End of an error

Well, the Jim Zorn Error -- I mean Era -- is officially over.

And the least-guarded secret in Washington is that former Denver coach Mike Shanahan will be the next head coach of the Redskins.

The only thing I can say right here is that Shanahan's tenure in D.C. will undoubtedly be more effective than Zorn's.

Zorn's 6-2 start was a blatent mirage. He had six wins in his first eight games and then six wins over his last 24 games.

Above all, though, the Zorn era will be remembered, I think, a lot like the Spurrier era was in D.C. A supposedly offensive coach comes to D.C. and the Redskins start well -- remember Osaka? -- but ultimately, there was fighting in the locker room and there systemic lack of discipline.

I admit I didn't pay a lot of attention to Shanahan's Denver teams, but the guy has won a Super Bowl before, and his teams were almost always competitive. Both of Zorn's teams ...well, weren't.

Truthfully, I am fairly sure that Shanahan's time in D.C. could not possibly be any worse than Zorn's.

The witch is dead

Sing it now, friends.

Vinny Cerrato, the universally despised president of football operations for the Washington Redskins, resigned early Thursday morning.

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. He's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!

By the way, I'm giggling like a schoolgirl that the best way to describe Cerrato is "universally despised." God.

But, the rumor is that the Redskins have hired for Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen to run the show. Allen is the son of former Redskins coach George Allen.

To me, it's pretty clear that Dan Snyder really wanted a big change. If he didn't want a change, he wouldn't have fired Cerrato (which is what happened, regardless of whether Cerrato "resigned.")

So, goodbye Jim Zorn. Goodbye Jason Campbell (probably).

Allen was the GM in Tampa for a long time. His former head coach in Tampa was Jon Gruden, who, coincidentally, is calling the Redskins-Giants Monday Night Football game this Monday night in D.C. Do you guys really believe in coincidence?

Look for Gruden in D.C. next year.

Jason Campbell deserves more time

As the season comes to a close, one of the more pertinent questions for the Redskins is that of their quarterback.

Do the bring back Jason Campbell, or do they go in another direction?

Earlier this year, I would bet some good money that the team was planning on going in another direction. After all, Campbell and the offense as a whole had not played well. Even last week, de facto GM Vinny Cerrato scouted both Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen and Texas QB Colt McCoy.

I myself have been long calling for Campbell to be benched. I still think he holds the ball too long and doesn't make quick reads and decisions.

But maybe it was too soon to start looking elsewhere.

Since Sherman Lewis started calling the plays and especially over the past four games, Campbell and the offense have thrived.

Has it saved his job?

It's undeniable that Campbell is not a perfect quarterback. He will never be a Brett Favre or a Peyton Manning. But he is better than Trent Dilfer, who quarterbacked the 2000 Ravens to a Super Bowl championship.

As the weeks go on, the more and more I think that the Redskins SHOULD bring Campbell back.

No, he probably will never put the team on his back and will it to a come-from-behind victory, but he's good enough to manage the game and won't lose many games by himself.

The Redskins have spent much of the last 15 years tearing everything down and rebuilding. Maybe it's time to just let things coast and see where it takes the team.

Sherman Lewis seems to be having an effect. Let he and Zorn run things awhile longer with Campbell in place.

But please, dear god, solidify the offensive line.

Betts should start over Portis

The Redskins beat the Broncos. Yes, yes. Now, let's get one thing straight.

Betts, not Portis, should start against Cowboys
I don't even care if Clinton Portis is healthy or not.

Betts showed more explosion and burst than Portis has shown at any point this season. Remember that run where Betts bounced off several defenders, as well as doing a little Moss-esque spin move, and picked up 15ish yards? Could you imagine Portis trying to do that this year? He wouldn't have bounced off the defenders, and the only spin move he has done is spinning toward the ground on the way down.

Hearing Zorn at his press conference Monday, it doesn't sound like Zorn was as impressed with Betts (and Cartwright) as I was, but Zorn said that Portis wouldn't play Sunday unless he practiced this week.

Considering Portis hasn't practiced since the preseason, I think it's a good bet that Betts will be starting Sunday in Big D.

If Portis is indeed unhealthy - which would explain a lot of things about his play this season - let him sit and get healthy.

Either way, let's ride the horse that beat the Broncos, as far as he'll take us.

A few Betts links

Betts gets better with more carries

Betts isn't better than Portis, people

Betts not better than Portis, but certainly a better fit

Theismann wants Betts in, Randle El out

How to lose control of a perfectly good football team

It really is amazing how fast things can go from "Horny for Zorny" to "FIRE HIM!!!!"

Just a few months ago, Zorn was entering his second season, offseason spent bolstering his team's talent. 2009 was to be a playoff-run year.

Now, the team is a mess. They've faced six straight winless teams and won just two games.

Thank god for the Tampa Bay Bucs, or they might be the worst team in the NFL. And I'm not totally convinced that if the Bucs played the Redskins again, there wouldn't be a different result.

