All’s quiet in Ashburn

We're about 18 hours into the NFL free agent signing period and the sounds of silence are emanating from Redskins Park.

Well, near silence anyway. The Redskins did ink quarterback Todd Collins to a three year deal that will be worth at least $9 million ($3 million guaranteed), perhaps more with incentives. He signed the contract knowing that he would be the backup to Jason Campbell. Collins provided a feel-good story last year, coming in for an injured Campbell and leading the Redskins to four straight wins and a playoff spot. The uplifting, underdog tale—Collins hadn't see any extended playing time in a decade—provided us with something to smile about in the wake of the murder of Sean Taylor.

Not to minimize the retention of a backup QB who has proven he can win, but that hardly qualifies as the big splash to which we have become accustomed around this time of year.

Unlike in past years when the start of free agency meant that the fax machines were cranking all night long as the number crunchers worked various "what if" cap scenarios into and through the wee hours of the morning, all reports are that there is little activity in Ashburn. Redskins One is in the hangar, getting a much-needed extended rest after logging many hours in the air during the coaching search. No free agent visits are scheduled.

That bears repeating. No free agent visits are scheduled. It used to be tough to get a room at a hotel near Ashburn this time of year as they were all booked with free agents and their entourages waiting to take their shots at getting a fat paycheck signed by one Daniel Snyder.

All across Redskins Nation there are definite signs of withdrawal. After years of being accustomed to the thrill of being in the mix for the biggest names in the free agency pool, there is the hollow feeling of, well, hollowness. Nothing.

Many aren't handling this well. They are sitting at the keyboard, banging out messages about every released player and every pending free agent wondering how he might look in burgundy and gold. Others are staring at their phones, local sports talker number on the speed dial, waiting to call in and rip Snyder for overpaying yet another bum.

But the activity all is elsewhere. The Eagles inked Assante Samuel for five years and $47 million. In Miami the Tuna is reeling in players left and right. Tens of millions of dollars are being guaranteed almost every hour.

Sure, it's just like Vinny Cerrato said it would be a week or so ago. The Redskins are following the market instead of setting it. They'll let everyone else pick up the big tabs and settle for some leftovers in a week or so.

But, of course, that's no fun. Acting responsibly usually isn't. It's like sitting at home doing your homework on a Thursday while all your friends are at a party. In the long run, it's what you need to do. But at the moment it sure is boring.

Lloyd: Skins will pay later

The Redskins will cut now, pay later.

To update yesterday's piece about the little-lamented release of Brandon Lloyd by the Redskins, Vinny Cerrato said that Lloyd was indeed designated as a post-June 1 release. That means that the Skins will get charged with the lion's share of the $7.4 million in accelerated bonus money in the 2009 season rather than this year.

The decision is hardly shocking; indeed, a decision to eat a net hit of $3 million this year would have been stunning. Just because it's not surprising , though, doesn't mean that it was the right way to handle it.

An early glance at PC's detailed cap charts reveals that the Redskins aren't in much better cap shape in '09 than they are now, so it's not like they are pushing the money into a year in which they have a lot of cap space. But, the Redskins Way is to keep on pushing money back, so they'll find a way to convert and cover the dead cash.

That makes the wise use of this year's six draft picks critical for the short- and medium-term prospects for this team. If they can garner, say, two immediate starters, two future starters and a special teamer or two out of it, they will have relatively cheap talent that can replace expensive, aging talent. If they trade a high pick or two for, say, Chad Johnson the cycle that has them stuck as an OK team but one incapable of making a push to the Super Bowl will continue.

Salisbury out in Bristol

ESPN has confirmed that Sean Salisbury, a 12-year veteran of the four-letter network's TV and radio, is done in Bristol.

"Sean Salisbury has made many contributions to our efforts for the past 12 years. We thank him and wish him all the best," said ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer.

For his part, Salisbury and his agent put a positive spin on the move, talking of "expanding his horizons" and the like.

It's not surprising at all that Salisbury is out. What's surprising is that it took this long. The guy had turned into a bad parody of himself, straining to sound opinionated and controversial while protecting many players and coaches who he considers to be friends and sources.

Probably the last straw came in early February when, in the midst of one of their staged "debates", Salisbury went over the edge and referred to John Clayton as "the crypt-keeper". (You Tube video)

He was suspended a few years ago in what ESPN called some sort of an internal discipline matter. It turns out that it was a sexual harassment incident. Salisbury used his cell phone camera to take pictures of his manhood and circulated the shots around the Bristol campus, including to some female staffers. They were not amused and the perp was put on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

As Redskins fans know, it's likely that those pictures revealed an undersized pair of stones. In 2005, the Skins were in the midst of rallying from a 5-6 mark to a 10-6 record and a playoff spot. There were many doubters during the run, including Salisbury. He chose to express his doubt in his usual phony way, saying that if the Redskins made the playoffs he would walk naked from Bristol to Washington, D. C.

After the season ended, his statement was forgotten by everyone except Redskins fans. Letters and emails to ESPN headquarters calling upon management to force Salisbury to keep his word went unheeded. During the NFL draft, Joe Gibbs called out Salisbury on the matter during an interview with Trey Wingo (You Tube video, it's near the end of the clip).

Salisbury did respond, lamely suggesting that he said that he would take the nude strut only if the Redskins made the Super Bowl. He said that he would check the clips, though, and get back to us.

We're still waiting. He should have plenty of free time on his hands now.

Later, Lloyd

The Washington Redskins handed Brandon Lloyd his walking papers today two years after giving up third- and fourth-round draft picks for the right to sign him to a contract that had $10 million in guaranteed money.

The trade and signing turned out to be a very costly mistake. Lloyd caught 25 passes for the Redskins. That's $400,000 per catch. In terms of the draft pick value chart, each catch cost the Redskins the equivalent of a late seventh-round pick (a third and a fourth equal about 190 points, divided by the 25 catches is 7.6, the point value of the 19^th pick of the fourth round).

You can't do a similar calculation to figure out how much each touchdown catch cost the Redskins as it is mathematically impossible to divide by zero.

As discussed in this space last week, the Redskins can choose to pay for their mistake in full now or put part of it on credit and spread some of the pain into 2009. If they chose to make him a straight release, they will take a net hit of $2.9 million this season. If they designated him as a post-June 1 cut they will eat a $5.4 million dead cap number next year while gaining $2.4 million of space on the first of June. There was no immediate word as to which poison the Redskins picked.

Lloyd had a part-time career as a rapper, something that he talked about extensively during his first months with a team. He had a publicist who was fond of send emails to the Redskins' beat reporters talking about Lloyd's recording career and of his accomplishments on the field. Those communications in the latter category were few, far between, and very brief.

