Owner Dan Snyder and President Bruce Allen summoned coach Jay Gruden to the Washington Redskins' facility before dawn Monday to tell him he was being fired.
"It was a brief conversation," Allen said.
Now comes a longer conversation about the status of the floundering franchise that has won just two playoff games in Snyder's two decades of ownership and zero during Allen's tenure. Gruden is out after an 0-5 start to his sixth season and is the latest in a long line of Redskins coaches to take the fall for significant organizational shortcomings.
"To make a decision like this is difficult, but it was necessary," Allen said during a 13-minute news conference. "Our 0-5 start is not just disappointing. We had much different expectations for the beginning of the season. We owe it to our fans, ... the organization, the players, the coaches and their families to do everything we can to win."
The Redskins went 35-49-1 under Gruden with one playoff appearance in the 2015 season.
None of the six coaches hired since Snyder bought the team has a winning record. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan becomes the seventh after he was selected to replace Gruden on an interim basis.
"This is different territory for me," Callahan said. "It's bittersweet in a lot of ways. I had to replace a veteran coach in Jay and then to be asked to lead a program now in Week 6, it's uncharted waters for me."
Etc.
• Bears coach Matt Nagy said he hopes quarterback Mitch Trubisky will return after their bye for the Oct. 20 game vs. the Saints at Soldier Field. Nagy did not offer an update on defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who left the game because of a left elbow injury early in the first quarter and did not return.
