The end of an era of error

Early Thursday morning, it was reported that Executive VP of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato had resigned.

Hallelujah. Looks like Christmas arrived about a week early for Skins fans this year. But before I look on to his replacement Bruce Allen, son of late Redskins Hall of Fame coach George Allen (1971-1977), I'd like to take a minute to reflect on Cerrato's near decade-long tenure with Washington.

Shortly after Snyder bought the team in 1999, Cerrato was hired. He succeeded Charlie Casserly as GM and immediately went to work by signing past-their-prime veterans Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, Irving Fryar, Jeff George, and Mark Carrier.

In the two drafts during his first stint with the Redskins (1999-2001) he notably selected LaVar Arrington, Chris Samuels, Rod Gardner, Fred Smoot, and Sage Rosenfels. However, his run was short-lived. In 2001, following another 8-8 season, Marty Schottenheimer was hired as head coach and GM, therefore, relieving Cerrato.

In 2002, Marty (the only coach under Snyder with a .500 record or better to this day) was undeservingly fired by you know who and replaced by "ol' ball coach" Steve Spurrier. Vinny was brought back and has been in charge of all personnel moves ever since. In that time he's drafted 40 players, only 20 of which remain on the roster:

In 2003, he traded away Washington's 1st (for Lav Coles), 4th, 5th, and 6th round picks. Most regrettably, he teamed with Snyder and Spurrier to draft Taylor Jacobs over Anquan Boldin and Osi Umenyiora in the 2nd round.

In 2004, Vinny traded arguably Washington's best player Champ Bailey to Denver for Clinton Portis. He then redeemed himself in the draft when he took Sean Taylor over Kellen Winslow Jr., then Cooley in the 3rd round. However, Washington was again shorthanded on draft day after Vinny traded away their 2nd (for Portis), 4th, and 7th round picks.

In 2005, Vinny drafted Carlos Rogers 9th overall then Campbell later in the first round. He gave up Washington's 2nd round pick to move up and get Campbell, and Washington's 3rd rounder was sent to Denver. His 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th round picks never started an NFL game.

In 2006, Vinny traded out of the first round to take Rocky McIntosh early in the 2nd. Washington was again without 1st, 3rd, and 4th round picks. He added Anthony Montgomery, Reed Doughty, and Kedric Golston in the 5th and 6th round but both his 7th round picks never made the team. During the same offseason he brought in Al Saunders (ugh), Brandon Lloyd (double ugh), Randle El, Adam Archuleta (triple UGH), and Andre Carter.

In 2007, Vinny drafted LaRon Landry 6th overall, his third selection of a defensive back in the first round in 4 years. Adrian Peterson was selected 7th overall. He again traded away Washington's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks. Excluding H.B. Blades, his other 4 draft selections never saw the field. Stephon Heyer was signed immediately after the draft.

In 2008, Vinny again traded out of the first round for additional 2nd round picks. OT Sam Baker, and RBs Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Johnson were overlooked. Neglecting the need for offensive lineman, he used all 3 second round picks on pass catchers. Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis have combined for 96 catches for 1,063 yards and 9 TDs. WR DeSean Jackson of the division rival Eagles (passed on twice by Vinny in the 2nd round) has 112 catches, 1,859 yards, and 11 TDs in that same time.

With his obvious intent on drafting offensive skill players, one can only wonder what he didn't see in 2nd round selections Jordy Nelson, Eddie Royal, Matt Forte, DeSean Jackson, and Ray Rice. Selecting a punter in the 6th round epitomized Vinny's decade-long cluelessness on draft day.

However, his 10 selections in the 2008 draft were the highest total in recent franchise history. In later rounds, he commendably found less known players such as Rhino in the 3rd, Tryon in the 4th, Kareem Moore in the 6th, and Chris Horton in the 7th.

In 2009, Snyderrato attempted to replace Campbell with Cutler in free agency then Sanchez through the draft but both fell through. He instead signed DeAngelo Hall and Albert Haynesworth to lucrative contracts. When Orakpo fell to the 13th pick, Vinny made one of his best draft day decisions by selecting him without hesitation. However, Washington was left without a 2nd round pick from the flopped Jason Taylor trade with Miami. Excluding Marko Mitchell in the 7th, Vinny's 5 other selections have failed to pan out. Jeremy Jarmon was selected in the 3rd round of the supplemental draft which means Washington will again be without an early round pick come April 2010.

