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WP: Bruce Allen's First Task: Repair the Fissures of Cerrato's Making (Jenkins) (MET)

Thirtyfive2seven

By Thirtyfive2seven
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Thirtyfive2seven

Thirtyfive2seven

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By Sally Jenkins

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, December 18, 2009

The replacement of Washington Redskins vice president Vinny Cerrato is the best news for the team in more than a decade. Proof is the way Cerrato went out, with the same signature flourish with which he ran the team, by in-fighting and dividing it against itself. The first job of the team's new hands-on leader, Bruce Allen, will be to heal the franchise and put everyone on the same side again.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/17/AR2009121702283.html

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Renegade7

Renegade7

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Great article. You know Snyder did something right if Sally approves. :)

Sounds like Vinny became his own worst enemy and Snyder did finally get sick of him. I feel more comfortable with Zorn staying knowing he's going to have a guy like Bruce Allen helping him get what he REALLY needs to win football games. But at the same tiime, I would completely understand Allen bringing in Gruden who is a more experienced and better overall HC. It's going to be one of those two. They're both WCO, and I hope the transition between coaching staffs won't be too harsh.

Zorn is a great guy, but if we can get Gruden here, we should do it. I have so much respect for Zorn and how he's carried himself, but this coaching staff here and the playcalling method is just too much for me. We can do better and should do better if we want to win championships...

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Califan007 The Constipated

Califan007 The Constipated

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Zorn has many flaws as a head coach; he was probably unprepared for the job, and is still learning his way. But he has been a good steward under difficult circumstances, held his undermanned squads together and built cohesion in the face of mounting injuries and terrible losses, and coaxed some of their best performances of the season when all was lost. If nothing else he has coached the heck out of quarterback Jason Campbell, transforming him into a real asset.

One of the better paragraphs Sally has ever written...

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laurent

laurent

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Personnel issues aside, the way Cerrato has conducted himself is unbecoming for a franchise steeped in as much tradition as the Washing Redskins.

Cerrato is vindictive, a poor communicator and simply not a very trustworthy individual. The sad part is, with Snyder not making himself available to the media he was the defacto voice of the Washington Redskins.

The comments Schottenheimer made in respect to Cerrato paint a pretty ugly picture, and the way he's handled the Sherman Lewis hire and Zorn's demotion illustrated that the guy hasn't changed one bit since.

Bruce Allen, successful or not, will bring a level of professionalism back that this franchise has been missing for a long time.

Outside of Snyder Cerrato has been the one constant in this equation and I'm glad that Snyder finally had the guts to make the move that has been long overdue.

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gnuv

gnuv

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Does anyone else kinda hope that Allen decides to keep Zorn as head coach and try to keep continuity with the front office/coaching staff while repairing the team from a talent and depth standpoint?

Personally I would like to see this happen, but I will honestly be happy with any decision made as long as Allen makes it on his own.

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Goskinz0721

Goskinz0721

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Does anyone else kinda hope that Allen decides to keep Zorn as head coach and try to keep continuity with the front office/coaching staff while repairing the team from a talent and depth standpoint?

Yep, I do. It appears to me that the player personnel organizations (college and pro) have done a decent job the past 2-3 years of identifying players to sign. Who knows which ones they recommended that got away due to decisions made by VC? But, we can see the 2008 & 2009 players that have been brought in by this group. Obviously, the OL has been an area that's been missed. And Rinehart in the 3rd has been a miss.

This team needs a solid offensive philosophy in order to build around. All signs from the past 3-4 games indicate Zorn was right. It takes 2 years to learn this offense. We saw similar things when Saunders was here. This group was never able to grasp the Saunders offense during his tenure (except for Collins). It takes time.

I have to believe that Allen, as a former GM, knows what needs to be in place to build an "Organization". VC was never more than a glorified scout. There are too many examples where he thought replacing player "A" with player "B" was a solution. When, in fact, it was inconsistent with the philosophy of the team and thus turned out to be a problem.

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wildbill1952

wildbill1952

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Does anyone else kinda hope that Allen decides to keep Zorn as head coach and try to keep continuity with the front office/coaching staff while repairing the team from a talent and depth standpoint?
There's a part of me that feels that way as well ...
Yep, I do. It appears to me that the player personnel organizations (college and pro) have done a decent job the past 2-3 years of identifying players to sign. Who knows which ones they recommended that got away due to decisions made by VC? But, we can see the 2008 & 2009 players that have been brought in by this group. Obviously, the OL has been an area that's been missed. And Rinehart in the 3rd has been a miss.

This team needs a solid offensive philosophy in order to build around. All signs from the past 3-4 games indicate Zorn was right. It takes 2 years to learn this offense. We saw similar things when Saunders was here. This group was never able to grasp the Saunders offense during his tenure (except for Collins). It takes time.

I have to believe that Allen, as a former GM, knows what needs to be in place to build an "Organization". VC was never more than a glorified scout. There are too many examples where he thought replacing player "A" with player "B" was a solution. When, in fact, it was inconsistent with the philosophy of the team and thus turned out to be a problem.

Make room for me on this bandwagon. I would have no problem with Zorn staying, although I still feel that the best approach is to watch the final three games and make the decision then. If the Skins go 2-1 and one of the 2 is over the Cowboys, then let Zorn stay. If 1-2 or worse and/or the Skins lose to the Cowpatties, then look for a replacement.

I expect the Skins to go 2-1 over the last few games and to beat the Cowgirls. Time will tell.

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BadKarma

BadKarma

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Cmon people, Zorn will be O/C in Cleveland next year, we are starting over with a bonafide GM and finally have some hope. A new GM brings his own guys in to make a statement, Zorn is a great guy who has held his head high despite an awful situation but its finally over here in DC and its time to erase all the Cerrato out of this team.

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GrimReefa

GrimReefa

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Does anyone else kinda hope that Allen decides to keep Zorn as head coach and try to keep continuity with the front office/coaching staff while repairing the team from a talent and depth standpoint?

Zorn can stay or go, as far as I'm concerned, although I definitely wouldn't mind seeing someone a bit younger take the post. Mostly I want Campbell to stay. The guy is a warrior who has put up with a lot of garbage from this organization, and he will be a winner under the right circumstances, as he was in college. Unlike, for instance, Jimmy Clausen.

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MassSkinsFan

MassSkinsFan

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Thanks for posting that article.

She really hit the nail on the head in so many ways. The key point is that the poisonous management climate made it very tough to find and eradicate problems. With Allen coming in I think we'll all start to see where problems are. In fact, I am going to predict that there is a bit more harmony on ES than there has been recently.

Kumbayah...;)

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