More than a decade in the public spotlight hasn’t made former Redskins executive Vinny Cerrato any more self aware.
Asked on the Mike Wise Show Tuesday to discuss former coach Jim Zorn’s downfall as Redskins coach, Cerrato blamed Zorn’s ego.
“Lookit, when we started out, we’re 6-2 and the guy’s doing a good job. But then I think ego got into play and then he stopped listening to coaches, became a celebrity. I mean, that’s when Rush Limbaugh’s on the sideline, he had all these people on the sideline. Give me a break,” Cerrato said via Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog.
“Just worry about Clinton Portis, Chris Samuels. Worry about the next team. To me, that’s what happened.”
The host of the Vinny Cerrato radio show blaming Washington’s downfall on Zorn’s ego is stupefying. It would be like if Dan Snyder made fun of another owner for free agent spending.
There are so many other reasons the Redskins failed under Zorn, and most of them lead directly back to Cerrato’s decision making. (Including the decision to hire Zorn.)
In Cerrato’s view, Zorn’s handling of the media was another crucial ingredient.
“When you talk to the media, you can’t tell them everything,” Cerrato said. “You know, he wanted to tell them everything. I think Jim’s downfall was when he went on and started ripping the players, Chris Samuels, and saying it on air. You lose the team. They say bye bye.”
These comments reflect poorly on Cerrato, not only because they are classless and attempting to shift blame elsewhere.
They also indicate Cerrato still doesn’t understand what actually contributes to wins and losses in the NFL.
UPDATE: More quotes from Cerrato, courtesy of CSNWashington.com.