Hey, so, Vinny Cerrato is now that GM kind of guy we've all wanted, right? So what if he was good enough to get fired in 2001? Maybe he was fired in 1999 as well, I dunno? That he was expected to be fired in April of last year or, in the words of someone else, was "expected to get his long-overdue walking papers from owner Dan Snyder after the draft." Oh come on, it can't be all that bad. Rick Schwartz at Hog Heaven reminds us to stay positive:
Cerrato is now fully in charge of all aspects of the team's football organization, including personnel, the team roster, scouting and salary cap management...
If you were worried about team cohesion and continuity you can find both of those concerns checked at the door along with sanity and reason.
I sense a long drought coming on.
That's the spirit! What says you,
Ryan O'Halloran at the Times? (emphasis mine)
The people I contacted around the league were not astounded but still amused by Vinny Cerrato's promotion to basically Grand Poo-Bah status within the Redskins organization. Cerrato had been in the background the last four years because Joe Gibbs handled the roster with beaucoup input from Gregg Williams and the other assistants. Now it's Cerrato's turn (again) to shape the roster exactly how he and Dan Snyder like it. It's also a clear sign that The Danny is itching to re-enter the NFL fray after also playing a supporting role to Gibbs since 2004. As one reporter friend said last night, "If I'm a Redskins fan, I'm not sleeping well."
In a Dan Snyder + Vinny Cerrato + Joe Gibbs world, Joe Gibbs rules and we appreciate the results. In a Dan Snyder + Vinny Cerrato +
__ world, where
___ is filled by the likes of Steve Spurrier, Dan Snyder rules. That point was made explicitly in 2003 by Mr. Cerrato,
source:
Newly promoted vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato acknowledged yesterday that his plan is to follow Snyder's plan, adding that by keeping the club's best interests in mind, all members of the Redskins' personnel staff can function in harmony.
"The number one thing is to construct a team how the owner wants to construct it," Cerrato said. "We all work for the owner. We all follow his lead. The bottom line is to win football games. Whatever it takes to win, that's what we'll do. We want to win as a group. We want to be on the same page. That's the goal. That's how most successful operations work."
That's all well and good, but what happens if the former goal -- following the boss -- is mutually exclusive with the latter goal of success?
How important is filling the blank? It could mean all the difference in determining how and to what degree Dan Snyder the savvy business person gets another shot at being Dan Snyder the Football Guru. For many of us, we view that development as a step in the wrong direction. Then again, what could possibly go wrong?
AOL Fanhouse, Vinny Cerrato Continues to Fail Upwards
