In Defense of Vinny Cerrato

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

smootsmack:

I suspect that the first time Vinny tells Danny Boy to get his own coffee or light his own cigar, Vinnie will be outta here in a flash. If Danny Boy ever stops short walking down a hallway, Cerrato will wind up with his head up Danny Boy's ass.



Ramseyfan:

Let's look at your list OBJECTIVELY for just a moment. When I say OBJECTIVELY, I mean let's look at what has happened with these acquisitions you asert have been so astute and not what we think will happen with them sometime in the future or what we imagine they might have done with just a break or two in the past. Look at the on-field performance:


Coles: Good season last year - except for one thing. He did not get in the end zone a whole lot. I suspect he is playing hurt more than the Skins have let on this year and so his value this year has been mediocre at best. Skins are paying a LOT of money for not a lot of production on the field.

Thomas: Solid performer. Not nearly the best OG in the NFC East but not the worst either. Definitely the best interior OL the Skins have. Good signing.

Portis: Cost the team a ton in terms of players and draft picks and salary. He needs to have about three monster years to make it worthwhile. He is having a very good season so far, but the jury is still out as to whether or not he was worth it. Looks good so far...

Cartwright: Lots of hustle; not a lot of talent and certainly not any on-field production to speak of. The next blitzing linebacker that he blocks will be the first one. The best thing you can say about him is that he does not cost them much in terms of cap room. If he were to cost them $1M in cap room, he'd have been gone in the second week of training camp. A special teamer at best.

Betts: Another guy who does not cost a lot. Hampered by recurring injuries. A question mark at best.

Griffin: A really worthwhile addition who has played above what his previous perfromances would have indicated. Assuming his current injury is nothing serious, a good signing.

Washington: The best acquisition they made in the last two years - bar none.

Springs: Costs a lot of cap room down the road so I'm not sure he's worth it. But after getting rid of Bailey in order to acquire Portis, they had to get a seasoned corner for that side of the field. They probably overpaid for Springs because the Portis deal left them over-the-barrel. But overpaying is nothing new to this FO.

Taylor: Lots of physical talent but a mental meathead. Be prepared to see him make some spectacular hits in the next few years and be prepared to revel in them because he will also give up lots of big plays and TDs. He's a headhunter and not a fundamentally sound safety. And I'm becoming convinced that he's not going to learn much more than he knows now...

Clark: A good value for the team because he does not cost a lot. But don't kid yourself that this is the reincarnation of Ronnie Lott.


I notice you neglected to put Philip Daniels on your list. Daniels has been an underchiever this year. I also notice you neglected to have Dave Fiore on your list. Unfortunately, injuries intervened to make him unable to perform, but that was not a great team addition. I see that Professor Morton is not ou your list either. His contributions on the field for the past year and a half would fit in a thimble. You also neglected to mention John Hall who was a good addition who has unfortunately been injured but who has been very effective when healthy..

Let's look at the others on your list

Brunell: They wanted/needed a veteran QB. Showing no patience, the FO raced out to get someone as soon as free agency opened up so that they could make a big spalsh and get Danny Boy a press conference opportunity to see himnself on TV and in the papers. They paid a lot of money for a guy who was being thrown to the curb by a 5-11 team. The outcome of that move has been way less than positive; in fact it ranks up there with the Jeff George signing in terms of boneheadedness.

Ramsey: Was he a first round pick or merely the first pick that the Skins had that year? Compare him to other QBs taken in the first/second rounds of the draft after being in the NFL for two and a half years. I'll be polite and say that he is "behind the curve".

Barrow: Who knows if this guy is a good player or a bad player because he has not played yet? Wasn't he on the Giants team that went to the Super Bowl? If so, he can't be a total stiff...

Trotter: The Redskins gave him a $35M total package with something like a $7M signing bonus. He is now playing back in Philly on a one year deal worth less than $1M in base salary. Do you think the Skins overpaid by just a tad?

Bowen: A mediocre player who got paid a mediocre salary. He was neither a positive nor a negative.


You also have conveniently left off your list totally some disastrous acquisitions such as Regan Upshaw, Jermaine Haley, Darryl Russell, Lionel Daulton and that other useless DT that they had last year whose name escapes me at the moment. None of the five of these guys were a good acquisition. Upshaw was the best of the lot and he was pretty much "useless".

Care to evaluate Man-Mountain Kenyatta in this context? How about Ray Brown?

You said you were not sure why Cerrato and the FO is "criticized so often". I hope I have explained...

1. I think your definition of Objectively reads, "See my opinion."

2. Ramsey is below the curve for someone picked in the first round? First of all, he was the last pick of the first round. Second of all, there were no QBs picked after him that are looking any better. Third, I'd take Ramsey (and his cap figures) over Harrington any day of the week.

3. Coles was a fantastic addition.

4. Thomas IS one of the best guards in the NFC.

5. Taylor isn't a fundamentally sound player? Dude, he's had about 5 starts.

6. Dave Fiore was a risky signing and he was paid like it. It was a gamble we lost.

7. Do you really believe Hall wasn't a good addition? Maybe we should have stuck with Jose Cortez.

8. We got hosed on the the Brunell deal and I admitted it.

9. Trotter tore his ACL, that's not VC's fault - plus, he's starting to do well in Philly again. Nevertheless, I admit we overpaid.

10. Jermaine Haley and Lional Dalton? Yeah we broke the bank for them.

11. We've always had some of the best talent in the NFC and that's what VC is here to do.