***Official*** 2009 Washington Redskins Thread (2 Viewers)

[T Bell]

Meet the new nobody.Same as the old nobody.

I really can't imagine Zorn being back.

Given what the team has done to undercut him and the subsequent improvement on the field which Snyderatto no doubt attribute to their hiring of Sherm Smith, how could he be brought back?

 

[TankRizzo]

Meet the new nobody.Same as the old nobody.

I really can't imagine Zorn being back.

Given what the team has done to undercut him and the subsequent improvement on the field which Snyderatto no doubt attribute to their hiring of Sherm Smith, how could he be brought back?

sorry, I thought by new nobody being the same as the old nobody that you meant Zorn would be back.

 

[T Bell]

Meet the new nobody.Same as the old nobody.

I really can't imagine Zorn being back.

Given what the team has done to undercut him and the subsequent improvement on the field which Snyderatto no doubt attribute to their hiring of Sherm Smith, how could he be brought back?

sorry, I thought by new nobody being the same as the old nobody that you meant Zorn would be back.

Nope. I was paraphrasing The Who song.

 

[dgreen]

The team is a disaster, but at least we have John Keim:

Film review: Brian Orakpo

By: John Keim

Examiner Staff Writer

12/15/09 4:28 PM EST

A detailed look at how Brian Orakpo recorded four sacks – and how each one said something different about him as well as the scheme. It also shows just how much others help Orakpo get there; sometimes by the design of the play and other times by heads-up play.

1. Second and 10, midfield, first quarter. Orakpo lines up as the strongside linebacker on the left, playing outside the shoulder of tight end Zach Miller. The Raiders line up in I-formation with two receivers split wide on either side. The Redskins line up in an under formation, with three d-linemen from the center to the left tackle. Left end Phillip Daniels is over the right guard. This leaves a gap for Orakpo to exploit. Safety LaRon Landry lines up a few yards off the right tackle. At the snap, the right tackle must be wary of Landry blitzing. So he ignores Orakpo, who stones Miller and snaps his head back with an initial punch. By the time he’s done, Miller is almost bent over at the waist trying to block him. He has no chance.

Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski fakes a handoff and the fullback runs to the left where the congestion should be. Running back Justin Fargas starts to the right and appears headed toward Landry. At the last minute, Landry backs off and turns his attention to Miller, who is lying on the ground. Fargas then goes at Orakpo. No contest. Orakpo simply runs through him. Meanwhile, Gradkowski, who took a seven-step drop, slides two steps to the right because of traffic on the other side. That leads him right to Orakpo for a sack. The coverage by the corners also made a difference. Orakpo needed three seconds to record the sack.

2. First and 10, Redskins’ 28-yard line; third quarter. The Redskins line up in a 4-3 over, shading the line to the tight end, lined up two-yards from the right tackle . Kedric Golston is over the center. Orakpo is shaded just off the outside shoulder of the left tackle. JaMarcus Russell is in shotgun formation with a running back to his right. On the snap, Orakpo heads upfield about five steps.

At the same time, Golston makes this play work for him. He hits the outside shoulder of the center, who is beaten off the snap. The left guard, assigned to no one, has to help out on Golston. The center is turned sideways, away from the middle. This allows Orakpo to head inside and around the center, through the middle, for a sack. His footwork is very economical; he hits a straight line as he cuts to the middle. Having no wasted movement helps get him there faster. Credit the coverage, too. It took Orakpo four seconds to reach Russell as the Redskins dropped seven into coverage. Russell took three steps after catching the snap and moved to his right as Orakpo approached.

3. Second and 26 from the Redskins’ 44; third quarter. Orakpo is lined up as a right end, just off the outside shoulder of the left tackle. Russell is in shotgun formation with a running back to his left. The Redskins have no one lined up over the left guard. Linebacker London Fletcher is aligned a few yards back however and off the left guard. On the snap, Orakpo starts upfield not showing his usual burst. The running back, Justin Fargas, comes up to help in case Orakpo comes inside. Fargas then commits to Fletcher who starts through this gap then stops. Orakpo then shows his burst around the edge. The tackle, Mario Henderson, does not get his hands on him until he’s about seven yards deep. And by this time, Orakpo’s shoulders are turned toward Russell. By the time you count to three seconds, his hands are already hitting Russell. Sack.

