2009 Point and Laugh at the taterskins thread

[ice grillin you]

bruce allen new GM....anything is better than vinny and it sucks that they have a real gm but this is NOT a great hire

seems to be lil danni grasping at a chance to reach back touch taterskins history rather than hire the best guy

[ice grillin you]

http://www.footballnewsnow.com/2009/report-jon-gruden-likely-coming-to-taterskins-home-shopping-in-dc-area/

[General_Failure]

Oh please, let them hire him. I want to see him and whichever QB they draft in the news every day bitching about each other.

[PhillyPhreak54]

best case scenario here...

Allen/Gruden love old guys. Gruden doesn't like to roll with rookies or young guys, he prefers established guys. So that fits into Danny's plan of signing people to huge contracts.

Gruden's overrated, so I hope they hire him.

[ice grillin you]

allens drafts in tampa were way worse than vinnys in dc

this is clearly a nostalgia hire

[Drunkmasterflex]

Gruden would fit since he likes to bring in FAs, but it is hard to imagine anyone having real success unless Danny Boy can keep his hands out of the situation. 

[Eagaholic]

They'll have 5 QBs on the roster to compete with Campbell.

I'd like a Gruden/Allen combo as an Eagles fan, although it is an upgrade. Especially for MNF. Gruden is beyond brutal.

[Eagaholic]

Source: Shanahan next on the taterskins' wish list
Posted by Mike Florio on December 17, 2009 1:04 PM ET
With the Washington taterskins successfully making a mockery of the Rooney Rule by announcing via e-mail the hiring of General Manager Bruce Allen exactly 114 minutes after announcing via e-mail that the job had become vacant, there's another fairly significant step in this remaking of the franchise.

Per a league source with knowledge of the current dynamics of the organization, former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has been targeted by the taterskins as the next head coach.

And even though Allen currently is getting the press, the guy who'll be running the show is Shanahan.

The taterskins quietly have been pursuing Shanahan for months.  Reports emerged earlier in the season that Shanahan twice rejected offers to become the team's new coach.  The thinking was that Shanahan wanted to survey other possible vacancies before making a commitment.

And while he has made no commitment to the taterskins, we're told that the resignation of Cerrato and the hiring of Allen is the first tangible step in the process.

So even though Allen and Shanahan have no history of collaboration and despite more obvious ties between Allen and former Bucs and Raiders coach Jon Gruden, the source predicts very confidently that coach Jim Zorn eventually will quit or be fired -- and that Shanahan will get the job.

The only remaining question is whether the announcements will be made 114 minutes apart.

[Tomahawk]

They'll have 5 QBs on the roster to compete with Campbell.

I'd like a Gruden/Allen combo as an Eagles fan, although it is an upgrade. Especially for MNF. Gruden is beyond brutal.

Agreed - I'm going to get a chalkboard and hire a topless girl to drag her nails across it. That screech would have to be much better than Gruden, or any announcers for that matter

[methdeez]

Fro what they are saying on ESPN, Gruden's contract on MNF does not allow him to leave to coach football, so Lil' danny would have to buy that out as well. Not that it's a problem for him.
It's funny that the taterskins looked at the state that thier new GM left Tampa Bay in and said "I want some of that!"

[BigEd76]

Glazer on the FOX pregame:

-- at the owners meetings in March, Snyder and Zorn caught up with John Lynch and Snyder asked Lynch to tell him everything about Shanahan, with Zorn standing there
-- the job was offered to Shanahan back in the spring and Mike told Snyder he had to give Zorn at least another year to prove himself
-- teams can't hire anyone full-time for next year until the offseason because of the Rooney Rule, but the taterskins are interviewing minorities just to get that part out of the way so they can hire Shanahan as soon as the season ends
-- Shanahan is more interested in the Dallas job (which is why Snyder is acting so quick on this), but Dallas says they don't want him

[shorebird]

Snyder is such a prick I don't see any coach worht his salt wanting that job.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Mike Shanahan may indeed become the next head coach of the Washington taterskins, but the question is has the organization adequately considered minority candidates as required thus far?

Currently, there are a lot of conflicting reports about the taterskins' internal interviewing practices in regards to their not-so-vacant head coaching position.

The question is, is this by design?

"I can't say for sure, but something definitely is fishy around here based on what I know," said a well-placed source within the taterskins organization told FOX31's Josina Anderson on Sunday.

This source had a lot to say, on many different fronts.

Before breaking down the inside chatter behind the walls at taterskins Park, it's important to once again shine a spotlight on the NFL's Rooney Rule which was established in 2003. This rule mandates teams in the league interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and senior operations opportunities in an effort to address it's once dismal record of neglecting such qualified persons.

With that being said, let's begin to answer the leading question.

Since the Denver Post reported last Thursday that Shanahan appears headed to the taterskins to become their new head coach, two reports have been posted about internal minority candidates interviewing for this position.

Presumably.

An initial report by ProFootballTalk.com which said taterskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache, an African American, interviewed for this still-occupied position is currently being refuted by the Washington Post's new report which alternately says taterskins secondary coach, Jerry Gray, also an African American, is actually the one who discussed the opening with taterskins owner Daniel Snyder.

However...

Sunday a source told Fox31 that not only has all the aforementioned information been denied by said coaches within their own walls, the reports themselves are causing ruffled feathers within the ranks in Ashburn, Virginia.