The stream of communication did not endear him to the beat writers, who turned on him early. Even without the publicist's hype there would have been good reason for criticism. Lloyd wasn't exactly a locker room cancer. Being a cancer actually requires some effort, some work on the part of the perpetrator. Brand Lloyd just kind of cruised along at about three-quarters speed both on and off the field.

And it was not going full speed that ultimately cost him his job with the Redskins. Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders seemed to be willing to give him a mulligan for a spotty 2006 season and he was scheduled to have a major role in the offense in '07. On the first play of the fourth quarter of the season opener against Miami, Jason Campbell threw a deep pass intended for Lloyd in the end zone. The receiver made a half hearted effort at the ball and it was picked off by Miami seven yards deep in the end zone. Lloyd was even less interested in making the tackle than he was in making the catch and the defender scampered 29 yards to the 22.

That was it. Lloyd was buried on the depth chart the rest of the year before breaking his collarbone around midseason and winding up on injured reserve.

Don’t let the facts get in the way

In the Denver Post, columnist Bill Williamson regurgitates some trade and free agency rumors that have been floating around ever since the end of the season:

Believe the reports that the Redskins are going to try to pry receiver Chad Johnson from Cincinnati. Johnson has been vocal about his desire to be dealt but Bengals coach Marvin Lewis recently said the Pro Bowl player will not be traded.

If Johnson isn't traded, the Redskins could turn their attention to Javon Walker, who, like Johnson, wants to be traded. Yet, unlike Cincinnati, Denver wants to accommodate Walker with a trade.

Washington and Denver have been willing trading partners in the past and could easily make a deal. If not Walker, Washington could pursue Oakland's Jerry Porter.

Rumors also are making the rounds that the Skins are after Lance Briggs and that they are going to give him the $20 million guaranteed and $7 million annual contract that his agent is seeking.

In other words, the Redskins are going to party like it's 2000.

All of these tales are forgetting one little fact that will seriously hamper the Redskins if, indeed, they wanted to go raiding other teams of their veteran talent. When it's 12:01 AM this Friday, the Redskins will be under the salary cap by the slimmest of margins. It's only slightly more than the value of the spare change I have sitting on my dresser right now.

Certainly, we've seen the Redskins work some magic with the cap in the past, reworking a deal here and guaranteeing a bonus there and, boom, there's room on the credit card to go shopping. And the Skins undoubtedly will make a move or two for depth or perhaps a second-tier receiver with size and they will need to rework deals to accomplish that.

It's not that they can't create enough space to take on Johnson's salary or to work something with Lance Briggs. And, with the Redskins the key phrase always is "never say never". But every year the writers lap up whatever Drew Rosenhaus and the other cadre of agents gathered at the combine feed them and this year is no exception.

No sense letting the facts get in the way of a good story.

Combore

I'm an NFL writer. I'm an NFL guy. But I couldn't possibly be less interested in the alleged NFL "event" going on this weekend.

The combine (I refuse to capitalize it) is all over the sports media. There were some 400 media credentials issued for the gathering, more than one for every player participating. Every paper has its team beat reporters in Indianapolis. Sirius NFL radio is there for many of its daily shows. The omnipresent ESPN is there. The NFL Network is the worst, carrying hour upon tedious hour of live coverage from the RCA Dome and the various other media centers in downtown Indy. They're even counting down highlights and showing classic combine moments from years past.

And why are they all there? To watch a bunch of college dropouts run around in shorts and t-shirts doing a variety of tasks, most of which are unrelated to football. The prospects run the 40, do a vertical jump from a standing start, pump iron, run laterally over some pads lined up on the ground, and do something called a three-cone drill. They get weighed, measured, poked and prodded. Fortunately, the TV coverage does not include the weigh-in which, I understand, in conducted in minimal clothing.

The purpose of this is to provide NFL coaches and general managers with what they call "measurables". That way, in three years when five of a given team's seven draft picks are working at Best Buy, the GM can go to his boss and say, "but our second-round guy ran a 4.355 40 and the fifth-rounder had a shuttle drill time that was off the charts." Of course, he won't remind his boss that he ignored the fact that those draftees were utterly unproductive on the field of play.

For their part, most of the players have put a dent into the former schools' graduation rates, dropping out to prepare full-time for the combine. A cottage industry has sprung up centered around training NFL prospects in the finer points of the shuttle run and shaving a few hundredths of a second off of their 40 times. All of this is bankrolled by eager agents, who front the kids expense money is exchange for a hefty chunk of their first few paychecks.

I suppose it's necessary, a good way for all of the teams to pool their resources and get some needed information. And it would be a bit much for a prospect to have to run the 40-yard dash 32 times. The economy of scale does make some sense.

But 400 media credentials? There are pressers going on almost constantly, providing quotes, notes and nuggets to fuel the 24/7 sports media machine. Kind of like the event we had all of two and a half weeks ago in Arizona. I mean, has that much changed since the Super Bowl that we need a whole new round of it?

At least in Phoenix the media frenzy was centered around an actual event, a football game for the NFL championship. This weekend's press opportunity revolves around something that's sort of like a track meet minus the crowds, the excitement, and the awarding of medals.

I'm usually a sucker for anything with the letters "NFL" as part of name. But I'll pass on this one.

Jansen restructures

Although nobody is calling him "The Rock" any more, the longest-tenured current Redskin will be staying around for while longer.

Jon Jansen has agreed to restructure his contract. As most of us know, such a deal generally does not cost the player any money. A payment due to a player is reclassified from one category to another, creating cap space for the team. In this case, Jansen reduced his 2008 salary from almost $5 million to $730,000, the minimum salary for a player with Jansen's tenure. The difference of about $4.25 million was converted into a signing bonus and the cap impact will be spread over the remaining four years of his deal.

The net 2008 cap savings total about $3.2 million. The move leaves the Redskins just about $700,000 over the cap after accounting for the contracts of Mark Brunell and Rock Cartwright, both of which void at the start of free agency.

Jansen missed all of the 2004 season with an Achilles injury and he went out for the 2007 season in the first quarter of the first game with a dislocated ankle. He's been tagged as injury prone and that along with his age (32) had some doubting whether or not the Redskins should bring him back and let Stephon Heyer take over the RT position.

Cutting him was not seriously considered as that would have resulted in a net cap hit of $1.7 million.

From 1999 through 2003, Jansen never missed a game and rarely missed a snap (after doing the same thing the previous four years at Michigan), earning the nickname "The Rock." The injuries have stripped him of that moniker.

The view here is that the injury prone rap is somewhat unfair. An Achilles tear is just a fluke thing and he has fully recovered from that. The injury last year also was just bad luck as the pile rolled over his leg. It's not like he has a bad knee or a bum shoulder or another chronic injury that's likely to cause problems.

