Nfl Chris Henry

Nfl Chris Henry:Bengals receiver Chris Henry died on Thursday after falling from a moving truck in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, according to police. He was 26.

The football player had apparently been involved in an argument with his fiancée at a home when she drove away in a pickup truck. Henry jumped onto the bed of the truck, but fell out of the vehicle about a half-mile away.

A police spokesperson said homicide detectives were assigned to the case, but that no charges have been filed.

A seemingly perpetually troubled player, the hot-tempered Henry was arrested at various times for marijuana possession, gun possession and assault, earning him the epithet of “one-man crime wave” from a judge – and his ouster from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008.

But after the Bengals’ owner gave Henry a second chance, the athlete seemed to have straightened out, staying out of trouble and focusing his off time on his fiancée and the three children they were raising.

Bruce Allen

Bruce Allen:Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Bruce Allen will take over as executive vice president of football operations and general manager of the Washington Redskins, radio station ESPN 980 is reporting.

Allen, fired from the Bucs along with coach Jon Gruden in January, would replace Vinny Cerrato, who resigned Wednesday as executive VP of football operations.

Allen is the son of former Redskins coach George Allen and grew up in Virginia, near Washington. His father is still a legend in Redskins circles.

The hire fuels speculation that Gruden will reunite with Allen with the Redskins, with many believing second-year coach Jim Zorn will be fired at the end of the season. Gruden has downplayed talk of a return to the sideline, signing a multiyear deal Nov. 16 to remain as an analyst with ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Redskins News

Redskins News:Vinny Cerrato resigns as the executive vice president of football operations for the Washington Redskins.  Considering Vinny Cerrato’s relationship as a front man with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, it seems many fans are pleased to hear Vinny Cerrato resigns.  This is major Redskins news!

As Redskins fans rejoice that Vinny Cerrato resigns, Yahoo Sports explains the reason everyone is jubilant to see Vinny Cerrato go and why this is big Redskins news.

As a New Yorker, it was interesting to note Vinny Cerrato was born in Flushing, NY.  Vinny Cerrato started hosting a talk show in ESPN 980 in Washington DC on September 14, 2008.  The show, “Inside The Red Zone”, is on Mondays and Fridays from 10 AM to noon.

What do you think that Vinny Cerrato resigns?

In this YouTube video, Vinny Cerrato talks about the Redskins’ pick of Brian Orakpo, DE from Texas, in the 2009 NFL Draft:

Cerrato Resigns

Cerrato Resigns:Vinny Cerrato has resigned as the Redskins’ executive vice-president of football operations, the team has announced.

“We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position,” Cerrato said in a statement released by the Redskins this morning. “I’m thankful to Dan Snyder and other members of this ownership team for the opportunities I’ve been given over the years.”

“Of course I am disappointed with this year’s results, but I strongly believe that with outstanding picks and encouraging performance by our younger players, we have laid a strong foundation for the franchise.”

Cerrato has served two stints with the team, and assumed the title of executive vice president of a football operations on Jan. 22, 2008, following the resignation of Joe Gibbs. He played a central role in the team’s hiring of Coach Jim Zorn and has effectively served as the team’s general manager since that time, charged with building a roster that might snap the franchise’s 17-year Super Bowl drought.

Asked Oct. 27 if he felt he’d given the Redskins’ coaching staff a playoff roster, Cerrato said, “Yes.”

But with a 4-9 record heading into Monday night’s game against the New York Giants, any postseason hopes are deferred at least one more year.

Cerrato hasn’t spoken publicly with local reporters since that Oct. 27 meeting. He acknowledged at the time that accountability would be a prevalent theme around Redskins Park.

“I got to look at myself, we got to look at everybody and we got to just go out now and you know what you got to do — you got to get to better day to day, week to week,” he said. “And that’s what it’s about, it’s about improving each game. It’s one game at a time, one day at a time.”

This season Cerrato has been especially active, as injuries have plagued the Redskins. They’ve already put 10 players on injured reserves. In last Sunday’s win over Oakland – the team’s most dominant since Cerrato’s promotion in January 2008 – the Redskins starting lineup featured only five offensive player who started Week 1. The team has been forced to acquire players midseason – such as tackle Levi Brown and running back Quinton Ganther – who are now starting.

Cerrato’s biggest shakeup came in the early weeks of the season. With Zorn’s offense struggling, Cerrato brought Sherm Lewis out of retirement on Oct. 6 as an offensive consultant. Two weeks later, Cerrato stripped Zorn of his play-calling duties and handed them to Lewis. In recent weeks, with Lewis and offensive coordinator Sherman Smith, sharing the responsibility, the offense has improved, posting two straight games with 30 or more points, the team’s most prolific scoring outings under Zorn.