Vinny Cerrato, despite selecting talented Redskin players such as Samuels, the late great Sean Taylor, Cooley, and Jason Campbell, has crippled this franchise by neglecting to address the offensive line adequately since taking Derrick Dockery in 2003. Excluding Orakpo in 2009 and Samuels in 2000, Cerrato never drafted a lineman - offensive or defensive - in the first 2 rounds. Inexcusable. As a result, the offense has underperformed for years and the statuses of Zorn, Campbell, Portis, and several lineman and pass catchers have come into question.

With free agency and the 2010 draft just months away, and rumors already beginning to circulate of Snyderrato taking an offensive player other than a lineman, this move should bring Redskins fans a breath of fresh air. The days of the GM position in Washington acting as merely an extension of owner Dan Snyder is history. Bruce Allen, 2002 NFL's George Young Executive of the Year, is the perfect answer for a team needing and anticipating change. Maybe now, whoever coaches for Washington next season will get that "playoff-caliber roster."

R.I.P. Chris Henry

Washington Post articles worth taking a look at

D.C. Sports Bog - Schottenheimer on Cerrato

by Dan Steinberg

Campbell makes the best of a bad situation

by Mike Wise

Race for April's #1 draft pick

Positive side: the Redskins defeated the 4-9 Raiders by 3 touchdowns for their first win of the season away from FedEx. Negative side: their potential draft position dropped after defeating one of the league's worst teams.

Who does this concern most? Surprise, surprise: Snyderrato, two men who are salivating at the chance to draft unproven Jimmy Clausen, oft-injured Sam Bradford, or overrated Colt McCoy.

Who does this concern least? Jim Zorn and Co. who, despite losing 7 of the last 8 games, showed up in Oakland Sunday and knocked off a franchise that's surprised the Eagles, Bengals, and Steelers in recent weeks.

These last few weeks of the season are seeming tryouts for 2nd and 3rd string slots in next year's roster. However unfair, considering most replacements have outperformed their overpaid predecessors, that's the way Snyderrato's franchise operates especially with a potentially uncapped year looming.

Let the post-game grades transpire regardless.

Run offense: B-

No Portis. No Betts. No problem. 'Dat Dude' named Ganther carried the load in his first career start amassing 50 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mason added 32 and all-but-forgotten Rock Cartwright bummed one carry out of Zorn for zero positive yards. The sudden disappearance of Rock in recent weeks is plainly upsetting considering the special teams captain seems to do everything the coaches ask of him. But to Rock's displeasure, it seems to be working so I can't complain. Washington topped the 100-yard mark, averaged nearly 4 per carry, but most importantly, converted 7 first downs on the ground and both goal line situations.

Pass offense: A

Dear Mr. Snyder, Vinny Cerrato, and the rest of the fan base who maintain the belief Jason Campbell is unfit to lead this team,

Get a clue.

Sincerely,

Sam Foster

...Campbell, for the 3rd consecutive game, posted playoff-worthy numbers (106.5 rating) and played a direct role in every positive offensive play Washington ran on Sunday. Near 60% completion rate, 222 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Although sacked 3 times, he turned a half-dozen other potential sacks into 20 rushing yards, 2 first downs, and several late reads through the air, once finding Fred Davis in the corner of the end zone.

At the beginning of the season, it was said Campbell's best attribute was avoiding the turnover. Now, I'd say he avoids pressure and finds the deep receiver as effectively as anyone not named Peyton this season.

The WR corps similarly continues to thrive under Campbell, a sign of improvement and understanding in Zorn's west coast offense. Moss caught 4 balls (his longest went for 30). Davis continues to exceed expectations catching 3 balls for 2 scores (long of 27). Ganther caught 3 (long of 42). DT caught 2 (long of 29). Campbell distributed the football among 8 different WRs and 5 of those WRs averaged over 10 yards per catch. Campbell makes drafting a QB in April look increasingly birdbrained each week. It's a shame Snyderrato lacks sane good sense.