Still, it's a performance league and Jansen will have to return to top form if he wants to see the remaining salary dollars from the extension he signed before last season. Jansen's performance since 1999 has gone from solid to just below elite to back to solid. Many offensive linemen maintain that level of play well into the mid-30's and it's certainly possible that Jansen can do just that.

(All salary cap data courtesy of PC's Redskins Salary Cap site.)

Skins won’t be major players

In an interview on Redskins Radio on Friday (nicely summarized here by host Bram Weinstein) Vinny Cerrato said that the Redskins do not expect to be major players in free agency in 2008. The signing period is set to start on Friday, February 29.

This is not exactly shocking news considering that it takes cap room to be a major player in free agency and the Redskins have precious little of that. They're currently about $4 million over the cap. Most of that overage will go away when Mark Brunell's contract voids out at the start of free agency, creating a net cap deduction of around $3 million (all cap information, as always, courtesy of my friend PC's Redskins cap site). The rest of the overage can be taken care of with a few minor restructures.

As of now, there is no talk of any players becoming cap casualties or even being asked to take a pay cut. As long as that remains the status quo it's good news for some players like Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin, both of whom have high cap numbers, declining productivity and significant savings if they were to be released.

As was discussed here earlier this week, Brandon Lloyd could be released before free agency starts, either as a regular cut or as one designated as post-June 1. The former move would force the Redskins to find another $3 million of cap space as that would be the net hit for doing so.

The Redskins will be able to sign a couple of moderately-priced free agents, like they did last year with London Fletcher and Fred Smoot. There isn't much floating around out there in the way of names, although Cerrato did say that the team would be looking for a tall WR either in free agency or in the draft. Among free agents who would fill that bill are Ernest Wilford (6-4) of Jacksonville and Bryant Johnson (6-3) of Arizona.

There still is talk of the Redskins going after Chicago LB Lance Briggs or New England CB Asante Samuel, but all of that is likely to remain talk. Both of those players are going to command $20 or more in guaranteed money and while it's possible that the Redskins could clear enough space and structure a deal the right way to fit such a contract in this year it would be unlikely.

Unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility. You never say never with this bunch.

Smith takes OC job

Sherman Smith is coming to the Redskins as Jim Zorn's offensive coordinator. After first informing the Titans that he was going to decline the offer and return to Tennessee, Smith had one more talk with Zorn. The Z-man, as Smith has continually called the Skins' new head coach in interviews with the Washington Post, apparently had a strong closing pitch and as a result Mr. Smith will be coming to Washington.

Oddly (now there's an upset, something odd in this situation), Smith will be over newly acquired running backs coach Stump Mitchell on the organizational chart. However, Mitchell has the title of "Assistant Head Coach—Running Backs" while Smith, who had the AHC title in Tennessee, will be not carry that title. He'll just be the OC.

It is assumed that Joe Bugel still will carry the Assistant Head Coach tag as he has since returning as offensive line coach in 2004.

Going higher tech

Redskins.com has come up with a widget that lets you connect to the latest propag—I mean, latest news from Redskins Park. I suppose they would like it if I put it up at the top of every post or in the masthead or somewhere that it can always be seen so that they can deliver all of the "unfiltered" news about the Redskins (like all of the news that Redskins.com gave us about the coaching search. What? They didn't post squat on the whole process? Never mind.) via my blog readers.

Well, I'm not going that far, but I'm going to put it in this post just for the heck of it. As I type this, I haven't seen it on the site yet, but I'm guessing that it's going to be large and obnoxious.

Yep, I was right.

Lloyd due roster bonus

Since I posted the article about Brandon Lloyd yesterday, a bit of new information was brought to my attention that is relevant to the decision regarding his future with the Redskins.

He is due a $1.8 million roster bonus if he is still on the team as of July 15. Yes, you read that right. On top of a $1 million salary and after getting $10 million in guaranteed bonuses, he's entitled to almost two million bucks for being on the roster on the eve of training camp. Two questions:

1. Can the Loudon County Commonwealth's Attorney go after Lloyd for grand theft?
   
2. If not, is it too late to instill a questionable work ethic in my son and have him embark on a dual career of a rap "artist" with a side job as a football player?
   

In any case, it does make Option 4, keeping him and giving him a shot at earning a roster spot in camp, a more expensive proposition. It's possible that they could talk to Lloyd and tell him that if he agrees to forgo the roster bonus they will give him a shot in camp and if he makes it his $1 million salary will stand. If the Redskins let him go he won't get any more than a one-year, minimum salary deal. He's never going to see the $1.8 million anyway. It might be a worthwhile gamble for Lloyd.

But if he doesn't agree—and I'd say the odds are against him signing away the money—the only options are the ones that don't have him on the roster on July 15.

Brandon Lloyd: What are the options?

What will the Redskins do about Brandon Lloyd? The Redskins gave up two mid-round draft picks and $10 million guaranteed to get Lloyd from the 49ers prior to the 2006 season. All they have received in return is 25 catches for 379 yards and zero TD's and an attitude that has ranged from lackadaisical to nonchalant. What should the Redskins do with him? Here are the options and the ramifications of each (all salary cap data courtesy of PC's Redskins Salary Cap site):

1. Cut him now—Lloyd is scheduled to count $4.2 million against the cap in 2008. If the Redskins were to do a straight cut right now there would be an acceleration of $7.1 million in signing and option bonuses already paid. That nets out to a net charge of $2.9 million against the cap (negative savings, if you will). This would be a way to start clean under the new coaching staff, get him off the books, and not leave a lingering cap hit.
   
2. Cut him now designated as a June 1 waiver—This is something that's around now for the second year. A team can cut a player at the start of free agency but have the cap hit come as though the move took place after June 1. This would push most of Lloyd's dead cap into 2009. The Redskins would save $2.4 million of cap money this year (although it will stay on the books until 6/1) and they would have a dead cap charge of $5.3 million in 2009.
   
3. Cut him after June 1—The early June 1 cut is advantageous primarily to the player as it gives him a chance to find a job when the market is still lively. While it's highly unlikely that a team would give up a player or a pick for Lloyd, it might be worth keeping him around on the slim chance that someone might do it.
   
4. Give him a shot at earning a roster spot—If the Redskins go with options 2 or 3, they still will be hamstrung in free agency as that $2.4 million in savings won't be available to them until after June 1. As long as that's the case, why not see if he can be productive with a fresh start, a new offense under a new coaching staff? In the event he makes it, it's a plus for Zorn and the team gets some return on its investment of cash and picks. If he doesn't (the more likely outcome), they can cut him in camp and put the $2.4 million in savings towards extending Jason Campbell or filling a need arising due to injury.
   

If it was up to me, I'd go with either 1 or 4. Either get rid of him, take your lumps, and move on or give him a shot at doing something. Of course, if it was up to me I would have done a simple Google search prior to making the deal and find out enough that would keep me from doing it, but that's beside the point.