In his statement this morning, Cerrato singled out some of the coaches he has worked with but made no mention of Zorn.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches such as Joe Gibbs, Greg Blache and Sherman Lewis, great people on the Redskins staff, and most especially, some of the best professionall football players in the world,” Cerrato said. “I wish them all the best. I’ve also had the privilege of working for a franchise supported by the most loyal fans in the NFL.”

Cerrato and team owner Daniel M. Snyder enjoyed a close relationship and conferred on most major decisions that involved the team.

“More importantly, he is my friend, and he has always been there for me and the Redskins,” Snyder said in the statement. “He’s the consummate optimist and has always made decisions based on what would be the best for the team.”

While players and people around the organization have acknowledged that the team could undergo major changes in the offseason, the timing of today’s resignation caught many off-guard. Cerrato had acknowledged that Redskins employees are constantly being evaluated.

“I feel like my job’s on the line all the time,” he said Oct. 27. “It’s not something that I really worry about. My job is to get us going, to fill these holes when guys get hurt. Things take care of themselves after the season. I don’t worry about those things.”

Cerrato’s fingerprints are all over the current Redskins squad. As the director of player personnel and vice president of football operations, he was responsible for the drafting of quarterback Jason Campbell, tight end Chris Cooley, cornerback Carlos Rogers and safety LaRon Landry (during the tenure of Gibbs). He also helped engineer trades that brought in Clinton Portis and Santana Moss. Cerrato is also credited with free acquisitions, such as defensive end Andre Carter, linebacker London Fletcher, guard Derrick Dockery and Albert Haynesworth, perhaps the team’s biggest free-agent splash, with a $100-million price tag attached to the All-Pro defensive tackle.

Vinny Cerrato

Vinny Cerrato:For the second straight winter, change is coming to Washington.
Vinny Cerrato, the much-maligned Washington Redskins executive vice-president of football operations, resigned this morning, nearly two years after becoming the organization’s de facto general manager. Fans in D.C. are treating the news as an early Christmas present.

To understand Cerrato’s bizarre role in D.C., one would have to understand the bond between he and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, something I’m not sure anyone has been able to do. The two were friends, we know that, but how did the obviously-in-over-his-head Cerrato maintain his job status with an owner known for his fondness for making sweeping personnel moves at the drop of a pass? There were always jokes that Vinny had “something” on Danny, but that was probably closer to the truth than we realized. Not in a “I’m holding this over your head” way, but in a “look what I can provide” way.

Cerrato’s presence allowed Snyder to still pull the strings, all while providing a front and a lightning rod for criticism. Who else could do that? Cerrato gave Snyder all the appearances of a GM, while providing all the benefits of a yes man.

Unlike other infamous owners like Jerry Jones and George Steinbrenner, Snyder largely stays out of the limelight, declining interviews and not parading around on the sidelines. Thus, for a while, most of the criticism of the team’s personnel moves went to Cerrato even though he was, at most, a partner in these decisions with Snyder, not the guy who pulled the trigger. He couldn’t sneeze without Snyder’s approval it seemed.

His departure doesn’t necessarily mean things are going to get better in Washington, since Snyder has been the problem all along. But it is a sign that things are going in the right direction for the first time since Joe Gibbs retired two years ago. Snyder is finally shedding the dead weight and realizing that something — anything — needs to change.

It’s been obvious to fans for years that the biggest problem with the Redskins isn’t Jim Zorn or Jason Campbell(notes) or a confusing offensive playcalling system or missed tackling, it’s the disorganized, incompetent front office that drafts three pass catchers in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft, all while ignoring the aging offensive line … the front office that goes after Albert Haynesworth(notes) (not a bad decision) but incorrectly assumes that he’s the missing piece to the puzzle … the front office that played footsie with two quarterbacks in the off-season and then had to tuck its tail between its legs and stay stuck with the supremely-adequate Campbell … the front office that ignores special teams players right up until they actually cost the team a game, rather than contribute to it … the front office that hired its seventh choice to be head coach. We could go on for thousands of words. (And I have.)

The timing of the resignation is strange, but what else would you expect from the Redskins front office? It likely means that Snyder has a beat on Mike Holmgren or Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan and wants to strike now while he still can. Dragging his feet is only going to lead to getting a guy he doesn’t really want, sort of like what happened two years ago when he was forced to hire Jim Zorn against his will.

What this means for Zorn is anyone’s guess. Cerrato hired him so you’d figure this would be it for him, but if Holmgren comes to D.C., could he play Parcells to Zorn’s Tony Sparano?

Those are all questions for later though. For now, all Redskins fans need to care about is the fact that Vinny Cerrato is finally gone. Hope and change are just around the corner.