The Redskins Rule Out Signing Larry Johnson

Thank God. The last thing the Redskins need is a homophobic 30 year-old running back who has only 358 yards on 132 carries so far this season, which is 2.7 yards per carry.

In fact the last thing that the Redskins need is a running back, as they have Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright, both of whom are arguably better than pampered and overpaid Clinton Portis, who will not even practice, and it shows. Betts shows spark that Portis rarely has and yet for some reason the Redskins have favored Portis. Betts and Cartwright do everything that the organization asks of them yet go no credit from the front office or a big paycheck, which is just one more sign of front office dysfunction.

So the Redskins' lack of interest in Johnson is good news as it will let Betts and Cartwright get a chance to show their talent and determination despite a woeful O Line and even worse front office.

The Sorry State of the Skins is National News

It is sad that the sorry state of the Redskins has become a national news story. It is one thing to read about the Skins in the NYT, which is the home paper of a division rival, but to read about them in the Wall Street Journal, in a negative way, is a new low.

From today's WSJ article entitled "Washington Vetoes the Redskins:"

"Can't we just send the Washington Redskins back, like an unsavory turkey club sandwich? ...

Mostly we're just fatigued by how much attention this miserable franchise gets. We're exhausted by all that choleric anger directed at Washington's meddlesome owner, Daniel Snyder. Why must peaceful civilians be assaulted daily by reports on the Redskins' fractured front office? Why do innocent ears hear the plaintive howls of John Riggins? (He's the rugged ex-Redskin great who, sounding like Joseph Conrad, recently said Mr. Snyder's "heart is dark."

Another Week, Another Loss

It's almost unbearable at this point. The Skins 31 to 17 loss to the Falcons, while no surprise, was just as painful to watch.

A couple of observations... Thank God they finally got Marko Mitchell on the field. Mitchell had 2 catches in limited playing time. In the short time he was on the field he accomplished more than Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly has in any other game this year. Let's hope they keep Mitchell on the field more often. Second, our offense looked much better after Portis left with an injury and Ladell Betts took over the ball-carrying duties. I for one dont want to see Portis anymore this year. Make Betts the starter and be done with Portis.

The Burgundy Revolution

The people are angry. Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post has done a great job of blogging on the uprising of Redskins fans against the front office and Dan Snyder, what Steinberg has dubbed the Burgundy Revolution. The picture to the right is of Shannon Sharpe pretending to be a Redskin fan and thus wearing a paper bag while Bill Cowher laughs. Notably, Bill Cowher is one of the potential head coaches that Snyder wants to lure to DC. Read the sign and what Cowher is laughing at. I guess he won't be taking the Skins head coaching job any time soon.

Another potential head coach on the short list (as opposed to the Redskins' "longest-in-the-NFL" season ticket wait list) is Mike Holmgren. I guess that what happen either as Holmgren went on record trashing Danny:

Perhaps Mike Holmgren might not want to coach the Redskins after all.

He sure didn't sound like a guy trying to impress owner Daniel Snyder when he blasted Washington management Monday for its treatment of Coach Jim Zorn, one of Holmgren's former assistants, during an interview with a Chicago radio station....

"The position they put Jim in, it shouldn't happen. You can be upset with me as a play-caller or how the team's going, [then] fire me. But don't do that. Don't pull the rug out from under me, tie my hands, make me look foolish . . . take away what I came there to do in the first place. Don't do that."

For a full accounting of how the demise of the Redskins has become a national sports story check out this.

DeSean Jackson as the Prime Example of Redskins GM Dysfunction

I am now watching the Eagles lead the G-Men and DeSean Jackson just scored another touchdown. What is remarkable is that he has had six this season so far and every one was 50 yards or greater. Wow, that is a play maker.

Washington did not have a first round draft pick in 2008, which is cause enough to indict Cerrato. But they did have two second round picks. And whom did they pick? At #3 Devin Thomas and at #17 Fred Davis.

Both players have amounted to zero in terms of production. The 18th pick of the 2nd round was Philly's, and they chose DeSean Jackson, who tore the Skins apart last Monday and is giving the G-Men a major headache.

The fact is that the Skins' scouting and drafting operation stinks. While I like Orakpo we could have had Michael Oher as a ten year plus left tackle and that would have been more valuable.

Redskins Ban Signs and Some T-shirts at Fed Ex Field

In order to avoid televisions cameras from catching signs and T-shirts that are critical of management, the Redskins organization has banned all signs and started to demand that offending T-shirts be removed.