Ocho Cinco a No Go?

Chad Johnson in Maroon and Black, er, Burgundy and Gold?

Not so fast.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was fairly adamant in insisting that his team's mercurial receiver would not be traded:

"There will be no trade of Chad Johnson. . .No. 1, the guy has a contract through 2011, OK. No one within the Bengals organization has ever spoken of or ever uttered anything about trading Chad Johnson, nor will he be traded. There is no such thing as behind-the-door dealings in the NFL. That does not occur because the team in question (the Bengals) is not willing to trade their player nor have they thought about trading their player or discussed trading their player, or will they discuss trading their player. So I think that's pretty clear. Things can move on."

There doesn't seem to be much wiggle room there. This wasn't a "Chad Johnson is a Bengal for now and we don't plan on trading him at this time" type of statement. It covers the past, present, and future. Clearly, Lewis has painted himself into a corner here with his series of declarative sentences. If at any point he relents and deals Johnson, he will have lost a significant amount of credibility. If, in the future, another Bengal wants out of Cincinnati he will know that the first no-trade statement is just a bargaining ploy.

Between the lines, Lewis was saying that the Bengals would have to get an offer that knocked their socks off to trade Johnson. He'd have to get a deal so good that he's look worse for turning it down than he would for backtracking on such a definitive statement. That's the only way he could unload him and still have credibity. He could just say that they had no intention of dealing #85 but that the offer was one that they couldn't refuse.

Which leads us to the Redskins, the kings of overpaying. If anyone is likely to make an offer another team can't refuse, it's the one that gave up a third-rounder for a player who was about to be cut in Mark Brunell. It's the team that gave $10 million guaranteed and a third and fourth for Brandon Lloyd. It's the team that gave up as third and a fourth for T. J. Duckett. The Redskins have overpaid pre-Gibbs II and during Gibbs II. This is the first major test of the post-Gibbs II era.

This Johnson to the Redskins talk has Drew Rosenhaus written all over it. Johnson's agent loves to talk up the chances of his clients landing in Washington, where the money flows freely. It was the same with Lance Briggs last year and with Terrell Owens a couple of years ago.

Even before Lewis' statement, the view here was that the whole Johnson to the Redskins thing was a lot of smoke emanating from very little fire. Now it seems even more unlikely that the team will give up in terms of draft picks and/or players what it would take for Lewis to OK the deal and still save face.

Unlikely, yes. But given the team's history, you can't rule it out completely.

Paralysis by analysis

I've been suffering from paralysis by analysis for the past 48 hours. Every since the hiring of Jim Zorn, I've been bookmarking articles about the hire and about the process, ready to pick them apart and point out the biases, the illogical and untrue statements, and the hypocrisy present in so many of them. But as soon as I found one that was good fodder, I'd find another one that was even dumber.

So, first I'm going to go into a little more detail about my opinion of the hiring and then, over the coming days when I've gathered enough of the good, the bad, and the Adam Schein take on the Zorn hiring and do a few prize pull quotes from them with a reasoned response.

While it was surprising, I like the hire. It was absolutely nothing like what everyone said a Dan Snyder hire would be. He was a small name, an outside-the-box idea, a tiny splash in the pool. It's as though Zorn was hired by the Bizarro Snyder, at least according to his media image.

As far as the hiring process, I'm just glad it's over. I don't buy for a second that he was brought in as OC with the notion that he was a candidate for the head job. Snyder and Cerrato were suffering from their own case of paralysis by analysis and it occurred to the latter that the solution to their dilemma was the guy that was settling into the office down the hall from the one that used to belong to Joe Gibbs. If you're obsessed with process, as many in Washington tend to be and as many writers tend to be, the search was a black mark. If you're interested in results, all's well that ends well.

I like Zorn, from what I've read about him and what I've heard from him. Speaking of outside the box, that defines his thinking. Whether it's having his QB's play dodge ball or romp on a Slip 'n' Slide (see video embedded below) or riding his bicycle to work, he thinks about thinks and does things just a little bit differently than the rest of us. It's not necessarily a case of different is better (more on that later), but the change from the cookie-cutter approach is refreshing.

Zorn's introductory presser yesterday was not a virtuoso performance by a polished performer by any stretch of the imagination. He sounded nervous and he committed a few gaffes like the maroon and black reference, which was especially embarrassing because he volunteered the incorrect information. He'll be consulting with a PR firm before the media blizzard starts in the summer.

We don't know whether or not Zorn will be successful as a head coach. Many, of course, have buried him as one of the worst hires in years. I don't think that he will be, but there's no way of knowing for sure. Of course, it's the fact that we don't know that makes the two thumbs down reviews so utterly void of credibility.

His success, or lack thereof, will not be determined by his lack of experience as a coordinator. I'll take that back partially; it may hurt him this coming season. Plenty of coaches have been successful with limited or no experience as an NFL coordinator, Andy Reid (zero seasons), Tom Coughlin (zero seasons) and Mike Tomlin (one season). On the other hand, many star coordinators have flopped as NFL head coaches (look no further than Turner, Norv and Petitbon, Richie). It may take a year for him to get down the mechanics of things, but, ultimately, he either has "it" or he doesn't.

The Zorn Supremecy

Jim Zorn is on the move again.

A couple of weeks ago, he made the move from Seattle to Washington when he was hired away from the Seahawks to be the Redskins' offensive coordinator.

His next move won't be very far in terms of distance—he'll just be moving down the hall to a different, bigger office. But it's a long way in terms of prestige and responsibility. He'll be the next head coach of the Washington Redskins.

After they took Steve Spagnuolo to the airport to bid him farewell, nothing came out Redskins Park. None of the supposed leading candidates for the job were contacted. The phones of Jim Fassel, Ron Meeks, and Steve Mariucci sat silent. For the last few days, the Redskins' coaching search, in the words of Chris Mortensen, had gone underground.

Actually, it had gone inside. Their man for the job already was working in the building. They talked Thursday and Friday and then Zorn went back to Seattle, where his family still is residing, to talk it over. He returned Saturday and the deal was done.

I've read a few articles about Zorn recently, and this passage from a Seattle PI article sums up what I've learned:

Zorn never has done things the traditional way, from his days as the Seahawks' original quarterback to his rise through the coaching ranks to his current position as the team's quarterbacks coach.

"There's no question, Jim comes at things from a different perspective," said a smiling Steve Largent, Zorn's Hall of Fame teammate and favorite target from the franchise's infancy and still his best friend.

"He thinks about things differently than a normal person does."

Zorn Press Release

I don't normally post entire press releases here, but this one has a lot of good quotes from Zorn and Gibbs and sheds a little light on the process in general and how it arrived at Zorn in particular.

