Jon Gruden getting rid of Reggie McKenzie is no surprise, but now what?

Jon Gruden’s most enduring quality as a general manager has been his impatience, and with a 2-10 team, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
 
But Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com broke the soon-to-be-not-news that Gruden has already made up his mind on overturning the Oakland Raiders’ front office as he has overturned the roster, and yes, that starts with titular general manager Reggie McKenzie.
 
This would not be a surprise, as everything Gruden has done since taking the job as the franchise’s capo di tutti capo has been aimed at jump-starting the teardown and rebuild he decided upon shortly after taking the job 11 months ago. Nor is it a surprise that his intentions would leak as the hints have been everywhere for everyone to see.
 
And this is not to take up for McKenzie. He was hired by Mark Davis, and Davis hired Gruden after that, which means that Gruden outranks McKenzie in Davis’ head and heart. In other words, McKenzie knew the job was dangerous when Gruden took it.
 
What isn’t said in the report, though, is how Gruden views his own role. I mean, he’ll say the last word on all football matters, but does he intend on still having the first, second, and third say as well? Does he see the need to parcel out spheres of influence for the new set of underlings, or would he prefer a right hand off whom he can bounce ideas and listen to ideas in response?

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Logically, the second path would make more sense because the coach/general manager dynamic is being discarded in most other places in the NFL (Bill Belichick being the exception). Gruden has enough on his plate as a coach, and much of the detritus of the general manager’s job gets in the way of his other job.
 
But Gruden has shown a distinct reluctance to delegate in any area, and the Raiders are not just undertaking a rebuild at player level. Indeed, this is the second comprehensive top-to-bottom housecleaning the team has undertaken since Al Davis died in 2011, which means that the old way of doing business was rejected in 2012, and the new way of business is being similarly ashcanned six years later.
 
Worse, the Raiders have replaced the ossification of the post-Super Bowl era which constant roil and churn that has advanced the franchise in only one way – to another location.
 
Gruden has done what we expected him to do – use his power to begin the cleanout of the McKenzie regime. It is the logical result of going 38-70 in a business where even going 70-38 has its detractors. However, what comes next is what matters more, and if Gruden thinks there is wisdom in being the center of all power, there will be another total rebuild in five more years. He has to learn the hardest lesson owners face – to hire wisely and then let those hires work.
 
Gruden doesn’t seem the sort to let that occur, though. He’s mastered the teardown because that’s the easy part. The actual rebuild is much more difficult, as he is about to learn.