One of the worst things about this year's team is that the defense isn't very bad at all. The Redskins' defense is ranked fifth overall, third for pass defense. They had five sacks Sunday against Kansas City (1-5). Another absolutely wasted defense. Last year the Redskins finished with the fourth-ranked defense. A waste.

Adios Zorn
A year ago, Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato hired Jim Zorn as an offensive coordinator while looking for a new head coach. Zorn was brought in to call plays and manage the offense. But when Cerrato and Snyder couldn't find another coach they wanted, they offered Zorn a shot at the head coaching job.

A year and a half later, with the offense sputtering, they've taken play calling away from Zorn. So what exactly is Zorn going to do now? Is he a good game manager? All he's wanted to do was to call plays. He had never called plays before he came to the Redskins. But he comes to the Skins and they unexpectantly make him the head guy.

Snyder and Cerrato went looking for the next Mike Tomlin and unfortunately found the next Jim Zorn. Oops.

The team is a mess.

What exactly will taking the play calling away from Zorn do? Isn't this just a precursor to firing Zorn midseason? The problems with the offense go way beyond play calling. Snyder and Cerrato already brought in "consultant" Sherman Lewis to take a look at the offense. Now they take the play calling duties from Zorn. Is there any other way to undercut the man's authority and his responsibilities?

Speaking of problems with the offense ...
Why the hell did Cerrato/Snyder dump Chase Daniel when they put Colt Brennan on IR? The Redskins have no young backup on the team. With Brennan on IR, Todd Collins looks like he's going to be the guy from here on out. Which does nothing good for the future of the team. When Cerrato stashed Brennan on IR, it would have been a great idea to keep Daniel around to learn. But instead, Daniel is now in New Orleans and probably infinitely better off than he was here.

Jason Campbell is done. It's becoming very clear that his five-year experiment is over. The problem remains that there is no one ready to take over for him.

I'd like to see what Brennan has, but it's looking more and more like we will never see what Brennan has because he's injured in this critical situation. The Redskins might be forced to draft a young QB without first seeing what Brennan can do. And if the Redskins do draft a young first-round QB, Brennan might as well be as good as gone.

One thing is clear
This team is a mess.

We'll see how it all shakes out, but I don't expect to see Zorn last past the bye week, which comes after Monday night's game against the Eagles.

It's a shame, too. The defense is good enough for a playoff run. But the offense is bad enough to lose the rest of the team's games.

Quick reactions, Redskins-Lions

Ladies and gents, we now know who the Washington Redskins really are. It took an embarrassing loss to figure it out, but it's finally done.

Yes, the Redskins lost to the Lions 19-14 Sunday afternoon. Yes, Detroit broke their 19-game winless streak against the Skins.

And oh boy, I was enraged. I felt anger and pain, but most of all, I felt confused about where the team is headed.

Some points:

The Jason Campbell show is finished.
Until now, I was unsure whether Campbell would continue to be the starting QB of the Washington Redskins after this season. His performance against the Lions solidified my belief that he will not be. Yes, he put up ok numbers Sunday, but not when it mattered. And he never really seems to be in charge of games like a starter should be.
I wish that Colt Brennan wasn't on IR so that we could see if Brennan has what it takes. Alas, we've probably wasted Brennan's time on the team yet again.

Jim Zorn is on very thin ice, but not finished. Yet.
I'm sure most fans would like to see Zorn gone right now, and I think that he is calling some piss-poor plays (especially in the red zone). But it's not time to kick the head coach off of this island. I think if this season turns south, it'll be the end of Zorn's tenure here, and I can only blame Zorn. He chose to attach himself to Campbell. He chose to keep the play calling duties despite the fact he had never been an offensive coordinator before, much less a head coach. Nothing about his tenure in D.C. has been good.

What happened to the defense?
The Lions were able to drive up and down the field pretty much at will. Detroit continually took advantage of the Redskins' defensive backs and completed 55 percent of their third-downs. (The Redskins completed just 20 percent.)

I do believe that Mr. Greg Blache is in denial about how poorly his defense played against Detroit. The Lions held the ball for over 36 minutes and had drives of 99, 74, 86 and 84 yards. Those are whoppers of drives.

If this is a reflection on how the defense will perform, the team is in trouble. On top of this, Haynesworth's hip injury is a huge concern.

Some (too few) positives

• I don't think the Lions are as bad this year as people are making them out to be. Blache pointed this out in a post-game interview. They lost to the Vikings, who are unbeaten. They lost to the Saints, who are unbeaten.
• Santana Moss still proves he's the Redskins' best receiver. He had 10 catches, 178 yards and a touchdown. That's double what he had coming into the game. He needs to be consistent for the Redskins to have any success.
• Hunter Smith is awesome. The Skins haven't had too many good punters over the last 20 years. Hunter the Punter averaged 45 yards per punt, with a long of 58 yards. Simply excellent.

A question
Is it too early to talk about "blowing up" the team? I'm talking about a complete overhaul. New QB. New RB. New coach. A new general manager. Everything.

Quick reaction to win over Rams

Usually when a team wins, it's a moment to celebrate. But the Redskins' win Sunday against the Rams felt empty.