4. First and 10, Raiders’ 20-yard line. Once again, the Redskins shift to a 4-3 over, with the tight end on the right side. Five Redskins are aligned from the center to the right tackle. Orakpo is aligned a couple yards to the outside of the left tackle. There’s a big gap in between. Russell is under center, with one back behind him. One receiver is wide left, another is in the slot left and a third is wide right.

Orakpo got help, again, from his teammates. This time it was tackle Lorenzo Alexander. As he rushed, he read a screen as the back tried to slide out to the right. But the back fell to the ground; it appeared he might have gotten tangled up with Alexander. Regardless, Alexander was in the way and prevented Russell from making the pass. Had he not been there, it would have been a big gainer. Russell had to back up an extra yard or two because of this and that gave Orakpo time to beat Mario Henderson off the edge. Orakpo simply used a speed rush to get around him. Henderson was upright and tried to lunge at him, but Orakpo’s shoulders had by then turned toward the quarterback. Because Russell had to take a deeper drop, Orakpo’s wide rush put him in perfect position for the sack/fumble.

 

[fatness]

NFC Defensive Player of the Week: Brian Orakpo

 

[dgreen]

Thomas: Punt returns won't be distractionDevin Thomas is eager to increase his workload.Coach Jim Zorn said the team plans to include Thomas in the punt-return rotation for Monday night's game against the New York Giants, which is cool with Thomas. He has worked hard to become the team's starting flanker and No. 1 kickoff returner, and returning a punt or two would not be too taxing for him."Honestly, the special teams part of things, as far as kick return and punt return, that stuff is almost like primal," he said. "You don't really have to do a lot. There's not a lot of studying you have to do as far as that job."It's just catching the ball and going. You have to catch the ball, obviously. That's the most important thing. You just catch the ball and know which way you have to go. Offense, I have to still stay on top of that. Returning punts won't distract me at all."

I like to hear this from Thomas. I've never bought into the "Coaches don't want to take away from his other duties" reason for why some guys don't return kicks or punts. I've never really understood how it could possibly have a big impact.

 

[dgreen]

ARE on his "demotion":

Randle El accepts role but doesn't doubt abilityAlthough Antwaan Randle El still is part of Washington's punt-return rotation, the coaches plan to make "some adjustments," Coach Jim Zorn said the other day.For the first time this season, Devin Thomas is expected to be involved on punt returns Monday night against the New York Giants at FedEx Field. Change-of-pace-returner Santana Moss will continue to be involved and DeAngelo Hall, sidelined the last three games because of a knee injury, also might rejoin the group.Randle El is not pleased about his reduced role, but he accepts it."I don't doubt my ability one bit," Randle El said. "It's just what it is right now. I can't even go into more detail than what it is. I'm not going to get weary about it. I'm just going to keep pushing forward. It is what it is."Randle El had a shaky performance in the 34-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders. On a fair catch, he misplayed one ball that rolled a long way and resulted in poor field position for the Redskins. The Raiders also recovered the ball on Randle El's muff in the fourth quarter.Randle El is averaging only 3.9 yards per punt, which is not among the top 24 return averages in the league. His 18 fair catches would be the highest total in the league if Randle El had returned enough punts to qualify among the league's leaders.Randle El acknowledged he has not been productive "but it's not just that I'm just catching the ball and having a lot of space to do anything. When I have some room, then I can get something done. But that just hasn't happened this year as often as I would like."It is a collective thing on punt returns. It's not just one guy, you know, just catching the ball and outrunning guys to the left of the right. That's the way it's looked at ... but that's not the way it is."