Jim Zorn, a veteran coach of 20 years and a renowned former NFL quarterback, today was named Head Coach of the Washington Redskins, succeeding Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs, who retired Jan. 8.

"I've always dreamed of being a head coach with a franchise rich in tradition like the Redskins," Zorn said. "As a player who had to fight Redskins teams at RFK as well as at our home field, I know about the history of this franchise as well as the passion of its fans. I won't let you down."

"We're proud that our search was diligent, thorough, and resulted in today's announcement," said team owner Daniel M. Snyder. "Jim's track record and reputation as a player, great teacher, and as a coach makes us confident that they will translate to success for the Redskins."

Zorn, who signed a five-year contract with the team, spent seven seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, where they shared in playoff trips for the past five seasons and one Super Bowl appearance.

His elevation to head coach at the Redskins adds his name to Holmgren's "family tree" of quarterback coaches who moved into the head coaching ranks, joining Andy Reid (directly from quarterback coach to the Eagles head coach), Jon Gruden, Marty Mornhinweg and Steve Mariucci.

Holmgren's tree also includes Jim Mora, Dick Jauron, Ray Rhodes and Mike Sherman.

Zorn said he was excited about working with the Redskins from the first moment the team contacted him.

"I know about the history and great fans of the Redskins. I played against the Redskins. I played against our two newest Hall of Famers, Art Monk and Darrell Green," Zorn said. "Like all Redskins fans, I am a long-time admirer of Joe Gibbs.

"Thanks to him, today's Redskins have a solid foundation that will serve us well. I expect great things of our team, and hold myself accountable for providing the leadership to make us successful."

Zorn broke into the National Football League in 1976 as the first quarterback for the expansion Seahawks, starting all 14 games and earning Rookie of the Year honors.

He went on to play nine seasons for the team, then one year each with the Green Bay Packers, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1987.

Zorn is one of only eight players in the Seahawks' Ring of Honor.

"Playing experience like Jim's is an enormous advantage for a head coach," said Gibbs. "Every move he makes, every play he calls, is based on the foundation of having actually played in real time and in the face of real opponents. You can't learn that on the sidelines or in the classroom."

"Dan and Vinny worked extremely hard on this process, and their research and diligence paid off after many long nights and hard hours. They're to be congratulated for that," Gibbs said.

"Dan was impressed with Jim from their first meeting. The first time he talked to me about hiring Jim I could tell what a strong impression he had made," Gibbs added. "Jim was a heck of a player, I know because I had to coach against him. But everyone also knows what a high-quality person he is, it's the first thing people tell you."

"I'm also extremely excited about the fact that Dan has maintained such stability and continuity among the staff. Not just the coaches, but also the entire infrastructure--strength coaches, medical staff, and others--that is required to maintain chemistry on a team," Gibbs said.

The Redskins began their search for a new coach on Jan. 9, following Gibbs' decision to retire.

Snyder, Executive Vice President for Football Operations Vinny Cerrato,and other team officials evaluated more than 50 potential candidates for the head coaching job over two days and selected 10 for interviews, which began Jan. 10.

"We knew of Jim's stellar offensive reputation, so we hired him as coordinator, but we also suspected he would be a strong candidate for head coach," Snyder said. "After our first six-hour interview with him, I told Joe (Gibbs), ?This guy would make a terrific head coach.'"

"But we stayed true to our commitment to interview every candidate. That took longer than expected because the Giants kept moving through the playoffs. Once we completed our interview with Steve Spagnuolo and concluded a day of discussion about all candidates, I called Jim and asked him to meet for lunch," Snyder continued. "I told him we were considering him as the next head coach, and asked if he wanted to move forward. Without hesitation he said "absolutely," and that's all I needed to hear."

"We spent two days taking Jim through the same interview process as every other candidate. Those sessions only confirmed my earlier comment to Joe (Gibbs): Jim Zorn will be a terrific head coach," Snyder said.

"I appreciate our fans' patience during this process. We promised a full search and we stuck to that promise. I also want to thank Joe (Gibbs) for his daily encouragement to stay the course, be patient, and fully interview everyone we identified as a potential head coach," Snyder added. "I also want to thank all the candidates for their time and hard work. They are all strong coaches and good people."

Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins Executive Vice President of Football Operations, said, "I'm proud of our work over the past 30 days, and I'm excited by the outcome. e worked seven days a week, late into the night. We were thorough, professional, and detailed. Our process was designed to identify the best candidate and it did.

"Jim (Zorn) is the only coach we offered the job to, contrary to some reports."

Zorn began his NFL coaching career following nine years as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator at Boise State, Utah State and the University of Minnesota. He joined the Seahawks in 1997 as an offensive assistant.

The next season he moved to the Detroit Lions as quarterbacks coach, where he was instrumental in the development of rookie quarterback Charlie Batch. In his rookie season, Batch's 88.3 passer rating ranks as the fourth-highest rookie mark in NFL history.

Holmgren brought Zorn to the Seahawks as quarterbacks coach in 2001, where he coached current Seahawk quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Trent Dilfer and Brock Huard.

In 2002, Dilfer began the season as the starter, with Hasselbeck stepping in to complete the season. That year, Seattle's passing attack ranked third in the NFL and Hasselbeck finished the season ranked first in the NFC with a 63.7 completion percentage and second in the NFC with a 87.8 passer rating.

With Hasselbeck entrenched as Seattle's starter, Zorn has worked with Holmgren in implementing the team's offense while also continuing the development of the quarterback.

Hasselbeck, now a perennial Pro Bowler, continues to rank among the NFL's best quarterbacks. Similarly, the Seahawk's offense regular ranks among the NFL elite.

Zorn, 54, and his wife Joy have four children: Rachel, Sarah, Danielle, and a son, Isaac. Rachel is married to Neal Mitchell. They have a one-month old daughter Hollis Joy.

Jim and Joy Zorn are active in Medical Teams International and Pro Athletes Outreach.

Medical Teams International is dedicated to implementing and supporting programs that address the causes and effects of inadequate health care worldwide. Their teams of medical, dental and other health professionals volunteer their expertise to serve hospitals and clinics worldwide.

Pro Athletes Outreach is led by former NFL offensive tackle Norm Evans and his wife Bobbe in its training of professional athletes and their wives to become leaders in Christ. In 1998, Pro Athletes Outreach expanded its scope to provide conferences to help train and equip coaches to support their work with athletes.

It’s Zorn

Jim Zorn got a quick promotion. He's been named head coach of the Washington Redskins. More later.

A college coach?

I'm going to label this up front as pure speculation, but I have a theory that I want to put out there.

