Redskins find ‘a perfect fit’

In Florida late last week to broadcast the New York Jets-Tampa Bay game, CBS Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon played golf with one of his old coaches, Jon Gruden, and ex-Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks. Also part of the foursome was Gannon’s friend and former boss with the Oakland Raiders, Bruce Allen.

During the round, Gannon “hinted at the Washington situation,” meaning the Redskins’ tough season and the likelihood of big changes on the way. Allen, he said, refused to take the bait.

“I never played cards with Bruce,” Gannon said. “But my sense is he’d be a great poker player. I sensed he’d be very busy in the month of January.”

Gannon was talking about Allen working for some NFL team, not necessarily the Redskins. Allen, it turns out, is very busy as of Thursday morning. Only a few hours after the Redskins announced Vinny Cerrato’s apparently forced resignation as executive vice president of football operations, Allen was publicly named the club’s first general manager in a decade.

This was good news to Gannon.

“All my years in football, 17 seasons, there are only a couple of people I got close with and really trusted and learned a lot from, and Bruce is one of them,” he said.

Gannon played in Oakland from 1999 to 2004. Allen was there, too, working for principal owner Al Davis, who has wielded absolute power over the club for most of its 50-year existence. Eventually promoted to “senior executive,” Allen was named NFL executive of the year in 2002, when Gannon led the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII (and a decisive loss to Gruden, the ex-Raiders coach, and the Bucs).

“I think what impressed me most about my time in Oakland was that [Allen] was not gonna back down to anybody,” Gannon said.

Notably, that includes the prickly, autocratic Davis. Gannon said that might help Allen deal with Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who also likes to get involved.

“I think it’s a perfect fit for Washington,” Gannon said. “There’s probably not another general manager like Bruce who has the experience of dealing with a hands-on, involved owner. …

“The best thing about [Allen] was his ability to say no to Al Davis. A lot of people weren’t capable of that.”

Said former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick: “It was not easy to work in that environment. Forget executive of the year. [Allen] ought to get sainthood.”

Gannon, who believes Gruden will remain with ESPN and not coach next year, added: “I think the owner had a lot of confidence in Bruce and a certain comfort level with him. He probably gave him more freedom and flexibility than other general managers.”

Billick, a Fox and NFL Network analyst, said Allen is “well-regarded” in the league. But he also said the decline of the Buccaneers might not reflect well on Allen, who left Oakland to join Gruden with the Bucs in 2004. Both were fired after the 2008 season.

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