I just have no idea what's going on. He's acting like he actually wants to do PRs? Seriously? I'm not sure what " I can't even go into more detail than what it is" means. He said, "When I have some room, then I can get something done." Um, yeah, just like pretty much every other guy in this league. You're supposed to make something happen every once in a while when you don't have room. And, of course, there was this: "but it's not just that I'm just catching the ball and having a lot of space to do anything." Yeah, we know. You aren't even catching the ball.Also, is it just me or does "change-of-pace-returner" make no sense? I mean, on returns, you're pretty much looking for one pace: fast.

 

[fatness]

Randle El acknowledged he has not been productive "but it's not just that I'm just catching the ball and having a lot of space to do anything. When I have some room, then I can get something done. But that just hasn't happened this year as often as I would like.

He'd be better off manning up, saying he hadn't been doing a good enough job, and that it made sense to let someone else do it.

 

[T Bell]

Randle El acknowledged he has not been productive "but it's not just that I'm just catching the ball and having a lot of space to do anything. When I have some room, then I can get something done. But that just hasn't happened this year as often as I would like.

He'd be better off manning up, saying he hadn't been doing a good enough job, and that it made sense to let someone else do it.

Blaming his teammates is

 

[dgreen]

In addition to his four sacks against the Raiders, Orakpo was credited with six tackles, three tackles for a loss and a forced fumble.

I don't get how he has 4 sacks, 6 tackles (5-1), and 3 tackles for a loss. How does that all add up? I believe you get a tackle for each sack, so that just leaves two tackles that could have been for a loss. And, it can't be that sacks also count as a tackle for a loss or he'd have four. Of course, it's possible Jason Reid has it wrong that he had 3 tackles for a loss. Anyone know a site that would have that?Anyway, here's the pretty cool part:

His four sacks produced 44 yards in losses - the highest single-game total by one player since the statistic began being tracked in 1994.

It's always seemed to me that a lot of the Skins sacks came fairly close the LOS. Right now, they are 21st in the NFL in yds/sack. If you remove Orakpo's 4 sacks for 44 yards from yesterday, they'd drop to 32nd. Yeah, I know, they count. And other teams have some that I'm not removing. I'm just pointing out that I don't think their sacks tend to come deep in the backfield. A lot of times, it seems the Redskins get a sack and it's now 2nd and 13 because it was only a 3 yard loss.

 

[dgreen]

Just a couple stats I was looking at.

The Redskins have forced 21 fumbles (6th) but have only recovered 6 (26th). They've turned those 6 fumble recoveries into 7 yards, which all came on one DeAngelo Hall FR in Dallas. I haven't looked into how that compares to other teams, but it's probably not good.

The Redskins, Browns, Raiders, Jaguars, and Chiefs are the only teams to not have an INT or FR for a TD (thanks, Andre Carter). The Browns and Chiefs have KR/PR TDs, leaving the Redskins, Raiders, and Jaguars as the only teams without a non-offensive TD.

 

[dgreen]

Through 13 games, the Redskins have 89 punt return yards. Is this the week we break 100?

 

[T Bell]

Through 13 games, the Redskins have 89 punt return yards. Is this the week we break 100?

That can't be right, can it? Do you have a link?EDIT: Unreal. :(

 

[Bizkiteer]

Meet the new nobody.Same as the old nobody.

I really can't imagine Zorn being back.

Given what the team has done to undercut him and the subsequent improvement on the field which Snyderatto no doubt attribute to their hiring of Sherm Smith, how could he be brought back?

Uhhh....this is the Redskins, so anything is possible. Wouldn't surprise me if everyone thought the current system would work again next year now that they are moving the ball.

 

[Marvelous]

Through 13 games, the Redskins have 89 punt return yards. Is this the week we break 100?

That can't be right, can it? Do you have a link?EDIT: Unreal.

The punt return statistics are incredible.They are also tied for 2nd with 5 teams with 5 fumbles.

