What is going on with the Washington Redskins? Sure it’s a 4-9 team but over the past month most Redskins fans have stopped walking around with their heads down. Over the last four weeks the Redskins have only posted one victory, that being over the lowly Oakland Raiders. Yet Redskins fans are extremly happy with what has been going on at Redskins Park and the improvements on the field. On the field the Redskins who averaged less than 15 points a game while facing teams like the Buccaneers, Lions and Cheifs but over the last three weeks they have averaged just under 30 per game. The three games that the Redskins have lost over the last month were by a total of seven points, quarterback Jason Campbell has thrown for more than 1000 yards during this time frame and players like Devin Thomas and Fred Davis are showing signs of “getting it”, then you have some guy name Quinton Ganther leading the team in rushing the last two weeks.
All this improvement was welcomed by the Redskins fan base but it also struck fear in those that have always bled burgundy and gold but felt a full fledge disaster was need to bring about real change in the Nation’s Capital. Prior to the Redskins recent on field success without victories fan hoped for and could see the coming of a “house cleaning” at the end of the season. Then with Chris Samuels, Chris Horton, Chris Cooley, Clinton Portis, and Ledell Betts all on injured reserve other players started to step up and get the job done. Over the past 2-3 weeks rumors that VP of football operations Vinny Cerato and/or head coach Jim Zorn might do enough to retain the current employment into next year.
Some of Jim Zorn’s success can be attributed to Sherm Lewis going from bingo caller to offensive consultant to offensive play-caller. This was a move that was forced on Zorn by Cerato, this was a good move with all things considered. When you also consider left tackle Levi Jones, and right guard Mike Williams are guys that Vinny Cerato found on the street are starting along with guys Fred Davis, Devin Thomas, and Brian Orakpo, DeAngelo Hall, Albert Haynesworth and Derrick Dockery whom Cerato brought in after getting the VP job, you would think he would be around as long as Zorn if not longer.
Last month Vinny Cerato came out and said Jim Zorn would be the coach of the Washington Redskins for the remainder of the season and the position would be addressed after the season. Zorn has the team playing hard although they have little to play for, and he is doing it with Cerato’s guys. Just as the rumors were starting to get louder, I read something and remembered no one came out and said Vinny Cerato would be the VP of Football Operations for the remainder of the season.
Why did the Redskins make this move now? If I had to guess I’d say it’s “the Danny” being “the Danny”. The weekend is rolling in and the Redskins would be a side note until Monday, now the Redskins will be one of the lead stories in the NFL though the weekend and MNF will run with it the whole broadcast. If I were a conspiracy minded persons I’d find a way to link Cerato’s departure to the front office being cleared of tampering charges by the NFL in the Haynesworth case yesterday. Whatever the reason it was a move that was long overdue. I’m not sure what this move means when you consider during the three losses this past month the Redskins missed 3 field goals and the kicker was made the scapegoat. Cerato is being replaced by a guy that once drafted a kicker in the first round.