Maybe Vinny Cerrato isn't the Anti-Christ

even if A.A. was Greg Williams " boy", someone ahead of him in the pecking order should have done their homework, and said no way. we just don't know how the power structure is set up in the front office

even if A.A. was Greg Williams " boy", someone ahead of him in the pecking order should have done their homework, and said no way. we just don't know how the power structure is set up in the front office

This is true. I just think we can't lump AA in the cons column under Cerrato's resume because we just don't know if it was his call.

I tend to think Vinny has done a pretty good job at scouting when you look at the team.

Our DL issues are probably completely rested on his shoulder.

we just don't know how the power structure is set up in the front office

Which is precisely why I do not understand why Vinny is our whipping boy. I'm sure he deserves some credit for some decisions and some blame for others, but until we know concretely how things operate, we can't say he is to blame or deserves credit for our team's current state.

Which is precisely why I do not understand why Vinny is our whipping boy. I'm sure he deserves some credit for some decisions and some blame for others, but until we know concretely how things operate, we can't say he is to blame or deserves credit for our team's current state.
Good post, Everyone makes assumptions (including myself) based on the information we have. The reality is, we really don't have that much information... so speculation wins.

I know a lot of people blame Vinny Cerrato for all personnel problems, but maybe he is not the antichrist. Jason La Canfora's latest blog (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2007/03/putting_the_baby_to_bed_aka_ca.html#more) states that while Vinny scouts talent, he does not weigh in on how much to pay such talent or how much should be traded for players under contract with other teams.

IMHO, much of the ire directed at Vinny is misplaced. By and large, I would say that Vinny has scouted some talented guys. Our offense is absolutely loaded with playmakers, is only missing a good QB, and Vinny seems to have found one in Jason Campbell. The defense has holes, but it also managed to be a top-flight unit for a few years.

It seems like most of the frustration with our personnel decisions has not been with who we target (save perhaps Archie, Lloyd, or Barrow), but with how much we give up to get them (in terms of salary and draft picks). If so, the "blame" doesn't lay at Vinny's feet.

Let the rebuttals begin.

The TMC has always defended him (perhaps too much so) in the past. Vinny, YOU OWE ME DINNER.

Which is precisely why I do not understand why Vinny is our whipping boy. I'm sure he deserves some credit for some decisions and some blame for others, but until we know concretely how things operate, we can't say he is to blame or deserves credit for our team's current state.

I think it's fair to say that Cerrato was the whipping boy because before Gibbs got here, Cerrato was the only "football man" in the front office who had any clout. It was he and Dan Snyder. Snyder didn't know football, so to an extent he gets a pass because he shouldn't be expected to understand the nuances of the NFL. That's why he hired Cerrato.

Now that Gibbs is calling the shots, (we assume anyway) the field gets muddier and the beauracracy is as wide as it is thick -- Gregg Williams gets a say, Saunders might have a say, then there's Cerrato's input, and Snyder gets squeezed in there too.

Minus the Schottenheimer year, Cerrato took the blame because he was the most visible, "football knowledgeable" guy in the front office. If he doesn't deserve the heat he has taken, it's only because the heat is more evenly distributed now than it ever was before.

congrats on 5000 sheriff by the way.

sheriff, you are cordially invited to join me over at my table at the 5000 thread club. sorry, members only

Thanks guys. I didn't even notice that I hit 5,000 posts.

I guess that makes me head of the 5,000 post kiddie table.