They are tied for first with 3 teams with 21 fair catched.

Dead last by a lot in punt return yards and average.

 

[Marvelous]

Holmgren's probably going to the Browns.

That's one down. Schottenheimer was blasting the Skins recently so I figure he's out. I don't see any way Cowher would come here with the existing ####ed-up management style. Dungy doesn't seem interested in unretiring (man oh man would I love to see Dungy coach the Redskins, he reminds me of Gibbs when Gibbs was good).

Looks like we're down to:

Shanahan and Vinnie

or

Some nobody and Vinnie

I posted earlier one advantage of firing the GM immediately is that Snyder could start talking to potential GMs right away. Also, if Vinnie saves his job, I could see Zorn coming back. Zorn has be a model of a puppet head coach.

 

[jbz]

gee ARE and you wonder why you aren't returning punts this week. You suck. DeSean Jackson gains more in 1 return then you have in 2 years.

 

[BuckeyeArt]

ESPN is reporting that Cerrato has stepped down.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

ESPN is reporting that Cerrato has stepped down.

How high was the ledge? This is important.

 

[fatness]

ESPN is reporting that Cerrato has stepped down.

ESPN980 locally reported it about 20 minutes ago. He's no longer part of the Redskin organization.Furhter information is sketchy. He and Zorn had been at odds. Cerrato's contract was due to expire February 1, and to have him aboard during a head coach search in January which would then be followed by a GM search in February would have been ### backwards. Personally I think the timing of the Cleveland-Holmgren situation is why this happened now.Thank you god.

 

[fatness]

ESPN980 if you want to listen.

Cars were pulling off I-70 this morning, honking horns, giving high fives.

 

[pablito]

ESPN is reporting that Cerrato has stepped down.

ESPN980 locally reported it about 20 minutes ago. He's no longer part of the Redskin organization.Furhter information is sketchy. He and Zorn had been at odds. Cerrato's contract was due to expire February 1, and to have him aboard during a head coach search in January which would then be followed by a GM search in February would have been ### backwards. Personally I think the timing of the Cleveland-Holmgren situation is why this happened now.Thank you god.

Cue the Heavenly Hosts with harps singing "Halleluiah"!

 

[Sylira21]

YES YES YES YES!!!

There is a god!!!!

 

[TobiasFunke]

I knew I hated Vinny. But I really didn't fully understand the depth of my hatred until this news broke. This is my single happiest moment as a Redskins fan since the last playoff win.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

ESPN980 if you want to listen.

Cars were pulling off I-70 this morning, honking horns, giving high fives.

 

[BuckeyeArt]

ESPN980 if you want to listen.

Cars were pulling off I-70 this morning, honking horns, giving high fives.

That's funny. I've been following this thread all year and I imagine him resigning was on most of your Christmas lists. It's always fun to open one present early.

 

[fatness]

ESPN980 if you want to listen.

Cars were pulling off I-70 this morning, honking horns, giving high fives.

 

[fatness]

I am so ####### happy!!!

I can root for my team again without shame.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

I am so ####### happy!!!I can root for my team again without shame.

The truth is that this doesn't fix anything more than one branch of the problem. The trunk and roots are all there with Snyder, and this may just as easily be Snyder either ruthlessly having Vinny be the fall guy for the team's poor performance as a nod to fan discontent, or even Snyder's personal anger at Cerrato reportedly criticizing him.

 

[fatness]

I am so ####### happy!!!I can root for my team again without shame.

The truth is that this doesn't fix anything more than one branch of the problem. The trunk and roots are all there with Snyder, and this may just as easily be Snyder either ruthlessly having Vinny be the fall guy for the team's poor performance as a nod to fan discontent, or even Snyder's personal anger at Cerrato reportedly criticizing him.

I'll reserve judgment on that until I see what GM is hired, and what they do.

 

[TankRizzo]

I am so ####### happy!!!I can root for my team again without shame.

I know, holy crap, I can barely contain my excitement! This is the best Christmas present a fan could ask for!!!

