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Y! Sports: Zorn looking like lame duck; Rogers says 2-3 mark 'starts with the F.O.'

Oldskool

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Oldskool

Oldskool

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=capress-fbn_malfunctioning_redskins-096727233&prov=capress&type=lgns

ASHBURN, Va. - Jim Zorn already has the look of someone playing out the string of his employment.

One veteran says he just hopes the coach is around "for the remainder of the year." Another is calling out everybody, saying "it starts with the ownership."

But here's one more fact that pretty much sums up the current state of the Washington Redskins: On Sunday, they had a guard playing tackle, and a tackle playing guard.

And it's only getting worse. After giving up five sacks and gaining only 198 total yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Zorn announced Monday that six-time Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels(notes) will miss next week's game against Kansas City with an injury.

What are they going to do? Punt on first down? How is this offence, which hasn't scored 20 points all season, going to move the ball behind this line?

"My responsibility - and it really is my responsibility - is to even have THAT work," Zorn said.

Zorn usually has at least a tinge of optimism about him, but his mood was definitively downbeat after reviewing the video of yet another loss to a winless opponent. Only four teams in the NFC have worse records than Washington (2-3); the Redskins have played all four - and lost to two of them.

With Kansas City at 0-5, the Redskins are about to become the first team in NFL history to play six straight games against winless opposition. Unless they find a way to improve, it could be their last competitive game for a while.

"I want to win. That's what I'm here for. That's what the Redskins are all about," Zorn said. "We've lost two tough games. I feel bad. I'm hurting, and our team is as well. These guys are guys with resolve. I'm a man of resolve, and we're going to get back at it."

Questions about Zorn's job security arise almost daily, to the point that the players supporting him are stating goals that are increasingly modest - such as getting him through the final 11 games of the season.

"I admire his character," defensive end Andre Carter(notes) said. "I admire the level of integrity he has as a coach as well as a person. I just hope that he's here for the remainder of the year."

Twenty-one games into his first head coaching job, Zorn still has serious game management problems. The Redskins burned their last time out with 8:47 to play Sunday. And a stretch play behind a leaky offensive line on the three-yard line resulted in Clinton Portis(notes) being tackled in the end zone for a safety.

But the Redskins are in the mess they're in also because of their personnel. The front office failed to adequately address the offensive line in the off-season. Portis no longer looks capable of breaking off an explosive run, and second-year receivers Malcolm Kelly(notes) and Devin Thomas(notes) have only 11 catches combined in five games.

"We've got a lot of things we need to iron out, a lot of problems," cornerback Carlos Rogers(notes) said. "It's from personnel to coaches to whatever it is, there's a lot of things we need to iron out, and until we address those issues and turn it around, we're going to be the same, going up and down. It not only starts with the players, coaches; it starts with the ownership. They bring everybody in and they've got last say-so of everything, so that's where it starts, I guess."

It's unusual for a player to implicate owner Dan Snyder and executive vice-president for football operations Vinny Cerrato along with everyone else. After painting that picture, Rogers was asked what could be done in the short team to address the team's needs.

"You can't do too much right now," Rogers said. "You just have to go with what you've got and make the best for it, and that's what we're doing. They're making changes where they feel they need to make changes. Other than that, players are going to have to step up, coaches are going to have to step up, and we've just got to find a way - that's the bottom line - we've got to find a way to turn it around and deal with what we've got."

Right guard Randy Thomas(notes) was lost for the season with a torn triceps last month, and left tackle Samuels was gone early against the Panthers with a stinger and will miss at least one game. That prompted the Redskins into a lineup with Mike Williams - a career tackle - playing right guard and D'Anthony Batiste(notes) - who's always been a guard - playing left tackle. Tight end Chris Cooley(notes) failed to catch a pass for the first time since 2004 because he was needed to help block.

Next week, the team anticipates moving struggling right tackle Stephon Heyer(notes) to left tackle and Williams to right tackle. Right guard? Yet to be determined.

For his part, Zorn did what he had to do Monday - he took his share of the blame. He uttered some form of the phrase "It's my responsibility" several times. He said he's in constant self-introspection mode.

"I ask myself questions. 'What are we doing?' 'Are we doing it right?' 'Do we have the elements we need to be a successful offence?' 'Has the scheme taken advantage of our opportunities?' I'm asking all those questions, and I ask them every week," Zorn said. "But the overall picture, we've just got to keep pushing. I don't have a lot of time devoted to worrying about my job status."

But some of the players are thinking about it.