Two weeks ago, the Redskins announced that they were going to wait until after the Super Bowl to make a coaching announcement. That game was played on February 3. We all thought that this meant that Dan Snyder was waiting to interview the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo, something he did for the better part of two days.

So, the Redskins waited two weeks for nothing, right? Minus Spags, the pool of potential coaches is the same now as it was then, right?

Not so fast.

Another major football event took place a few days after the Super Bowl. Wednesday was NCAA signing day, the day that college football recruits formally commit to the institution of higher learning of their choice. The few weeks leading up to that are critical for college football programs. Years have been invested in trying to woo a given star player to State U and if the coach of State U were to bolt for the pros two weeks before signing day all that effort could well be wasted. A player who wanted to play for a particular coach just might decide to go elsewhere.

However, after that recruit signs on the line there is little recourse if the coach leaves. The player commits to the school, not to the coach. It may be wrong for a coach to leave as soon as the ink on the contracts is dry, but nothing prohibits him from doing so.

So, was Snyder waiting for the first week in February not only because it marks the end of the NFL season but it also marks the start of open season on college coaches?

The one NCAA coach in which Snyder has demonstrated an interest is Pete Carroll of USC. Carroll also demonstrated an interested in the job. They met a few weeks ago in St. Louis and at the time the time both sides "decided not to pursue" the possibility, according to the AP story.

Neither side wanted the fact that the meeting took place to become public knowledge. It happened "early in the process" , perhaps in the first week after Joe Gibbs announced his retirement on January 8. Nobody knew about it until the NFL Network reported it on January 27.

The issue likely was control. It's been pretty well established that Carroll would want something close to complete control if he was going to take an NFL job and Vinny Cerrato is standing in the way of a Redskins coach having that.

But what Snyder giveth, Snyder can taketh away. Should he want to remove that obstacle to hiring Carroll, he could simply announce that the new coach and Cerrato would "share responsibility" for player personnel, meaning that Carroll would make the decisions and Cerrato would make the coffee.

It would be a bit stickier to get around the fact that the coordinators have been hired, but maybe Carroll could decide that he will work around that in exchange for an eight-figure annual salary.

I probably have wasted an hour of my life typing this and I apologize if you've wasted the five minutes it took to read it. If I had to bet right now, I'd put my money on Jim Fassel. But the longer it takes, the more improbable possibilities come into play.

Report: Skins have had “no contact” with Fassel

I don't necessarily feel compelled to pass along every news report I hear or read about the Redskins here since most of you have TV's and all of you have computers and you get pretty much what I get.

However, when something is reported on the NFL Network, I try to post something about it since, from what I hear, I'm among about the three-tenths of a percent of the country that has NFLN. I have Comcast Cable (too many trees for DirectTV) and while the tier that has NFLN is $5.99/month, I'm on a permanent "deal" to get it for $1.99. It was easy to sneak that onto the cable bill. That also includes the HD version of the channel. I like the NFL Replay shortened versions of the best games of the week and during the offseason they have shows that have really hot cheerle—

Oh, I guess you'd like me to get to the news. Adam Schefter said that, as of 7 PM EST tonight, that nobody from the Redskins has contacted Jim Fassel. Given that the announcement that Steve Spagnuolo will be staying with the Giants came before noon, it seems odd that Dan Snyder hasn't picked up the phone to pull the trigger on what is widely assumed to be his backup plan.

It appears that Schefter's source for this is someone from Fassel's camp, probably his agent.

What might this mean? Your guess is as good as mine.

Spagnuolo at Redskins Park

According to broadcast reports, Dan Snyder's interview with Steve Spagnuolo has moved to Redskins Park.

That would seem to be a good indicator for those who are in favor of the hiring of the Super Bowl champs' defensive coordinator, but, as has been the case throughout the process, we really don't know. Perhaps Spagnuolo is not sold and Snyder wants to show him the facilities in Ashburn before taking him to Dulles for the flight back to New York. Or, back to the first possibility, maybe the team headquarters will serve as a meeting place for the team's lawyers, Spagnuolo, and his agent to draw up a contract.

Spagnuolo out

As most of you know, Steve Spagnuolo will be remaining in his job as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants rather than becoming the next head coach of the Washington Redskins.

After talking until the wee hours of the morning both Tuesday and Wednesday, Spagnuolo flew back to New York early this morning without an offer from the Redskins. He then took an offer from the Giants that included a fat raise.

Both Spagnuolo's agent Bob LaMont and leaks from the Redskins have said that he was not offered the Redskins job. There was an AP report that said that both sides decided that Spags was a year or two away from being ready to be a head coach, a report that was denied by LaMont in a conversation with Jason La Canfora.

The point that needs to be made here is that we can draw no conclusions from the apparent fact that there was no job offer. It's quite possible that Dan Snyder tried to sell him on the job, but Spagnuolo didn't give off signals that he was comfortable with the arrangement (despite multiple reports that he would be OK with the coordinators already being in place) so Snyder figured that a formal offer would be fruitless.

It's also possible that Spags demonstrated that he was lacking certain skills needed to be a successful NFL coach. As we have seen before, being a great coordinator does not translate into being a great coach, or even a good coach. Of course, you can question whether or not Snyder and Vinny Cerrato really are qualified to make such a judgment, but the Golden Rule—the man with the gold makes the rules—applies here.

It looks now like we're back to where we were two weeks ago with Jim Fassel being the leading candidate. More coming on him should the story move in that direction.

The waiting game

According to the latest report, Dan Snyder and Steve Spagnuolo were still huddled at Snyder's Maryland estate discussing the Redskins head coaching job as of late Wednesday afternoon. Their talks started Tuesday evening.

A fly on the wall in stately Snyder manor likely is hearing two sales jobs going on. One is typical in such circumstances—Spagnuolo trying to convince the team owner that he can handle the top job. Spagnuolo has been the Giants' defensive coordinator for just a year, coming over from the Eagles after having held various position coach positions there. The fact that his defense stifled the top three offenses in the NFL to provide a great boost to the Giants in their run to the Super Bowl title is a great conversation starter. However, as was discussed here a couple of days ago, there is more to being a good head coach than just being a great coordinator (for further reference, look up Turner, Norv).

The other sales job is being done by Snyder, trying to persuade Spagnuolo that the Redskins organization as currently structured can do what the Giants just did, win a championship and that walking into a job where your top lieutenants have already been selected isn't such a bad thing. An extremely kind assessment of Vinny Cerrato would be that he is untested in his current role as Vice President of Football Operations and it may take some doing to convince Spagnuolo that he can acquire the talent necessary to win.

There is speculation—gee, imagine that—that Snyder really has no intention of hiring Spagnuolo and that he's just trying to pump him for information about the Giants and Eagles. Jim Fassel is the man, they say, just as he was two weeks ago. Others are guessing that Spags has no intention of leaving the Giants and he's just putting on a dog and pony show to try to get more money out of the Giants.

