For the good of the team, Snyder must make a decision

Danny Snyder and Vinny Cerrato's special relationship has been well documented.

It's a relationship that has spanned almost 10 years and over that time, the Redskins have been nothing if not mediocre. Some years a little more, some a little less. But doubtlessly mediocre.

And it's a relationship that, for the good of the Redskins, must end.

The roster
The Redskins have the oldest roster in the league with an average age of 27.60 and average NFL experience of 5.55 years.

But who on the roster right now is absolutely isn't expendable? Certainly not Campbell. Portis hasn't converted a third- or fourth-down (and 1) seemingly all year. Maybe Samuels or Dockery on the line. Not sure about any of the receivers. Maybe Moss, but he's wildly inconsistent. Anyone on defense? Maybe Haynesworth, but he hasn't proved his worth yet. Neither has Orakpo.

Everyone else could be replaced.

While we're talking about Orakpo, why the heck did we draft him to play a typical linebacker? He's a passrushing fiend, yet we have him playing basically a drop-back, read-and-react linebacker? Makes no sense.

Why does Cerrato have five running backs on the roster? We have Portis, Betts and Cartwright - who are basically the same type of back and very little upside - and then Alridge, who the Redskins haven't used yet but has a lot of upside. Betts and Cartwright are veterans who are not needed. They're good running backs, but provide the same thing that Portis brings to the table.

Campbell is not a West Coast Offense QB. Not sure why Cerrato brought in a WCO coach to teach a deep-ball passer how to run a WCO. Collins is too old to be anything other than a backup right now. Brennan has a lot of upside but really hasn't shown it quite yet. Oh, and he's on IR. Daniel showed a lot of upside, but Cerrato decided to jettison him.

Alright, I'll say it
First off, Snyder must fire Cerrato, and this time not bring him back. It'll be a tough decision to fire Cerrato, but it's something that Snyder must do if he wants the Redskins to ever get better on the field.

This team needs a complete overhaul. It's full of aging veterans - take a look at the defensive line (Wynn, Carter, Daniels) - who, while they have great experience - aren't exactly helping this team out right now.

It's pretty clear that Campbell probably won't be the Redskins starter next season (unless for some reason he has a great rest-of-the-season. Maybe take the time now to overhaul the team. It's going to take some time, but in the longhaul, it'll be worth it. Fix the offensive line first. Then get a quarterback who can make quick decisions and run the team from the line of scrimmage. He doesn't have to necessarily have a big arm. Don't worry too much about the running back or receivers - they are very easy to find.

Defensively, I think there are some key young guys in place. Horton and Doughty are playing well. Orakpo has potential, but please, use him wisely. I like Rocky McIntosh. The Redskins need to find a replacement for Fletcher, who is getting a little up there.

All is not lost
This year isn't over by a long shot, and the team can turn it around and avert disaster. I don't necessarily think Zorn is a bad coach. I just think he's trying to do too much and failing at everything. If he wants to truly be a head coach, he can't be the one calling the plays. He also can't be coaching QBs.

He has to manage the game.

The team needs to do a better job at using the weapons it has. Use Fred Davis more. The guy is a great athlete, but he's only had five catches in his two-year career. Create a few packages a game for him. Use Kelly and Mitchell more on high, deep stuff. There's some young talent there.

Use Alridge with what he does best. Get him out in space and let him run. He's the only speed runner on the team. Use that.

Use Orakpo better. Have him be pretty much a pass-rushing linebacker. Bulk him up. Don't worry about dropping him back in coverage, that's not what he does well. Move him around and blitz him from multiple angles to confuse offenses. The guy is a weapon. Use him.

Play some more bump-and-run on the defense. Be more aggressive. Attack with Landry more. The guy is a rocket when blitzing. He is a natural aggressive safety, should be playing close to the line and attacking it. Don't drop him back in coverage too much, you're taking him out of the game.

If the Redskins start looking like they'll be out of the playoffs, which I'm not saying they'll be, look for some big changes on the way.

The team can turn it around this year, but they must start playing smarter football.