 

[dgreen]

My wife ran out to the grocery store this morning before I left for work. She got back home about 7:45 and said in matter-of-fact voice, "Vinny Cerrato resigned." I, not ready to believe such wonderful news, simply replied, "Really?" She said, "Yep, just heard it on the radio." I said, "I gotta go," so I could listen to the radio and drove to work with a smile on a my face.

Don't screw this up, Danny!

 

[fatness]

Nicey Nicey

In a statement, Cerrato said he has had numerous conversations with team owner Daniel Snyder over the last few weeks regarding the next steps for the club.

“We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position,” said Cerrato. “I’m thankful to Dan Snyder and other members of his ownership team for the opportunities I’ve been given over the years.”

“Of course, I am disappointed with this year’s results, but I strongly believe that with outstanding draft picks and encouraging performance by our younger players, we have laid a strong foundation for the franchise.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches such as Joe Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman Lewis, great people on the Redskins staff, and, most especially, some of the best professional football players in the world. I wish them all the best,” Cerrato said. “I’ve also had the privilege of working for a franchise supported by the most loyal fans in the NFL.”

The team’s owner thanked Cerrato for the work he has accomplished.

“More importantly, he is my friend, and he has always been there for me and the Redskins,” Snyder said. “He’s the consummate optimist and has always made decisions based on what would be the best for the team.”

Translation: "I did some good stuff.""Thanks, get out. See you later for racketball."

 

[buster c]

and for the final time ever (I hope):

no matter who is hired, it will be an improvement

 

[Sidewinder16]

Ding, dong, the witch is dead!

I'm so happy I could cry. I think I can actually enjoy Christmas now and, I'm not dreading going to the Dallas game.

 

[dgreen]

I knew I hated Vinny. But I really didn't fully understand the depth of my hatred until this news broke. This is my single happiest moment as a Redskins fan since the last playoff win.

You know, I was totally ready to say, "Vinny, I really do wish you luck in the rest of your life and thanks for the good moves you did make." But, then I heard some of his quotes in the press release.

“Of course, I am disappointed with this year’s results, but I strongly believe that with outstanding draft picks and encouraging performance by our younger players, we have laid a strong foundation for the franchise.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches such as Joe Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman Lewis...

 

[fatness]

The news -- and the fact that it was first reported on ESPN 980, a radio station that is owned by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder -- is the strongest sign yet that Snyder plans to completely overhaul his football team this off-season and hire a big-name general manager who will have complete control over team personnel. Cerrato has been Snyder's right-hand man in the personnel department.

Fanhouse

 

[Maroney=Sped]

I knew I hated Vinny. But I really didn't fully understand the depth of my hatred until this news broke. This is my single happiest moment as a Redskins fan since the last playoff win.

You know, I was totally ready to say, "Vinny, I really do wish you luck in the rest of your life and thanks for the good moves you did make." But, then I heard some of his quotes in the press release.

“Of course, I am disappointed with this year’s results, but I strongly believe that with outstanding draft picks and encouraging performance by our younger players, we have laid a strong foundation for the franchise.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches such as Joe Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman Lewis...

Yeah, the last two quotes are very insightful as to him. Not at least tipping the proverbial cap to Zorn is very catty, and the other is just self-serving (even though I'm on record as liking the last two drafts).

 

[dgreen]

I'm not dreading going to the Dallas game.

It will be very interesting to see how the team plays Monday night against NY and what the crowd is like. That game and the Dallas game might actually resemble what a late season Monday night division game should be.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

 

[fatness]

Redskins chasing Bruce Allen

 

[nittanylion]

:understated:

 

[dgreen]

BTW, they were saying on 980 today that the Redskins are saying there will be more news today. 980 seems to think that means a GM will be announced. I'm not so sure, though. Mike Florio was on The Junkies and said the Rooney Rule had been expanded this summer to include upper level management jobs. (Of course, they could possibly get around it with the way they title these positions.) So, this could just be the start to a long process. Remember how fun The Process is?

