Jay Gruden calls early-August depth charts “silly”

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With Week One of the preseason approaching, it’s time for teams to publish their unofficial depth charts. Which also means it’s time for coaches to complain about publishing their unofficial depth charts.

“Yeah, it’s early and I was forced to make it,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said regarding his team’s first depth chart, which lists Colt McCoy as the first-string quarterback. “I wouldn’t have made a depth chart right now; there’s no reason to, it’s silly. That’s for the media and for me to come up and answer these questions, but really that’s all it is. It’s words on a piece of paper, names on a piece of paper and an order that means nothing at this point.”

Well, it means something at this poin. Unless the depth chart is randomly generated, it’s a snapshot of how the coach views his roster as the first exhibition game looms.

At least Gruden admits that he made the depth chart. Plenty of teams simply delegate the task to the P.R. department, allowing the coach to sneer at the configuration of players as the product of people who don’t really know what’s going on.

Far less meaningless will be the manner in which Gruden uses his quarterbacks during the preseason, from when guys play to how long they play to whether they even play, much will be revealed over the next few weeks as to the manner in which Gruden regards the men who play the most important position on the roster.