The first conspiracy theory is plausible, I suppose, but is presumes that Snyder was willing to put everything on hold for two weeks, to hire offensive and defensive coordinators without a head coach and take the slings and arrows that accompany doing that, just to try to glean some information from Spagnuolo. That's a losing tradeoff by my assessment.

And, certainly, the Giants will want an opportunity to sweeten the pot, just as the Cowboys did with Jason Garrett. Garrett apparently could have had his pick of the head jobs in Baltimore or Atlanta but he turned them down and accepted a fat raise in order to stay with the Cowboys.

But there are a few key differences here. In Dallas, the job security of head coach Wade Phillips is one more playoff one and done away from being extremely shaky. The Super Bowl win will keep Tom Coughlin on solid ground for several years, if not longer.

Like Garrett is, Spagnuolo would be taking a risk if he were to turn down a head coaching job in order to either gain some more experience or look for the ideal situation. Let's say Michael Strahan retires, they lose a starter or two via free agency, the organization doesn't hit another home run in the draft, and the players spend their spring and early summer enjoying the fruits of being a champion in the Big Apple and spend more time cutting ribbons at new Best Buy locations than they do pumping iron and watching film. The defense, ranked #17 in the NFL this past season, slumps and the Giants go 8-8. It's unlikely that his phone would be ringing much during the 2009 offseason should that happen. It may be better for Spags to grab the brass ring if he gets the chance.

All that being said, Snyder may conclude his interview with Spagnuolo sometime today, or maybe even tomorrow, and decide that he's not the guy for the job. Or Spags might get the offer but conclude that he really doesn't like the setup and the in-place coaches and that even if he never gets another chance he's better off as DC of the Giants. We should find out in the next 48 hours.

Spags makes his case

In his three hires of head coaches, Dan Snyder has taken one from each of three major categories. He has gone the retread route in hiring Marty Schottenheimer. Then he went into the college ranks to get Steve Spurrier. Four years ago it was returning legend Joe Gibbs. The results have ranged from a cut or two above mediocre to downright embarrassing.

Now, he has a chance to go into a fourth category—the hot coordinator. And rarely has there been a coordinator more smokin' hot than Steve Spagnuolo.

Spagnuolo, born December 21, 1959 in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, currently is the defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. In case you haven't heard, his defense held the highest scoring team in NFL history to 14 points. According to Joe White of the Associated Press, Spagnuolo will interview for the Redskins head coaching job on Tuesday.

Holding the best offensive team in NFL history to two touchdowns in the Super Bowl does not, in and of itself, qualify a coordinator to be a head coach. Neither does running a defense that beat Tony Romo, Bret Favre, and Tom Brady along the road to the title. And it takes more than being a fiery, intense presence on the sidelines. Spagnuolo has all of that. It takes having a plan for the whole team, for how the units will mesh together. A coordinator generally has to deal with the media but those responsibilities grow exponentially when moving up to the level of head coach. When a practice squad offensive lineman gets into a barroom fight the head coach gets a phone call at 2:30 AM. He's responsible for setting the tone, setting the mood for the entire 53-man roster.

Can Spagnuolo handle all of that? Snyder will try to get a feel for that during Tuesday's interview (and perhaps a second one a day or two later). But, until a coach does it, there's no way of telling whether or not he'll do it well. All Snyder can do is try to calculate what the chances are that he will be successful.

And if Snyder determines that there is a reasonable chance that Spagnuolo will fill the bill, he might well choose to offer the job to him. If that happens, it seems likely that he will accept it. It's likely that the Giants will come back with to offer some more money and an Assistant Head Coach title. But there is no guarantee that there will ever be another top job offer for Spags. The Giants could well follow the route of many Super Bowl champions and wallow in mediocrity for a few seasons. Nobody wants the DC of a 9-7 or 8-8 team that went one and done in the playoffs, which is where the Giants were the last two years.

Spagnuolo may not get his choice of coordinators, but he may have been sending a signal that he would be OK with that when he spoke to the media during the week leading up to the Super Bowl. When he came to the Giants as their DC at the beginning of this past season, the team had decided to retain almost all of the defensive position coaches. Spagnuolo didn't have a problem with that, as he was quoted as saying in this article from the Arizona Republic:

Inheriting a staff wouldn't be an ideal situation for some assistants, but Spagnuolo viewed it as a positive.

"In some regards, when that happens you're relieved of having to go find (coaches)," he said. "It didn't take long for me to realize that I was lucky they all stayed, in all truthfulness."

Will he feel lucky inheriting Jim Zorn and Greg Blache? We will see.

HOF Moment: Darrel Green 1.10.88

Darrel Green earned his bronze bust in Canton by preventing touchdowns, but on his most famous single play he scored a big one.

1/10/88	Redskins 21, BEARS 17					65,268
Was	0	14	7	0			21
Chi	7	7	3	0			17
Chi	Thomas 2 run (Butler kick)
Chi	Morris 14 pass from McMahon (Butler kick)
Was	Rogers 3 run (Haji-Shiekh kick)
Was	Didier 18 pass from Williams (Haji-Shiekh kick)
Was	Green 53 punt return (Haji-Shiekh kick)
Chi	FG Butler 25

The Redskins and Bears faced off in a rematch of the previous season's divisional playoff. In that matchup, also played in Soldier Field, Washington had stunned the defending champs to earn a ticket to the NFC title game in New York.

This time, the stakes were a bit higher. The wild card Minnesota Vikings had upset the 49ers the previous day, and the winner of this game between the Central and Eastern division champions would host the NFC title game. It was perfect Midwest football weather, a cold, sunny day where every breath was visible.

The Bears jumped to a 14-0 lead and appeared headed towards revenge. But Doug Williams, who had just nailed down the starting quarterback job, had other ideas.

A 32-yard pass from Williams to Ricky Sanders set up a 3-yard George Rogers scoring run and then the Redskins tied it before halftime with an 18-yard Williams to Clint Didier touchdown pass. Bears quarterback Jim McMahon started to find the going a bit tougher when Charles Mann started taking up residence in the Chicago backfield. Mann had three of the Redskins five sacks of McMahon and the Redskins were in control. Then Cap Boso became part of Redskins history.

Although you've seen Boso dozens if not hundreds of times, he's just a prop. In the third quarter of a tie game, Darrell Green fielded a punt at his own 48. It appeared that Boso would either tackle Green or knock him out of bounds at around the Bears' 30. That was until Green hurdled the would-be defender and, while in the air, changed direction back to the middle of the field.

The jaw-dropping move cost Green a torn rib cartridge that would keep him out the rest of the game, but it gained the Redskins the go-ahead touchdown as he glided into the end zone, clutching both the ball and his rib cage. Washington had a 21-14 lead. All Chicago could muster was a field goal later in the third period and Washington was headed home to host the NFC title game.

