"We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise," Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. "However after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward."
Gruden had been the head coach of the Buccaneers for seven seasons, coming from the Oakland Raiders. His overall record with Tampa Bay is 57-55, but 22-26 over the past three
seasons.
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