What the hell happened?

GW and Saunders leaving really wasn't all that surprising when you think about it.

The good news is a significant portion of the staff is returning including key guys like Bugel, Smith, and Blache.

You know about as much as we do about why they were let go. Suffice it to say that on certain personnel matters DS and GW differed (some have suggested that VC was the main point of contention). As a result, DS decided to look at more candidates then originally planned; during that time GW was getting fed up with being left in the dark, as were all the assistant coaches. Gibbs calmed them all down as best he could, and said the decision would not come until after the Super Bowl. Gibbs also encouraged GW to stay in the race, until GW met with DS and VC and they all decided "mutually" that GW not be considered a candidate.

Since then the OC, DC. and other assistant positions have been filled. This has led to speculation that there is already a candidate in mind, or at least that the candidates they do have in mind seem to have no objections to the assistant coaches hired. Candidates include Jim Fassel, Steve Spagnuolo (sp?), Ron Meeks (recently brought in for 2nd interview), and Steve Mariucci (scheduled for an interview today).

As far as Saunders, it seems that he was going to be fired whether GW was HC or not. Apparently the organization (ie. DS abd VC) was not satisfied with his performance and wants to go in a new direction offensively. The new direction is assumed to be a West Coast Offense, but the main concern in this transition seems to be the development of Jason Campbell. Hence, Jim Zorn (former QB coach of Matt Hasslebeck) replaced Saunders, and was given the position of OC.

Well, I can see Williams being upset at that, we all thought he was the first choice, so he could see that as backstabbing and want to move on. I could even see it as an argument with Snyder. GW- "well if I'm not the HC, I will quit" DS- "well you don't have to quit, you're fired."
So that somewhat explains GW, what about Saunders?
Also, how does Carrato figure in here?

Jsarno...I was wondering why I hadn't seen any posts from you during the madness. Cerrato being named vice president of football operations is Snyder's best effort at having a GM...and I don't think either were in the Saunders fan club. I always got the feeling he would be gone even if GW had been named head coach. As of now, I kind of like the hiring of Zorn...I think he will be good for Campbell.

Oh, and also Jeff Gordon is leaving Hendricks for DEI!!! now that IS a joke :cheeky-sm

Well, Cerrato being the VP of Football Operations isn't a joke. But his and Snyder's love child being up for consideration for HC was...

I knew the love child part was...LOL...but how can Cerrato be promoted??? He, IMO, is HURTING the skins, not helping. Has Dan fallen off the path again?

As far as we "know", Williams wanted more power than Snyder and Cerrato were willing to concede, hence why he's no longer a candidate.
That makes sense, not from a "we want to win next year" standpoint, but from their objective.

Snyder and Cerrato also were disappointed with Saunders' offense, and have hired Jim Zorn to replace him.

My football knowledge might be a little off, but wasn't Zorn the QB coach in Seattle? I think I remember the name as him being a QB back in the early 80's for Seattle too. Why in the world did he get it? Or am I missing something that he did to make him that deserving?

As far as consistency goes, just about every other coach (with the exception of Byner and the aforementioned) will be back.

Byner is gone too? He did a good job, why is he gone?

Yeah, it's been very on edge for a lot of people here. Just be fortunate you weren't here and go with it. IMO, there are a lot of Chicken Littles running around here...

That's ALWAYS the case...shoot, look at the gameday threads...we'd be winning and Chicken littles would show up.
I am not as concerned with the fact that they are gone (although VERY shocked) I am more concerned with WHY.
Now I am hoping someone will tell me why Byner, and more importantly, Saunders is gone.

My brother told me Don Breaux was the new OC...where is don now?

Well, I can see Williams being upset at that, we all thought he was the first choice, so he could see that as backstabbing and want to move on. I could even see it as an argument with Snyder. GW- "well if I'm not the HC, I will quit" DS- "well you don't have to quit, you're fired."
So that somewhat explains GW, what about Saunders?
Also, how does Carrato figure in here?


