TheLongshot Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 No shocking information here... http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/ Vinny Cerrato has been a part of the Redskins organization since Daniel Snyder took over - save for 2001, when Marty Schottenheimer fired him - and in that time become the subject of great conjecture. With a free-flowing and ever-changing coterie of coaches and scouts, and frequently changing titles, Cerrato's public responsibilities have been largely undefined, though his loyalty to Snyder and their bond are no secret around the league. But now, with his recent promotion to executive vice president/football operations last week Cerrato is without question the top decision maker in the organization. That's how his peers see him. The Redskins - save for actually using the GM title - have handed Cerrato the position. Given Snyder' well-known deep involvement with the franchise's moves, there's no more need to wonder who is responsible. The Cerrato Era has begun. This coaching search is his first major maneuver. The team has gone to great lengths to describe how involved he is with his decision - and the traces to Cerrato are unmistakable throughout - so judge not the past, my friends. The days of figures lurking in the shadows and no one but a head coach being responsible for speaking publicly about everything and anything are over. You need look in only one direction now for personnel and the draft. If it's a trade, signing, draft pick, it's on Vinny now. There's no team president and Hall of Fame Coach above him on the flow chart. The days of Redskins' management spreading word that a particularly poor acquisition was really the fault of a scout or assistant coach, well, that's not going to fly anymore. He will be assessed and graded in real time, and for posterity. Whether Snyder is pulling all the strings is irrelevant, because the league will be grading Cerrato's personnel record starting with this coaching hire. "Vinny's running it," said one longtime NFL executive who has studied the Redskins closely. "Vinny is the GM. This is the first time you can really put everything on Vinny, beginning right now. And his first act as chief of operations is to find a new coach and he's hired coordinators first and basically has his staff in place already. That's a completely outside-the-box way of doing business, and we'll find out of it was right or wrong. "It's evident to every football man in the National Football League that the Vinny Cerrato era has begun. Whether it works or not - and a lot of people are wondering if it can work - right now you can honestly say he's in charge. In the past he's always been under the radar, and he could blame Dan or blame a coach, but he can no longer do that. It's his team now." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I dont want it to be his team. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 That's what I said when Vinny was promoted to "GM", that now we have one person we can hold accountable, and now the "I want a GM" crowd has their GM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Yes indeedy. Accountability is a son of a *****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I dont want it to be his team. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Like it or not, we fell a while ago. At least now we will be able to point the finger and not have the org. tell us it's not his fault etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Maybe it's Snyder's first step toward justifying a firing at some point? Now he can pin any upcoming disasters on VC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmorina69 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Yes indeedy. Accountability is a son of a *****. Agreed, hes gona have to take alot of heat if we don't do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nneece Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Let's give little danny a chance... to fall on his face... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hey, this is win-win for everybody. The Vinny haters can be happy he's finally going to be exposed. The Vinny homers can be happy he's finally going to get some props. And everyone in between can be happy that the haters and homers will be so busy screaming at one another that they'll ignore us, and we can finally just watch what Vinny does and have a chance to make an informed decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins0128 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Well the people who wanted a GM to hire the next Head Coach got their wish. :paranoid: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Maybe it's Snyder's first step toward justifying a firing at some point? Now he can pin any upcoming disasters on VC... If Snyder is really as good a friend as he says he is, i see it more as a way For Dan to really test Cerrato and make him **** or get off the pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I sure hope we don't have to look for someone to blame, but that we will be looking for someone to praise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I sure hope we don't have to look for someone to blame, but that we will be looking for someone to praise. Amen. :point2sky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Isnt there a connection between Mooch and Cerrato? SF maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Smith Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I don't really like the fact that Vinny is in charge, but at least now, there's accountability, as JLC points out. If this all comes crashing down, it was Vinny's doing. If we succeed, he gets a lot of the credit. Pretty straightforward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor4Life Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hasn't one of the major complaints of this football team been that there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians? I'm sure many Redskins fans would have applauded a similar move if it were someone other than VC. I'm undecided about whether I like this idea. My verdict will be based on our W-L record over the next two seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLongshot Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 And everyone in between can be happy that the haters and homers will be so busy screaming at one another that they'll ignore us, and we can finally just watch what Vinny does and have a chance to make an informed decision. :munchout: Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Don't underestimate the positive effect that accountability can have on both a person and an organization... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuppajones Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I am not sure about Vinny, but I really don't know if he has been calling the shots. This is a good move for accountability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzmuda Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 It makes me sad to hear that Gregg Williams was going to keep Al Saunders but make him pare down his playbook. That's exactly what I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hasn't one of the major complaints of this football team been that there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians? I'm sure many Redskins fans would have applauded a similar move if it were someone other than VC. I'm undecided about whether I like this idea. My verdict will be based on our W-L record over the next two seasons. As it should be, for all of us...regardless of whether we love the guy in the position right now or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I'm starting to think that the promotion of Vinny is Dan's way of saying " If things get screwed up, then its all on you" in a not-so-direct way. However, based upon their 'relationship', i wonder if he would be totally held accountable when the rubber hits the road and he may have to make a decision on his future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DexterSackMachine Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I sure hope we don't have to look for someone to blame, but that we will be looking for someone to praise. Thank you! That's the perfect expression of the attitude every Redskin fans should have! "You just gotta believe" Mike Ditka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuqui Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 From the same JLC blog post, commentary about how all this will set Jason Campbell back even further. JLC nails it on this, I'm afraid. Campbell is not a WCO quarterback. There are already massive reverberations from Cerrato's ascent.Cerrato, whose NFL upbringing came in San Francisco in the early '90s, is tied to the West Coast Offense. He and Snyder have already hired Jim Zorn, a West Coast disciple, as offensive coordinator. So for all the talk of continuity, stability, whatever, where it matters most - on the offensive side, with the kid QB Jason Campbell - this is anything but continuity. It's yet another new system, like JC's eighth in the past 10 years. Cerrato has already ushered in a major philosophical change, no matter who the next head coach is. Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders are products of the Don Coryell tree and Bill Walsh - the man who first brought glory to the 49ers - is the other prominent tree, the West Coast tree. (Gregg Williams wanted to keep Saunders as OC - he had back-up plans, including Zorn, but Al was his first choice for the good of Campbell, league sources said. He would have made Al focus more and curtail his legendary 700-page playbook, rather than force Campbell to start all over again.) "These are opposite systems," said one former coach who worked in both systems during his coaching career. "Coryell is a number-based system, there are different principles. The West Cast offense is all word-based, it's terminology. It's all word-based now. Campbell's learning another new language, and this can be a long process. It's all rote memorization." In reality, the Redskins have already set Campbell's development back, as he was making good strides in his former system. We're talking major, major change. "The West Coast offense is a short, quick, very accurate passing game," the NFL exec said. "Coryell is a vertical, deep game. Campbell has a long delivery. He's a longer type guy (6-5) and when you think of the QBs that are most successful in the West Coast offense, you think more of guys who are 6-2, scramblers like McNabb, Garcia, Young. Quick-footed guys. Campbell's long, he can run but he's not really a scrambler. Whereas Gibbs/Coryell is a vertical, stretch, pocket-passing game. Their franchise quarterback is at risk, my friend." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooper Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 It makes me sad to hear that Gregg Williams was going to keep Al Saunders but make him pare down his playbook. That's exactly what I wanted. Yep. Now JC is starting from square one and will most likely take a big step back. Good thing we have such a patient owner who will stick with him no matter what. Oh wait. The JC era could be a very short one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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