Monk’s greatest hits 12.16.84

A Hall of Fame career is made up of a series of Hall of Fame moments. Art Monk had many of those during his 14 seasons with the Redskins and his body of work was finally recognized today.

Here is one of his best games, one where he came through when the team needed him the most. From the pages of The Redskins From A to Z:

RFK Stadium—Mark Moseley's 37-yard field goal with 1:42 to play lifted the Redskins to a 29-27 win over St Louis and the NFC East division title. The Cardinals, who would have claimed the division crown, had a shot to steal it back at the end, but Neil O'Donoghue missed a 50-yard field goal attempt on the game's last play. The loss eliminated the Cards from the playoffs.

In an historic sidelight to the contest, Art Monk needed seven catches to break Charley Hennigan's 20-year old record of 101 in a season, set in the AFL with the Houston Oilers. As one would expect of a player of Monk's caliber, he broke the record in style and extended it with clutch plays down the stretch; more on that later.

Monk caught a pair of touchdown passes from Joe Theismann to get the Redskins off to a fast start. Then late in the half, the Redskins blocked a punt to set up a 21-yard Moseley field goal and they enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 23-7 lead going into the locker room at halftime. It wasn't long before Neil Lomax and the Cards would begin to make them sweat.

Lomax directed a drive at the outset of the second half that got the Cards a field goal. About three and a half minutes later, Lomax had his team on the board again, this time in more spectacular fashion with a 75-yard touchdown bomb to Roy Green. At 23-17 the Redskins' cruise to the division title had run into some choppy waters.

Monk helped to wake up the offense with a 36-yard catch to set up a 37-yard Moseley field goal to make it 26-17. That was catch number 102 on the season, breaking the record. The mark was noted on the RFK Stadium scoreboard and on the PA system, but there was no on-field celebration as there was still work to be done.

Lomax helped see to that. In the fourth quarter, he led one drive to a field goal, another to his second TD toss to Green. That lifted St. Louis into a one-point lead at 27-26 and the 54,299 in attendance stunned, along with the Redskins. Lomax racked up 468 yards passing on the day, with 314 of them coming in the second half.

The Washington offense responded, but the drive was in trouble after end Elois Grooms sacked Theismann to create a third and 19 at the St. Louis 47. With 2:40 remaining, everyone in the stadium knew the ball was going to Monk.

Therefore, Joe Gibbs had to try to find a way to hide Monk, inasmuch as that was possible. He sent in a play and formation that he had just installed that week called Two Divide. It called for Monk to line up at tight end on the right side. He fought his way off the line, found a hole on the right sideline and, Monk said, "The ball was perfect." It worked for a 20 yards and the first down at the 27. On the day, Monk caught 11 passes for 138 yards.

Three plays later, Moseley came in. "I felt comfortable and positive," Moseley said after the game. His feelings were justified as his 37-yard kick was perfect with room to spare and Washington was ahead 29-27 with 1:42 left to play.

Lomax and the Cards, though, weren't done just yet. The quarterback completed four passes in five plays to move his team to the Washington 39 with 32 seconds left. On third and nine from there Lomax flipped the ball to back Danny Pittman, who had just one obstacle to getting a first down and getting out of bounds to stop the clock, linebacker Rich Milot. The defender made a solid open-field tackle at the 33 and Cardinals rushed their field goal team in to attempt a 50-yard game winner.

"I was so worn out by then that I had a hard time working up the energy to be nervous," said Riggins after the game. He could have been speaking on behalf of most members of both teams.

The snap and hold were good, but Neil O'Donoghue's 50-yard attempt was a couple of yards short and a little wide to the left. The Redskins as division champs had a week off to prepare for a home playoff game. The Cardinals, out of the playoffs due to wild card tiebreakers, had six months to prepare for next year.

Fame catches up to Monk

From the early 1980's through the early 1990's, a sign hung in the far end zone from my seat at RFK Stadium. It was nothing fancy, painted on bed sheets in large block letters with a Redskins helmet on the left side. It was there every home game well before kickoff and it stayed well after the game ended.

The Art Gallery
Monk's a Masterpiece

The man the sign honored also was not fancy and very reliable. He showed up at RFK, or the Vet, or Three Rivers Stadium, or wherever the Redskins were playing, and went to work. When the Redskins needed six yards, Monk would catch a pass for eight yards. When the Skins needed six points, he'd take one to the house.

In his eighth try today, Art Monk was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His NFL records—most catches in a career, most catches in a season, most consecutive games with a catch—have all been broken. Now he has something that nobody can ever take away from him.

Too quiet?

As the search to find the successor to Joe Gibbs reaches its 26^th day, the news coming out of the process has slowed to a crawl, approaching a dead stop. It's been a week since the team announced that Gregg Williams and Al Saunders had been fired, that Jim Zorn and Greg Blache would be the offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, and that a new head man would not be named until after tomorrow's Super Bowl.

Since then, Jason LaCanfora created a stir when he followed a trail that led to Steve Mariucci being a potential candidate. Snyder and Cerrato were going to talk to him on Wednesday, then on Thursday. Now word from Dave Elfin is that they will talk before the game on Sunday. I'm not exactly sure when they're going to fit this in since Mooch's current employer, the NFL Network, is touting a six and a half hour pregame show and they undoubtedly have plans for the ex-Niners and Lions coach to be a part of it. Unless, of course, they've talked before.

And this leads us ask if it's just too quiet out there. It's been pretty well established that Snyder and Cerrato arrived in Arizona on Wednesday. What have they been doing? Riding the big Ferris wheel at the NFL Experience? Or are they perhaps coming up with one more twist on the roller coaster ride, adding another horse to the coaching carousel?

This week in the Phoenix area there is a potential coaching candidate under every rock. Mariucci is there. So is Cardinals offensive line coach Russ Grimm, someone with whom the team has not spoken, according to reports. So are dozens of other potential "surprise" candidates.

Is Snyder setting up a stunning announcement like the one we got a little over four years ago? A bolt out of the blue?

Throwing considerable water on this theory is that Jim Fassel also resides in the Phoenix area. It's quite possible that Dan and Vinny have been huddling with Jimmy to hash out some final details preceding the announcement of the former Giants coach as the new head man.

If indeed the delay in the announcement of a new head coach was strictly a ploy to let the fervent anti-Fassel outburst among Redskins fans online and on talk radio subside, it appears to have worked. A week and a half ago, Fassel was guilty of not being the peoples' and players' choice, Williams. Now the fact that Williams is moving on has sunk in and while there is precious little enthusiasm for a possible, perhaps probable, Fassel regime many who were angry a week ago are now accepting