Snyder fired Charley Casserly and hired Vinny “can you freshen up my coffee and make sure my blue suit is pressed?” Cerrato. He fired Norv Turner because he didn’t like his choice of quarterback. Norv was partial to Brad Johnson, while Snyder favored – get this – Jeff George. Snyder also inherited Norv, a control thing that doomed Norv from the start.
Norv turned out to be Norv, but that’s another story. One could also argue that Norv has had a hard time shaking off his first head coaching experience in Washington. It’s hard to keep your eye on the field when you’re always looking over your shoulder.
Scottenheimer always gets fired for being Marty, but the main reason he was canned in DC – he fired Vinny Cerrato.
That one decision makes him a genius in my book. It also makes you an unemployed football coach here in Washington.
The dysfunction of this team is complete, and it was dramatically highlighted in the Buffalo game this past Sunday. Yes, Joe Gibbs called the second time out that made an iffy kick an NFL gimme, and that gave Buffalo the game. To me, though, it’s symptomatic of an organization in disarray.
I can just imagine the committee of people trying to decide to call the second timeout. I mean, the Redskins have about 300 coaches. I’m sure there is one guy there who makes $200K a year just to know that rule.
It’s like the guy who brings a parrot home as a present to his wife:
Did you like the parrot? he says.
Great, she replies; it’s in the oven now.
But that parrot spoke ten languages, said the husband.
Well, why didn’t it say something? replied the wife.
In my mind, there had to be someone on the sidelines who knew that rule. Unfortunately, it probably had to travel up the chain of command to the coach and there just wasn’t enough time, although it looks like the chain of command has broken down completely.
Gregg Williams starts the defense with ten players to honor Sean Taylor and Buffalo gains 22 yards.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
Please don't ever root for any of my teams, Rick.
2 - Rick Vassar
Matt,
My dad used to scout part-time for the Giants when they had a Single A farm team in Springfield, MA in the old Eastern League (1957-65). He was also a fill in umpire for the Eastern League. His claim to fame was that he threw Earl Weaver out of a game when he managed Elmira (1962-65).
Some of the guys who came through there were quite impressive:
Juan Marichal
Felipe Alou
Matty Alou
Tom Haller
Jim Ray Hart
Jim Duffalo
Bill Hands
Frank Linzy
Hal Lanier
Manny Mota
Jose Pagan
The team moved to Amarillo in 1966 and old Pynchon Park burned down shortly after that. I spent my entire childhood trying to pick up bounced radio signals from Chicago and Philly. The next day, I would get the partial box scores from the West Coast games in the paper (no ESPN in the 1960's).
I thinking about give up on the Giants and rotting for the Diamondbacks. What do you think, Matt?
3 - Mike
"Please give us our Washington Redskins back"
If you switch teams with the regularity you do then they're not really yours are they. Real fans have grievance, fakes don't.
4 - Rick Vassar
It depends on your perspective. The beauty of sports is you can root for whomever you want, whenever you want.
If you are right (and I'm not saying you aren't), then where would all the expansion teams get their fans?
Not to justify myself, but most of these changes are geographic:
Giants/Red Sox to Orioles and now Nationals (btw, not a lot of Montreal Expo fans around here...)
NY Giants(NFL)/Pats(AFL) to Redskins
Celtics to Wizards.
I have lived in DC much longer than I lived in New England. I felt nothing when the Sox and the Pats won (finally).
It still hurt bad with the Giants in '02
You may not agree, but that's you.