In a live chat today with Post reporter Dan Steinberg, one commenter wrote:

At half time, I went down to the concessions area to get a beer and a dog. Of course, the crowd was once again getting restless at the lack of productivity we were seeing on the field. Standing two rows away from me in line, were two middle aged men. One wore a T-shirt that read "Fire Snyder", the other's said "Fire Vinny".

It wasn't long after standing there that the men were surrounded by close to a dozen people wearing yellow security jackets. The conversation between them and the two men escalated quickly as security asked the men to remove their shirts. Of course the men refused, and one stated that he had been a season ticket holder for 26 years. The conversation continued to get heated and before you knew it 6 or 7 armed security officers formed a circle around the layer of yellowed jacketed security officers.

"Sir, you're about to lose those season tickets if you don't take off that shirt" is what he was told. I don't know what got into me but I had seen enough and had to speak up. This was beyond absurd! I cut across a crowd of people, entering the circle of security.... I said " these guys should be able to wear whatever they want! What the hell is going on? What the hell is this? Communist Russia??? ".

I was quickly greeted with a stern warning to not interfere and a shove in the chest that sent me back a few feet. A few minutes later, the men were escorted out of the area and a security woman approached me with an explanation about their actions. "Look, I know what you're saying, and I can't say that I don't agree with you, but I'm a part-time teacher and this job is my Holiday money"...."upper management told us to come up here and ask these men to remove their shirts and I can't lose my job, so I'm doing it."

I decided then and there that I would NEVER again set foot in Fed Ex Stadium as long as Dan Snyder was the owner. The way I saw people being treated for voicing their opinions on this night embarrassed me as a Redskin fan, a Washingtonian, and as an American. These sort of totalitarian strong arm tactics are downright shameful and I needed to let others know about it.

Profootballtalk.com has picked up the story and has a post of its own.

Cerrrato Says Zorn Won't Be Fired this Season

Yesterday morning, on his radio show on Sports Talk 980, Redskins Exec VP of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato said Jim Zorn would not be fired this year:

Per the AP: "Jim Zorn will remain the Washington Redskins coach 'for the rest of this season and hopefully into the future..."

This statement by Vinny, and his ensuing ridiculous and patently unbelievable explanation of how the play calling duties ended up with Sherm Lewis, set off a firestorm with local sports media.

What did it mean? Was Vinny sincere? Was it all a media ploy by Snyder? Was Gibbs behind this?

Here's what I think - the guarantee came from Cerrato and is only valid if Cerrato sticks around, which as Jessica has pointed out on this site earlier - his days may be numbered. I think Cerrato knows that he and Zorn's fates are intertwined at this point. The only way Cerrato sticks around is if Zorn stays or Cerrato somehow manages to buy enough time to convince Snyder that his fate shouldn't be Zorn's fate.

I think Cerrato is sincere - for once. I think as far as Vinny is concerned Zorn will be the coach for the rest of the year. The bad news for Cerrato and Snyder, however, is that if the Skins continue to lose it won't be Cerrato's decision. Unless they can turn things around in the next couple of weeks, Cerrato and Zorn may be shown the door in Ashburn.

Are We Going to See a Gibbs III?

Another day, another Redskins rumor. Lord knows how the players or coaches are managing to focus on winning Monday night's game.

The new rumor: Joe Gibbs is considering a return to the Redskins to function as a General Manager. While Gibbs is a coaching legend, selecting talent was not his strong suit. Remember Brandon Lloyd and Adam Archuleta? By his own admission, Gibbs also fought strongly against signing Joe Jacoby.

From PFT:

As the Washington Redskins continue to quickly unravel, the man who delivered the team's only three Super Bowl trophies could soon be coming back.

Again.

There's a rumor making the rounds that two-time former head coach Joe Gibbs could be returning in a role similar to the one occupied by Bill Parcells in Miami. Gibbs would be responsible for hiring a G.M. and a head coach, and otherwise stabilizing the franchise without grinding away as a head coach.

We reported earlier this month that owner Daniel Snyder still consults with Gibbs, and that the two men had dinner in Charlotte the night before the Redskins' loss to the Panthers.

For now, it's just a rumor. And it possibly flows from the fact that it makes a lot of sense.

Then again, the fact that it makes so much sense probably means it won't happen.