Dec 21st 2008 11:15AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching, NFL RumorsApparently Jim Zorn doesn’t really think he’s the “worst coach in America,” although some Redskins fans remain unconvinced. Still, the team’s second-half-of-the-season collapse has led to speculation that he could be one-and-done in Washington and owner Dan Snyder will make a run for Bill Cowher.

Cowher insists he’s not coaching in 2009, and Snyder has made no mention of relieving Zorn of his duties after one disappointing season. But Vinny Cerrato, the ‘Skins’ executive vice president for football operations and local radio personality, was vague about the whole thing during his on-air gig. Via the ’s Barry Svrluga: Cerrato … said … that team officials have not discussed the status of first-year coach Jim Zorn, and that any speculation that Zorn could be removed is driven by the media.

“In this building, that question has never even been brought up,” said Cerrato, speaking on his “Inside the Red Zone” radio program on WTEM. “It’s never even been discussed.”

Show host Frank Hanrahan then asked Cerrato whether Zorn would return next season, to which Cerrato responded, “Yeah. There’s not even been any discussion, so, end of discussion.” So, there you go: Zorn’s future hasn’t been discussed by the ‘Skins’ higher-ups, presumably because Vinny’s too busy with his radio career.

In other inane Redskins news, Santana Moss will find his check $10,000 light because he cleaned his shoes after scoring a touchdown against the Bengals last week. Historically, that sounds about right — the NFL will not stand for any celebratory shows of emotion — although if the league fined Moss for stupidity, I’d say he got off easy.

Dec 18th 2008 2:00PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Redskins, NFL Fans
This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We’ve cleverly titled it “FanHouse in the Stands.”

My wife and I attended the Redskins-Bengals game at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. I, of course, am a Redskins fan, and got to see them lose to the lowly Bengals, 20-13.

There is nothing like watching your team’s season go down the tubes and then hearing chants of “Who Dey” as you are filing out of the building. But it’s all worth it when your wife starts talking smack back and reminding everyone that it was just Cincy’s second win of the season.

I will say that there were a ton of Redskins fans at the game. I sat two rows up from the goal line and was surrounded by other Skins fans. The usher who showed us to our seats welcomed us “to Redskins Stadium.” He also told me to come get him if anyone bothered me, but felt that I wouldn’t have to worry about that.Continue Reading

Dec 17th 2008 9:43PM by JJ Cooper (author feed)
Filed under: Redskins
They don’t make ‘em like Sammy Baugh any more, but then, they never made ‘em like Sammy Baugh.

The final living member of the inaugural class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. Baugh played for the Redskins from 1937 to 1952.

In his prime, Baugh was the best quarterback, defensive back and punter in the NFL. At a time when the average NFL quarterback was better at running the ball then dropping back to pass, Baugh helped lead the way to the more passing-oriented game of the 1950s. When Baugh came into the league, the average quarterback was a blocking back on a team that relied on multiple ball carriers and had halfbacks who threw as many passes as the quarterback. By the time Baugh retired, the Wing T had been junked for the T-formation and the quarterback was serving in the role that the average modern-day fan would recognize.

As a punter, his 51.4 yard per punt average in 1940 is still the best in NFL history and his 45.1 yard career average is still the second best mark in NFL history. And as a defensive back, he led the league with 11 interceptions in 1943. He was such an amazing athlete that wherever the Redskins put him, he excelled.

Baugh had battled Alzheimer’s in recent years, but thanks to NFL Films, Baugh’s memories and thoughts on the early days of the NFL have been recorded for posterity.

Dec 16th 2008 2:00PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: 49ers, Bengals, Dolphins, Giants, Rams, Ravens, Redskins, Seahawks, Steelers, AFC East, AFC North, NFC East, NFC West, NFL Media Watch, Overpaid NFL Players, NFL RefereesWow, this was a long weekend to those who support the boys in stripes. That group may only consist of myself at this point, but I still do. Those people who like to call the officials “blind” — which, by the way, is incredibly uncreative and lame — or believe they are out to screw a team out of a game, really don’t have any idea what it takes to officiate at that level. Hell, I don’t. I do know what it’s like to be on the field and be a constant scapegoat for people who aren’t accountable for themselves and/or their favorite team.
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Dec 16th 2008 6:09PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, NFL CoachingIn the world of the Washington Redskins, everything moves at warp speed. You would think Jim Zorn has been the Redskins head coach for three or four years now with all the extreme ups and downs this season.

So Zorn walked into yesterday’s press conference fresh off a humiliating loss in Cincinnati that all but ended Washington’s playoff hopes. The weary Zorn stepped up to the microphone and promptly blamed himself for the team’s woes:
“I have to look at myself. It’s all about me. I need to check my plan of attack and my staff, we need to reevaluate. … We have to take resopnosibility for some of these games that haven’t turned out like we planned.”

“It hurts. I feel like the worst coach in America. [The players] risk a lot. They put out tremendous effort, tremendous emotion to go out and play. We can win some of these games. I have a hard time looking at the talent and just saying that’s [the problem] and moving on.”Zorn has been through it all this season. His hiring as the head coach left many scratching their heads. He then opened the year with a dud of a game in New York and everyone felt he was in over his head. Next thing you know, the Redskins won six of seven games and owned one of the best records in the NFL.