"First of all when that story came out, some of the coaches around here were saying that (Jim) Zorn (taterskins current head coach) was pissed. I know that Greg (Blache) went to Jim and told him it wasn't true," said the inside source to Anderson.

When asked how they could be sure Blache himself is telling the truth to Zorn, the source replied, "All I know is what Greg said to Jim, which is that (Greg) said he didn't do it."

Later, when other members of the taterskins coaching staff became aware of the Washington Post's new report--stating their colleague Jerry Gray allegedly was the man among them that actually met with Snyder--the other coaches became visibly upset.

"I mean coaches that go to bible study together were getting split over their emotions about this. Jerry was confronted about the fact that the other coaches were sitting around talking about him, wondering whether he discussed the head coaching position with Snyder or not. Jerry told Zorn, 'they leak things out like that because that is what they want people to think. (The media) has no quotes from me because I didn't interview for the job.'"

The source added that Gray continued to defend himself to Zorn saying, "'why would I interview for the job and not tell you.'"

Obviously, just because Gray said this to Zorn, according to our source, doesn't guarantee that Gray is being honest with Zorn.

"I don't know, but I know for a fact that is what Jerry (Gray) told Jim (Zorn)."

Well apparently Zorn is taking Gray at his word because per his normal routine Gray was still scheduled to ride with the taterskins head coach to the team hotel at the Marriott in Greenbelt, Maryland in advance of their game against the Giants on Monday, according to the source.

"Gray said that he was still going to be picking up Jim (Zorn) from his house and going over to the team hotel like normal. That's what was said; whether it still happened, I don't know."

RB Clinton Portis 'Holding the Organization Hostage?'
Is he partly to blame for the taterskins downward spiral?

As disappointment nears a climax with the taterskins season drawing to a close, there's no shortage of blame to go around, and one finger is being pointed at running back Clinton Portis.

Please note, this is not the first time frustration over Portis' status has been shared with FOX31 this season, however these same sentiments were strenuously reiterated about their star back on Sunday.

"There is a lot of mess going on around here that is starting to come to a head. The only reason, in my opinion, that we're in this position is because Clinton and Dan (Snyder) are tight. I'm telling you, Portis is holding everybody hostage," opined the same source.

While adamantly alleging that Portis' leveraging of his relationship with Snyder is corroding the organization from within, the source made sure to emphasize that Portis is never overtly insubordinate in doing so, per their observation.

"I don't doubt that Portis was raised right. You can tell he has sense in that manner."

However, there is a palpable overflow of frustration over Portis seemingly operating by a different set of rules. To the source, the double standard is crippling the taterskins organization.

"Clinton is not a disrespectful young man, but the bottom line is he reported out of shape. Too often he would be trying to get out of practicing because he knows he doesn't have to. He's Dan's boy. I'm telling you yeah, he's holding the franchise hostage because we knew as a staff we had to play him even when he wasn't playing well.  You got the offensive line blocking their (edit) off, and (Portis) is making these bad (edit) reads. I remember overhearing one of the offensive lineman begging during the game for (Ladell) Betts to be put in when they saw (Portis) screwing up."

Throughout various conversations over the season, this source has repeatedly emphasized how Portis could be the best in the league at his position, but per their feelings, Portis doesn't put in the work consistently.

Instead Portis, who had 124 carries for 494 yards before being recently placed on injured reserve, is being accused of being a distraction to some of his teammates and some of the staff.

"Some of the players have come up to me and others worrying about Portis getting unfair treatment. If he performed well consistently they could live with it, but when they see him screwing up trust me it's another story," said the source.

When asked what was Portis' reaction to hearing occasional complaints from the staff or some of his teammates about this alleged desire to avoid practice at times, the source said Portis couldn't have been more nonchalant if he tried.

"He would say, 'I've ran the plays a thousand times. I don't need to practice them man.'"

"(Portis) would say he gave us all he had on Sunday. That's his favorite line: 'I gave ya'll all I had on Sunday. If ya'll want me to play Sunday, ya'll need to let me rest.'"

In this source's opinion, if Zorn would have dealt with this apparent double standard of treating Portis differently, the taterskins would have been in a much better position than the 4-9 record they have going into their Monday night game against the Giants.

Improved communication would have helped as well.

"Too many people were in Jim's ears. That's another big problem. If Jason (Campbell) did something bad, you would still be hearing about it on the sidelines way too long; even when the defense was on the field. (Other coaches) would never allow Jim to move on. But when Sherman Lewis came in, that got streamlined a little better."

Apparently, not soon enough.

"Now it is too late, and it's too bad."

[QB Eagles]

Some effort tonight against the Giants.

[PhillyPhreak54]

4:00 left in the 1st half - look at these numbers. 

1st Downs 16 0
Passing 1st downs 9 0
Rushing 1st downs 7 0
1st downs from penalties 0 0
3rd down efficiency 8-9 0-3
4th down efficiency 0-0 0-0
Total Plays 39 9
Total Yards 226 -2
Passing 162 -14
Comp-Att 14-19 1-4
Yards per pass 8.5 -3.5
Rushing 64 12
Rushing Attempts 19 3
Yards per rush 3.4 4.0
Red Zone (Made-Att) 3-4 0-0
Penalties 0-0 1-5
Turnovers 0 0
Fumbles lost 0 0
Interceptions thrown 0 0
Possession 20:58 4:26