Jsarno,

Here's the deal. GW interviewed with DS and VC 4 times, but no contract was ever discussed. Apparently, DS just didn't feel GW was the right man for the job. Anyways, GW took his name out of the running and mutually agreed with the team to part ways. Saunders was fired because DS and VC just never really felt his offense was progressing the way it should've. So, Vinny grabs Jim Zorn (which actually too bad of a move,) to take AS place. Incidently, both Gregg Williams and Jim Fassel liked the move to get Zorn as the OC. Of course, Greg Blache has been promoted to DC, which also isn't too bad of a move. Really, the only major change on the coaching staff (of course other than Williams leaving) is Saunders getting the boot. The rest of the coaches will be back (with the exception of Earnest Byner as he was just offered a one year extension.)

What's getting confusing is if Jim Fassel is our next head coach, why they are waiting until after the Super Bowl to announce it. After watching Comcast Sports last night, Charlie Casserly seems to believe that Snyder backed off of Fassel because of the overwhelmingly negative sentiment from the fans. The majority of the fans just don't like Fassel as our coach. Therefore, Steve Mariucci is supposedly being interviewed either today or in the immediate future. So, it's possible that the Mooch might be the Redskins' next HC. No matter which guy is going to be head coach, we're probably going to be implementing a West Coast Offense.

You know about as much as we do about why they were let go. Suffice it to say that on certain personnel matters DS and GW differed (some have suggested that VC was the main point of contention). As a result, DS decided to look at more candidates then originally planned; during that time GW was getting fed up with being left in the dark, as were all the assistant coaches. Gibbs calmed them all down as best he could, and said the decision would not come until after the Super Bowl. Gibbs also encouraged GW to stay in the race, until GW met with DS and VC and they all decided "mutually" that GW not be considered a candidate.

Since then the OC, DC. and other assistant positions have been filled. This has led to speculation that there is already a candidate in mind, or at least that the candidates they do have in mind seem to have no objections to the assistant coaches hired. Candidates include Jim Fassel, Steve Spagnuolo (sp?), Ron Meeks (recently brought in for 2nd interview), and Steve Mariucci (scheduled for an interview today).

As far as Saunders, it seems that he was going to be fired whether GW was HC or not. Apparently the organization (ie. DS abd VC) was not satisfied with his performance and wants to go in a new direction offensively. The new direction is assumed to be a West Coast Offense, but the main concern in this transition seems to be the development of Jason Campbell. Hence, Jim Zorn (former QB coach of Matt Hasslebeck) replaced Saunders, and was given the position of OC.

That's a great explanation...thanks.
If we are truely going to a west coast offense, I can see, and get on board with the Zorn hiring. He did wonders for Hasselbeck. I never saw Matt H. as a gifted QB, I saw him as a well coached QB.
DO we have any idea who the front runner is for HC? I don't really like any of those candidates you posted right now. Is is possible we are waiting til after the super bowl cause we are interested in a coach that will be coaching in the super bowl?

Jsarno...I was wondering why I hadn't seen any posts from you during the madness. Cerrato being named vice president of football operations is Snyder's best effort at having a GM...and I don't think either were in the Saunders fan club. I always got the feeling he would be gone even if GW had been named head coach. As of now, I kind of like the hiring of Zorn...I think he will be good for Campbell.

Oh, and also Jeff Gordon is leaving Hendricks for DEI!!! now that IS a joke :cheeky-sm

Yeah, I was sippin Mai Tai's and Pearl Harbors and whale watching and snorkeling reefs left from lava rocks. We also had an open bar at an authentic luau...that was a fun evening!

Don Breaux's official title the last few season was Offensive Coordinator. We'll have to wait and see how titles fold out of this process.

Byner's contract runs out tomorrow, and he's been interviewing elsewhere. For some reason, the Skins have failed to lock him in.

Zorn was the QB Coach in Seattle under Holmgren. He helped mold Matt Hasselbeck into the All-Pro QB that he is. I'm guessing that all the HC front runners have signed off on him being the new OC, and made it an easy choice for Snyder and Cerrato.

Cerrato in years past was able to hide behind Snyder's moniker as far as decisions go. With his new title, he can now be held accountable for his actions. We shall see how this pans out.

Is is possible we are waiting til after the super bowl cause we are interested in a coach that will be coaching in the super bowl?Snyder is planning to drive a dump truck literally filled with solid gold to Belichick's house on Monday morning.

I think Breaux is going to be reassigned as a special advisor.