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Dec 15th 2008 3:00PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bills, Chiefs, Jaguars, Packers, Redskins, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching

There are two weeks remaining in the regular season and we’ve already seen Mike Nolan, Lane Kiffin and Scott Linehan lose their jobs for varying degrees of incompetence. But more heads will roll in the coming months, and some bone-headed decisions made yesterday will go a long way in cementing the fate of the less fortunate.

A crappy economy might be the only thing to save Jauron’s job, because after jumping out to a 4-1 start, the Bills are now sitting at 6-8. And the last two minutes of yesterday’s game against the Jets was a microcosm of their season.

With Buffalo leading 27-24 and trying to run the last 240 or so seconds off the clock, somebody thought it would be great fun to let J.P. Losman throw a pass on second-and-five from the Bills’ 27. Predictably, he fumbled, the Jets’ Shaun Ellis recovered, and 11 yards later, that’s your ball game.Continue Reading

Dec 16th 2008 11:15AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Redskins, NFC East, NFL FansYesterday I mentioned that Santana Moss got slapped with a post-touchdown excessive touchdown celebration penalty after he thought it would be great fun to use a towel to clean his shoes in the end zone. knows that a towel is considered a prop.

Okay, nobody knew that, but anytime someone scores a touchdown and lingers in the end zone, there’s a pretty good chance it’ll draw a flag. I’m not saying it’s right, that’s just how Roger Goodell rolls. In Moss’ case, the offense was particularly idiotic because a) the Redskins were battling for their playoff lives, and b) they were trailing the sad-sack Bengals 17-6 at the time.

Washington would go on to lose, prompting Jim Zorn to call himself the “worst coach in America.” Moss, who was probably also embarrassed by the loss, was indifferent about the end zone penalty. “I don’t care, I really don’t care,” he said, when asked if he knew his celebration would draw a flag. “We needed something, something to boost us, and we had a touchdown so I was feeling real good, you know what I’m saying? Other than that, I really don’t care about it. What we needed to do is keep scoring.” Not caring aside, Moss is right: the Redskins needed to keep scoring. Unfortunately, they couldn’t muster much offense against an injury-ravaged one-win team, which tells you all you need to know about the current state of Washington’s offense. Godspeed, Bill Cowher.

Dec 15th 2008 12:32AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Redskins, AFC North, NFC EastIn Washington, it is good etiquette to concede when it looks like you aren’t going to win. The Redskins made today the day the told the world that they aren’t ready for a playoff berth.

That’s what happens when you lose to the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-13.

Just yesterday I showed how this game trended toward a Bengals’ victory. The trend I forgot to point out was that the Redskins aren’t playing well at all right now. The offense isn’t very efficient, the defense can come unglued and they are making mistakes that they weren’t making earlier in the year.

Examples? How about a Chris Cooley fumble on the opening drive? Or Mike Sellers’ fumble at the goal line? Or giving up 79 yards on a screen pass when it was 2nd-and-23? Or being down 17-0 before you get a first down? Or getting a celebration penalty which causes the kickoff to be penalized 15 yards? Then that kickoff goes out of bounds and gives the Bengals the ball in your territory?

Playoff teams don’t do that. They certainly don’t do that against a team that entered mid-December with just one win.

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Dec 13th 2008 12:55PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, NFL Fans, NFL CoachingThe NFC East in insane in the membrane. One of the best divisions in football, it’s also one of the craziest. In Dallas, the inmates are running the asylum, Philly and New York have their own issues, and the Redskins are dealing with the star running back calling out the rookie head coach.

Earlier this week, Clinton Portis went on the “John Thompson Show” and called Jim Zorn a “genius” in much the same way those nasty liberal bloggers might refer to George W. Bush. That led to a closed-door meeting between the two, followed by rumors that Zorn’s job might be in trouble, and now this from the ’s Jason La Canfora: As the season has deteriorated … the private bristling of many players toward Zorn’s increasingly ineffective scheme increased, and even Zorn was not shocked that Portis went public with his grumbling. Before the season, Zorn’s staff had discussed how to handle Portis with one of Gibbs’s former assistants. “He doesn’t show respect,” the former assistant said.

Over the years, many Redskins have come to consider Portis’s periodic outbursts as self-serving, and his practice habits and cozy relationship with ownership bothersome. “Ain’t nothing we haven’t seen before,” said one Redskins veteran, who did not want to be identified so as not to escalate the incident. “Whether he’s dressing up [in costumes] or whatever, he loves to be the center of attention, and that’s worked for him.” Continue Reading

Dec 14th 2008 2:42AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Redskins, AFC North, NFC EastThe NFC East is arguably the best division in football. The Cincinnati Bengals are arguably the worst team in the AFC. Both will collide today at Paul Brown Stadium.

Yet there is an interesting oddity: the Bengals have done pretty well against the NFC East.

-They went into New York and actually took the Giants into overtime.
-They went into Dallas and hung around with the Cowboys to the very end.
-One of their two non-losses came in their tie with the Eagles.

Now the NFC East’s last place team comes to town … the Washington Redskins.

The Skins have lost four of five and the offense ranks 4th worst in points scored. Washington has also struggled against the worst teams in the NFL. They lost at home to the St. Louis Rams (they are 2-11 right now) and had trouble putting the 0-13 Detroit Lions and 2-11 Seahawks away.

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