Run defense: A

Stonewallers. That's what this unit has turned into since allowing the Falcons to run freely 5 weeks ago. Both Oakland starting RBs averaged less than 2.7 yards per carry. They fumbled twice and only Fargas found the end zone on a goal line leap at the end of a short-field possession. The Raiders managed just 3 first downs rushing in the game and 17 total yards on the ground in the second half.

McFadden's trivial impact should lead those to reconsider drafting a RB with Washington's presumably high first round pick in April.

Pass defense: B+

No Haynesworth. No Hall. No problem. Beginning to spot a trend? It wasn't the 8 sacks that impressed me most- that's what happens when the Snyder/Davis breed neglects to address their offensive line. It wasn't the interception or even the 3.9 yards per pass that led to Oakland's 27% 3rd down efficiency. It was seeing Landry at strong safety even if for only a few snaps.

Occasionally, Landry was split wide at corner- McFadden burned him for 48 and 26. At times, he lined up deep and was similarly beat by Zach Miller and Louis Murphy. But when he lined up in the box at his natural position, he was as effective as he's been all season. He blew up lead blockers, wrestled ball carries to the ground before they could get any momentum, forced a fumble, exhibited form tackling, and even resisted the temptation to celebrate despite making several big plays.

Blatche's reasoning for moving DC's best strong safety to free was simple: he's their best free safety too. Maybe Brian Orakpo is DC's best strong side LB but he registered 4 sacks when he put his hand on the ground Sunday. Hey Blatche, square peg in the square hole, round peg in the round hole.

Special teams [excluding Antwaan Randle El]: A-

Graham Gano? 6 for 6 (FGs and XPs), welcome to Washington. Hunter the punter? Keep doing what you're doing buddy. Devin Thomas? Slashy, but you'll have to break one before you can call the job yours. Randle El? If your status as punt returner wasn't already in question, it must be on life-support now.

Seemingly, the coaches' reasoning as to what ARE brings to the table as a punt returner is reliability. It was assumed he'd make the catch every time, fair catch when appropriate, or let it bounce when need be. But this year alone, he's muffed 2 and let countless others bounce resulting in field position lost for an offense needing every advantage it can muster.

He averages 3.9 a return, and even that is hard to believe. He's second in the NFL in fair catches with 18, 3 more than he's actually returned. In 13 games, Randle El has moved the football just 58 yards on punt returns, basically the length of one good punt. With names on the roster such as Moss, Thomas, and Hall, one can only wonder what's keeping special teams coach Danny Smith from switching punt returners days after making the same move at kick returner.

Defensive MVP: ______?

Personally, I'd like to give this award to London Fletcher each and every week, bye week included. I'd like to give every award to Fletch to be quite honest. Not only is he the NFL's second leading tackler, but he makes countless other plays that elude the box score.

However, it's impossible not to split this between Orakpo and Carter. The NFL's top sack duo combined for 6 on Sunday bringing their total to 22 on the season (11 each) and leapfrogging Indy's Freeney and Mathis. Orakpo added a forced fumble and Carter a few laughs as he completely muffed a sure recovery-TD (Note the hilarity of Redskin miscues when leading by 18).

Offensive MVP: Jason Campbell

Ganther scored twice in his first start. Davis also had 2, furthering his team-high to 5. But few NFL QBs do for their team what Campbell is doing for Washington. He takes more hits than most, yet he's beginning to mirror Aaron Rodgers's ability to avoid pressure, keep his eyes downfield, and find the open man. He's ridiculed more than any other Washington athlete in the post-Suisham era, yet he exhibits McNabb's ability to block out the noise, fuel the fire, and improve each week.

Close-minded fans scapegoat him and compare him to young guns Ryan and Flacco, and near-replacements Sanchez and Cutler. Let me save you the effort: Campbell tops them all in QB rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt, and all but Cutler in TDs this season. What's more, Campbell complied those numbers while playing with, undeniably, a less talented supporting cast than those 4 QBs.

The Redskin offense saw both their pro bowl lineman go down for the season, Rhino followed soon after. Their top 2 backs went down and so did their pro bowl tight end. Their pro bowl fullback has all but disappeared in Sherm Lewis's west coast play-calling and their starting pass catchers have been more inconsistent than MLB's drug testing policy. Yet, there has been one constant over the last month during which everyone agrees the Redskins have improved...