Anyway, I think this is simply Snyder enabling himself to at least get in the Holmgren race. Cleveland was making progress, so that forced Snyder's hand to make the move now.

Chris Russell (106.7 reporter) said he heard recently that Shanny has linked himself with Ozzie Newsome's right-hand man in Baltimore, so they could both be coming here.

 

[fatness]

It will be very interesting to see how the team plays Monday night against NY and what the crowd is like. That game and the Dallas game might actually resemble what a late season Monday night division game should be.

I was thinking the same thing. Remember when late season NFC East games used to matter? Seasons hung in the balance, we're on the edge of our seats living and dying with each play. We need that back.

 

[Maroney=Sped]

It will be very interesting to see how the team plays Monday night against NY and what the crowd is like. That game and the Dallas game might actually resemble what a late season Monday night division game should be.

I was thinking the same thing. Remember when late season NFC East games used to matter? Seasons hung in the balance, we're on the edge of our seats living and dying with each play. We need that back.

Given what these games mean to the Giants and Cowboys, it may still be like that to a degree. The Redskins have a say in the NFC East this year, unfortunately not as a contender for a playoff spot though.

 

[dgreen]

Redskins chasing Bruce Allen

We've speculated that for a while. Allen as GM and Grimm as HC would be that link to the glory days that Snyder could market. Of course, Allen could come with Gruden which would get fans excited. It will be interesting again to hear Gruden Monday night.Or, a crazy idea would be to hire Allen, assuming he's the best man for the job, and then let him pick the HC all on his own. Oh, and then don't force them to keep certain coaches or players.

 

[fatness]

Redskins coaches were told the team is now in talks with former Bucs and Raiders head honcho Bruce Allen to replace Cerrato, FOXSports.com has learned.

Jay Glazer

 

[dgreen]

It will be very interesting to see how the team plays Monday night against NY and what the crowd is like. That game and the Dallas game might actually resemble what a late season Monday night division game should be.

I was thinking the same thing. Remember when late season NFC East games used to matter? Seasons hung in the balance, we're on the edge of our seats living and dying with each play. We need that back.

Given what these games mean to the Giants and Cowboys, it may still be like that to a degree. The Redskins have a say in the NFC East this year, unfortunately not as a contender for a playoff spot though.

Right, I think even if Vinny was still around they would have had a better atmosphere than any other game involving a 4-9 home team. But, now, I'm thinking it might take a slight step up in intensity...at least in the stands.

 

[Sammy Traveller]

It will be very interesting to see how the team plays Monday night against NY and what the crowd is like. That game and the Dallas game might actually resemble what a late season Monday night division game should be.

I was thinking the same thing. Remember when late season NFC East games used to matter? Seasons hung in the balance, we're on the edge of our seats living and dying with each play. We need that back.

Given what these games mean to the Giants and Cowboys, it may still be like that to a degree. The Redskins have a say in the NFC East this year, unfortunately not as a contender for a playoff spot though.

Right, I think even if Vinny was still around they would have had a better atmosphere than any other game involving a 4-9 home team. But, now, I'm thinking it might take a slight step up in intensity...at least in the stands.

honestly, I think the Giants will eviscerate the Redskins on Monday night. The Redskins will be distracted by all the news to really focus on the game, even if the Cerrato news was positive for the team. After Monday, the Redskins will likely get it together and be very competitive for the last 2 games.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Redskins chasing Bruce Allen

We've speculated that for a while. Allen as GM and Grimm as HC would be that link to the glory days that Snyder could market. Of course, Allen could come with Gruden which would get fans excited. It will be interesting again to hear Gruden Monday night.Or, a crazy idea would be to hire Allen, assuming he's the best man for the job, and then let him pick the HC all on his own. Oh, and then don't force them to keep certain coaches or players.

I'm pretty sure if we did that, his pick would be Gruden.I'd be OK with that.