Great news. Vinny is gone. Dan Snyder finally made a wise decision in hiring a general manager. He made an even wiser decision by hiring Bruce Allen. Washington Redskins fans can finally let out a gigantic, simultaneous sigh of relief. There is finally a bright future ahead for this dreadful franchise (That is, of course, only if Dan Snyder stays out of Allen's way). With Bruce Allen, the Redskins finally have someone who knows how to put together a playoff team. FREE AT LAST!
But just to let everyone know, the Bruce Allen Era hasn't begun.
So if anyone has the audacity to say, "The Bruce Allen Era got off to a rough start", just ignore it. That statement is false.
The hiring of Bruce Allen had no impact on the 2009 Redskins season before the Giants game and it still doesn't have an impact after the 45-12 loss.
Allen didn't put together this horrendous roster. He didn't put faith in an old and battered offensive line with absolutely no depth. He didn't propose that the organization should pay Albert Haynesworth $100 million. Allen had nothing to do with the 2009 Redskins.
After the Redskins were being embarrassed by the Giants (and themselves) on Monday Night Football, nothing changed. For all the Redskins fans out there - relax. What did you expect? We don't know anything more than what we already know. All the Monday Night game did was confirm certain speculations that were already pretty evident.
Take Jim Zorn's job status for instance. Just after he was hired, Allen said, "Jim Zorn is our coach. Give us some time to see how our relationship develops." But when Washington lined up for a fake field goal after Tom Coughlin called a timeout once he saw the unorganized formation - any chance of Zorn retaining any kind of employment with the Redskins went down in flames along with his awful attempt to explain the play call. "The play was unique enough to where I didn't think they saw what we were really trying to do and when they smelled it out pretty quickly, we didn't really have a chance to get it started," said the second-year coach.
You didn't think they saw what you were trying to do? There are only a few things a coach could do with a fake field goal attempt in the first place. If the other team knows it's a fake, you just don't fake it.
That was the most embarrassing play of the season. After witnessing that monstrosity, how could Allen possibly justify letting any of the staff on offense and special teams (besides Joe Bugel) keep their jobs? So he's gone. Again, nothing has changed.
What about the offensive line? The Giants defense sacked quarterback Jason Campbell five times. Campbell was hit 12 times and was temporarily knocked out of the game late in the first half after he sprained his shoulder. Most of the scrubs on the offensive line right now will most likely not be in Washington D.C next season and neither will Randy Thomas and Chris Samuels. After all, how could anybody put faith in either of the two staying healthy for a full season? So obviously there will be some reconstruction on the offensive line.
That goes for most of the players on the current Redskins roster. What about cornerback Carlos Rogers? Rogers is in his fifth year in the league and continues to be a major disappointment. Malcolm Kelly has been disappointing as well with just 16 receptions for 213 yards. LaRon Landry seems like he is just getting worse game after game.
The 2009 Redskins are bad. The Monday Night humiliation was expected. There will be a large portion of players on the current roster that won't be in Washington D.C next year. This was already known. It shocked me to see numerous analysts and writers picking the Redskins to beat the Giants before the game.
Yes, Washington had played well for five consecutive games dating back to the 27-17 victory over Denver on Nov. 15. The Redskins scored 24 or more points in four of the last five games. But they still were just 2-3 in that stretch, including a win over the terrible Raiders.
Playing well and still losing isn't usually a reason to be optimistic. That is what Bruce Allen was brought in to change. Allen was hired to put together a roster that plays well enough to actually win close games. He was brought to D.C to build a team with a winning attitude. But that won't start until after the 2009 season ends. So don't expect anything better than what the Redskins showed on Monday night.