"Guys have been kind on eggshells walking around here for the last couple of weeks," kick returner Rock Cartwright(notes) said. "But we don't make any decisions. Mr. Snyder and Vinny, those guys make the decisions. We leave it up to them guys, but we're still behind coach Zorn. We're still going to fight for him."

NOTES: The Redskins cut P Glenn Pakulak(notes) and re-signed DE Renaldo Wynn(notes), reversing the move they made Saturday. Pakulak was needed to punt against Carolina because Hunter Smith(notes) was out with a groin injury. … DE Phillip Daniels(notes) tore his right biceps against the Panthers but will postpone surgery until after the season so he can continue playing. … Zorn said Sherman Lewis, hired last week by the front office to be an offensive consultant, has yet to make much of an impact. "It's still early, but I am working on some assignments for him," Zorn said. "He's very willing. He's trying to get up to speed."

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mcarey032

mcarey032

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Carlos is ensuring that he will be gone next year.

I don't blame him at all.

I agree with that. He knows that the Redskins probably won't sign him next year and the team is hoping that someone like a Tryon or Barnes will step up even though neither one has shown that they are worthy of being anything more than a third down corner. Rogers may not have the best hands, but who are they going to get instead next year? I don't know who is on the market, but I am sure that Dan will have Redskins 1 all fired up to see who we can overspend on next.

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SkinsFTW

SkinsFTW

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Nobody was saying in the offseason that our OL would be garbage, especially after Thomas has his annual injury and Samuels likely does as well due to age. Right?

It's funny as hell because year after year the fans on here know ahead of time what is going to be our downfall. A couple years it was Brunell not being able to play at a high level for a complete season, now it's obviously the incompetence of the FO for trying to stick with a slow QB behind an OL that could never give him enough time, even when healthy, even with Portis running like a madman our passing game was still below average. So what do they do? Trot out the same **** another year.

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mel25

mel25

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I think he's hoping that it'll convince Danny boy not to resign him.

Am I the only one terrified that Snyder is becoming Al Davis? Only with less football knowledge and 40 years younger. :shot:

no sir, i've been thinkin that since the ticket thing. and that's sad because snyder is young. old people are expected to be crazy and stuck in thier ways. it's about to get to the point where no player or coach would come here no matter how much money they're paid. it wouldn't surprise me if haynesworth regrets comin here. as bad as we have been, i hope they don't make any more moves, because not only do all the moves they make not work, but they all seem extremely stupid. like the sherm lewis thing, i'm sure he's very intelligent, but we look desperate, and disrespectful to the entire offensive staff. maybe it will be a good move, but that's how we look. on top of that, we'll probably mess up sherm lewis' reputation when this is over.

as far as Los, sad to say he probably just garauntees that he won't be here. and that's sad because what he said is true, and even though he drops int's, he has good coverage. as long as he doesn't go to a division rival and/or talk a lot of smack about the fans, he'll be ok in my book.

i didn't even mean to type this much, i just wanted to say i agree wit you and i just couldn't stop lol.

HTTR

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FuriousD

FuriousD

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We knew all along that there would be big problems with the O-Line if bitten by the injury bug so, no suprises there.

To me the biggest suprise and most damning evidence of a year going south is the ineffectual trifecta of Thomas, Kelly and Davis. What is up with these three?!

These big bodies were supposed to take on the role of possesion receivers and put some teeth into our redzone offense but to date they have been all but invisible. And not one of them looks like a "play-maker".

Is it coaching? Is it play-calling? Or is everything to do with this offense so screwed up that there isn't one damn thing that stands a snowballs chance in hell?

The game management problems for Zorn are telling. This guy looks and acts like someone out of his depth. It's time to move on.

:anon:

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mel25

mel25

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We knew all along that there would be big problems with the O-Line if bitten by the injury bug so, no suprises there.

you know what i don't get though? correct me if i'm wrong, but wasn't the west coast offense developed for a team with a bad o-line, who couldn't run and didn't have time to throw deep? if so we shouldn't be that far out of our element.

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Hooterman

Hooterman

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Carlos Rogers calling out the FO and he is the perfect example. We need a FO that will recognize poor play such as CR's poor coverage at times, his dropped interceptions, Fred Davis' YAC problems, an aging underperforming OL that doesn't get addressed in the offseason and make appropriate changes.

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Hooterman

Hooterman

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Jon Jansen recently expressed displeasure at Snyder's decision-making when he grabbed Deion, Carrier, etc. 'Los is not alone.

Just like in business, never trust what an "ex employee who left involuntarily" has to say.

That said, we all know about the poor FO. We don't need two players who underperform at their positions to tell us about it.

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