10 Days of Bruce-Mas! - No. 2 "The Culture is Actually Damn Good."

Only you, Bruce. Only you! Only Bruce Allen who helped to usher the Raiders, Buccaneers and Redskins into an era of absurd dysfunction, dark days and losing on top of losing - could think that the "culture is actually damn good!" I wonder what the rest of the NFL would say about that.

© Brad Mills | 2019 Dec 15

Tuesday is the ten-year anniversary of the hiring of Bruce Allen. He's made it this far, despite embarrassing moments at every turn and a constant humiliating dumpster fire of bad decisions, turmoil and chaos.

Here's our countdown of the top-ten moments of absurd management under Allen over the last ten years. 

No. 10: The $36 million dollar salary cap penalty in 2012 and 2013.

No. 9: McNabb-Mania was running wild! Until it wasn't!

No. 8: The Shanahan Era - Firing multiple successful head coaches on same day!

No. 7: The RG III Experience - Trading for & completely empowering Robert Griffin III.

No. 6: A KURT-Alert! - Completely mis-managing the best quarterback the Redskins have had.

No. 5: Toying with Trent: The Trent Williams debacle that has no end in sight.

No. 4: Hiring/Firing of Scot McCloughan & stabbing him in the back. 

No. 3: Winning off the Field! 

We're almost there! What could be No. 1? First - we answer No. 2 and the good news for Allen is it just happened! Bryan Manning explains: 

The Washington Redskins fired head coach Jay Gruden on October 7, 2019. Gruden, miraculously, was in his sixth season as coach of the Redskins under the stewardship of owner Daniel Snyder and team president Bruce Allen. With a record of 35-49-1, it was time for a change. We could argue the change should’ve happened at the conclusion of the 2018 season, but it was clearly the right move.

Gruden did a good job at times, but struggled more often than not. He did an outstanding job of navigating the tricky political waters in Ashburn. Making the playoffs just one time in almost six seasons is unacceptable anywhere. Clearly, Gruden was ready to go, too.

In response to Gruden being fired, that meant it was time for Allen to not only face the local media, but also take questions. The last time Allen actually faced the full local press at Redskins Park and answered questions was the infamous “Winning Off the Field” presser at the end of 2014.

Now, it’s important to remember Allen has spoken to the media during that span. Whether it be a hastily assembled group at the Combine, calling into his buddy Pat Kirwan’s show on SiriusXM NFL Radio or reading a press release without taking questions, Allen has spoken with the media.

You get the point. Bruce doesn’t like answering questions about his ineptitude as the lead dog in Washington’s crumbling organization. Allen’s favorite type of media contact is anonymous leaks aimed at destroying an ex-Redskin on the way out. See our own Chris Russell’s story on Scot McCloughan’s dismissal.

Back to Gruden’s departure. After firing Gruden, Washington’s fan base demanded to hear from Bruce. Not because they felt he would assuage their concerns, but because they wanted and demanded the local media make him answer questions on some of his stunningly horrific decisions—and his record—over the years.

Fans—and the local media—got their wish as Allen spoke to the assembled press corps to discuss the state of the organization and Gruden’s tenure.

As usual, it was another embarrassment for Allen and the once-proud Redskins. When pressed on the culture of the organization despite all the losing, empty seats, opposing fans taking over FedEx Field, etc., Allen actually responded that “the culture is actually damn good.”

Yes, he said that.

Allen would go on to explain what he meant by the culture being “damn good.” He insisted people in the building cared and worked hard. Sure, Bruce, people work hard in all 32 buildings across the NFL, but if you do not win consistently, they fire you and replace you with someone else.

What Allen failed to understand is the Redskins have a losing culture. They’ve had a losing culture for 20 years and that’s only gotten worse over his decade of power. People can still work hard, and they do. But that doesn’t mean your culture is good. Aside from the win/loss record, there’s the persistent unhappiness of those who work at Redskins Park. People afraid to speak out, people afraid to make mistakes for fear of repercussions. Redskins Park just isn’t a fun place to be.

Allen’s unbelievable lack of self-awareness continued when he told reporters they should “check Doug Williams’ time card” as proof of how hard he works and how good the culture is. He would go on to speak about how the pieces were in place for the Redskins to be a winner.

They are currently 3-11 and are facing the Giants next week in what could be a bloodbath for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Allen’s comment proved to be meme-worthy and inspired numerous t-shirt designs for fans wanting some type of Redskins’ merchandise as ridiculous as that may sound. In fact, Allen has proven successful in having others use his ineptitude to sell merchandise.

Merry Christmas, Bruce!

Bryan Manning has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. Bryan has covered the Washington Redskins for different outlets and currently co-hosts a podcast on the Virginia Tech Hokies for SB Nation. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.