Kellermann-Strauss Forum » , where he worked at various times with A

ASHBURN, Va. -- The face was different, the words familiar. Like Mike Shanahan and nearly every recent Washington Redskins coach, Jay Gruden is anxious to declare an end to franchises days of dysfunction. "I dont know what happened last year," Gruden said. "I know that interviewing with Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen and everybody here that the passion for excellence is there. All they want to do is win, and theyre going to provide me with every avenue to win." Gruden was introduced Thursday as the man charged with ending the perpetual state of turmoil the team has endured under owner Snyder and recently under general manager Allen. Gruden was a given a five-year contact for his first NFL head coaching gig, taking over a 3-13 team that has finished last in the NFC East in five of the last six seasons. "We HAVE to get it right," said Allen, who led the search and interviewed six candidates. "We need to get the franchise back on track in a winning direction. ... We were looking for a new leader, somebody who can inspire our football team. We knew it was more than just X and Os, it was about finding the right person to build a team chemistry that we needed." Gruden is Snyders eighth coach in 16 seasons as an NFL owner. Unlike Shanahan, who was fired last week, Gruden will not have final say over all football matters. Hell report to Allen, who has taken charge of assembling the roster and other personnel decisions. Snyder attended the news conference but did not speak to reporters. The 46-year-old Gruden has spent the last three seasons as the offensive co-ordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, where his skill in helping to develop Andy Dalton will no doubt be of use when he takes on the task of grooming another young franchise quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Gruden praised the talents of Griffin and spoke of the need to build a "genuine" trust with the quarterback, who regressed this season after winning the APs Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2012. Griffin returned from major knee surgery to start 13 games, but he publicly disagreed with some of Shanahans decisions, struggled as a drop-back passer and was benched for the final three weeks. Asked to confirm that Griffin will be the starter, Gruden chuckled and said: "I dont see him as a backup." "I see every trait that a quarterback has to have to be successful, I see Robert having all of those," Gruden said. "So why wouldnt you want to coach a guy like that? ... Im going to let him know that Im a trustworthy guy. Hes also got to understand that I expect a lot from the starting quarterback. I expect him to come in and prepare and work hard, and I expect him to take the blame on some throws. I expect him to be a great leader." Griffin limited his comments to a quick post on his Facebook page: "Excited about the hiring of Coach Jay Gruden. Cant wait to get to work with him & the guys!" Gruden said he will call the plays himself and that he has yet to decide which members of Shanahans staff to retain. It seems a safe bet, however, that some combination of defensive co-ordinator Jim Haslett, defensive backs coach Raheem Morris and tight ends coach Sean McVay has a good chance of sticking around, based on the trios previous relationship with the new coach. Gruden also said hes a fan of the 3-4 defence that Haslett has used the last four years. "I know theres a lot of coaches here who can coach," Gruden said. Gruden has been largely overshadowed by his more famous brother, Jon Gruden, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is now an analyst on "Monday Night Football." But Jay Gruden has been a name on the rise based on his success with Dalton and the Bengals offence. Jay Gruden interviewed for multiple head coaching openings last year and had drawn interest from at least three other teams seeking to fill a head coaching vacancy this year. He interviewed with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday. The Redskins had to wait until the Bengals played their first-round playoff game before Gruden could be courted. It took a bad day from Gruden and Dalton -- scoring only 10 points in a home loss to the San Diego Chargers -- to make Gruden free to be hired this week. "I told him it worked out well that Cincinnati lost," Allen said. "He still doesnt understand that." Gruden said his ties within the Washington organization played a "big role" in his decision. He was an assistant coach with Tampa Bay from 2002-08, where he worked at various times with Allen, Morris and McVay. Gruden also coached under Haslett with the UFLs Florida Tuskers in 2009. Theres no question Gruden has paid his dues. He was a quarterback in the long-defunct World League of American Football, then went to the Arena Football League and began a playing and coaching career that was so successful it landed him in the AFL Hall of Fame in 1999. Hes been a head coach both the AFL and UFL, including two stints with the AFLs Orlando Predators. In 2010, after Haslett left for the Redskins, Gruden was head coach and general manager of the Tuskers and led them to the UFL championship game. "Theres a lot of work to do," Gruden said. "When youre 3-13, theres not one particular player or reason, theres a lot of reasons and theres a lot of things that need to be fixed." Ichiro Suzuki Jersey . Balotelli was out at dinner with his brother Enoch and came home to discover he had been burgled. The car was later found abandoned. Balotelli wrote Saturday on Twitter: "I feel empty! No emotions . Edgar Martinez Jersey . Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Kole Calhoun all homered to help the Los Angeles Angels get their first win of the season with an 11-1 rout of the Houston Astros. http://www.cheapmarinersjerseys.com/?tag...-heredia-jersey. -- Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh says he isnt going to change what he does on the field. Ken Griffey Jersey . The Detroit Tigers slugger fell short in his bid to become the first player to win the Triple Crown in successive seasons. Randy Johnson Jersey . Smith, who raised eyebrows at the CFL combine in March with his ability on both sides of the ball, confirmed in a statement he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol prior to auditioning for league officials.ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Curtis Dickson scored five goals and assisted on two more as the Calgary Roughnecks edged the Minnesota Swarm 15-13 in National Lacrosse League action on Saturday. Dane Dobbie had four goals and two assists, Daryl Veltman had two goals and five assists, Karsen Leung scored twice, and Dan MacRae and Jeff Shattler scored singles for Calgary (3-3). For Minnesota (1-5), Jordan MacIntosh was the top scorer with three goals and three assists. Shayne Jackson scored three and assisted on two, Callum Crawford had a goal and three assists, Alex Crepinsek, Logan Schuss, Cam Flint, and Kiel Matisz had a goal and an assist apiece, and Mike Hobbins and Andrew Suitor rounded out the Swarm offence with single goals.dddddddddddd. Calgary goalie Mike Poulin took the win with 33 saves on 46 shots. He played 59:57, while Frankie Scigliano was in net for a total of three seconds. Minnesotas Tyler Carlson gave up 12 goals on 40 shots to pick up the loss. Zach Higgins allowed three goals on three shots. ' ' '