The Redskins controlled the game, but the team went 0-for-5 for scoring touchdowns in the red zone. The Skins racked up 362 total yards and Jason Campbell performed well enough. Clinton Portis ran well enough, but neither scored any touchdowns.

Truthfully, the Redskins were lucky to come away with the win. It took the defense stopping a last-second deep ball before the win was guaranteed.

Some quick thoughts

• Shaun Suisham was not very good last year - he was last in the league in field goal percentage. This year, he's turning into the offensive MVP. Crazy times.
• I was not impressed with Jim Zorn's play calling, especially in the red zone. I don't understand why, if you have a quarterback like Campbell, that you create an offense like you have Chad Pennington starting. Doesn't make sense. Campbell can throw the ball 60 yards flat footed. Throw some deep balls. In the red zone, the Redskins came away with nothing. They have to solve that.
• The Redskins defense is still coming into shape. They gave up some big plays Sunday, but played well when it was necessary.
• I'd like to see more of Ladell Betts. He's looking good again after an injury hurt him last year.

Disappointing win. The Lions come to town next week, and the Redskins will be heavily favored to win that one as well.

The Redskins' offense will have to wake up.

I'll have some more on the game later this week.

The test cometh

The Giants game is in the rear-view mirror, and we've come to the trap game.

What's a trap game?

The Redskins are expected to destroy the Rams. Not to just win - that would be too easy - but to actually rout them. The Redskins are such locks to win that, among media members who predict game results, the Redskins were picked to win by each and every person.

That's a tough situation to be in. Fans expect 300 passing yards from Jason Campbell, and 100 rushing yards by Clinton Portis. Oh, and for the defense to harrass Rams QB Marc Bulger and blow up the Rams running game.

This is the same situation that the Redskins went into against the Rams last year, and the Rams came away with the underdog win, a win which started the Redskins' slide out of playoff contention.

What do the Redskins have to do to beat the trap? And should Jim Zorn be worrying about his job if the Redskins lose?

Jason Campbell must make good decisions.
Contrary to popular belief, Campbell doesn't have to throw for 300-plus yards against St. Louis and he doesn't have to throw for three-plus touchdowns. He does, however, have to play with confidence and not make stupid mistakes. The problem is, Campbell has rarely looked calm and confident in his time with the Redskins.

The offensive line must do its job.
The OL has to keep Jason Campbell upright as well as open up running lanes for Portis and Ladell Betts. The line did a decent job against the Giants, who have one of the best defensive lines in the game. Against the Rams, the Redskins should have a chance to establish an identity. The Redskins are always seem to be more confident - and perform better - when they get the running game going.

Portis must be consistent.
Portis got off to a strong start last week, carrying the ball 34 yards on the Redskins first play of the game. After that, though Portis had 15 carries for 28 yards, which ain't good at all. In years past, the Redskins have gone as Portis has gone. If he had a good game, the Redskins had a good game. That is to say that the Redskins QBs haven't led the offense, Portis has. I don't think it has to be that way, but that's the way it has been. Portis doesn't have to be crazy good, but Campbell has played better when Portis is doing well.

The defense must assert itself - pressure pressure pressure
Albert Haynesworth can dominate. The Giants did a good job of limiting him, but Rams don't have the Giants talent on the line. Haynesworth needs to control the middle of the defense, and the Redskins need to attack Bulger, pressure him into mistakes, and take advantage of the mistakes.

What the Redskins need to be wary of is underestimating the Rams and allowing Bulger and running back Steven Jackson go wild. Jackson has the potential to control the game. That would be a real surprise, with the Redskins' additions on the defensive line.

Really, though, it comes down to Campbell. I think if the Redskins lose this game against the Rams, there will be a significant amount of pressure on Danny Snyder to dump Zorn and to not re-sign Campbell.

Quick hits

• Campbell needs to show that he has learned in his years in Washington. If not, there's nothing to save him.
• Portis has to show that he's not over-the-hill. He didn't have a great game against the Giants, but the Rams' defense shouldn't be close to the Giants' D.
• Who's going to make an impact at receiver for the Redskins? Randle El was the leader last week in the slot. Will any of the second-year players step up? Will Moss have an impact? He was shut down against New York.
  
• Rookie Orakpo had a so-so game against New York. He should have a better game against St. Louis. The Redskins should use him as an attacking linebacker. He can rush the passer much better than he can drop into coverage.
  
• Maybe the Redskins will have a punt return against St. Louis. They had just one against the Giants - for zero yards.
  

zorn: campbell our dude. seriously?

Sorry, I've been in the midst of moving and haven't been able to get into all of this, but Jim Zorn not only recently said that the team was not interested in Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, but Zorn has now committed himself to Redskins QB Jason Campbell.

If Zorn can get Campbell playing like he should be playing, everything will be all good. But my feeling is that Zorn has now attached himself to a sinking ship. Sadly.

I don't have great confidence in Campbell to do what he needs to do.

I hope I'm surprised this season. Because if Campbell doesn't play well, some fans will be calling for him to be replaced. And soon.