Vinny Cerrato continues to haunt the Washington Redskins. Jim Schwartz may not be the top coach in the NFL, but he was first up when the former Redskins general manager started interviewing replacements for Joe Gibbs in 2008. You remember, of course, Cerrato’s list of “50 candidates” that he and owner Dan Snyder considered before settling on “Mr. Maroon and Black” himself: Jim Zorn.
Schwartz doesn’t handle a pat on the back well, but his Detroit Lions are 7-3 heading into their game against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. It’s the first time since 2000 that Detroit has been relevant at the time of the turkey matinee.
Team sources said Cerrato didn’t like Schwartz, then the Tennessee Titans’ defensive coordinator, after the interview. Maybe Schwartz wasn’t desperate to coach for a poor GM and meddlesome owner. Who said no first is debatable, but the Redskins might have avoided again bottoming out, changing coaches and still stinking four seasons later if they hired Schwartz.
Schwartz spent nine hours at Snyder’s Potomac palace, and the word then was that the owner was impressed. However, Schwartz knew the Redskins well after playing linebacker at Georgetown for four seasons and spending 1989 as a graduate assistant at Maryland. He saw the difference between an organization that won Super Bowls and the current one going nowhere.
But Schwartz was exactly what the Redskins needed — a young coordinator like Gibbs once was who could grow the team. Instead, Schwartz waited a year to take over in Detroit.
The Lions needed a couple seasons to draft smartly, improving from 2-14 in 2009 to 6-10 last season. Now they have an outside chance of catching Green Bay for the NFC North title but a better chance at a wild-card spot.
With Chicago (7-3) losing quarterback Jay Cutler to a broken thumb, Detroit’s postseason chances are greatly increased. Detroit is vying with New Orleans (7-3), Dallas (6-4), Atlanta (6-4) and the New York Giants (6-4). Two of those teams will win division titles, so the Lions really have two competitors for the two slots. That said, Detroit’s remaining opponents have a combined 39-21 record and include Green Bay twice and New Orleans.
Schwartz developed quarterback Matthew Stafford, who went from 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in 10 starts in 2009 to 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games this season. Stafford threw five touchdown passes in a 49-35 victory over Carolina on Sunday. Maybe Schwartz could have helped Washington develop quarterback Jason Campbell or at least could have drafted his replacement. And maybe Schwartz could have gotten more from Albert Haynesworth, whom he coached at Tennessee.
Washington is still floundering, heading for its worst season since possibly 1994. Meanwhile, Schwartz seems only a year away from being in charge of a serious Super Bowl contender, though one that unfortunately is in the same division as the defending champion.
Maybe Schwartz could have revived Washington. Thanks to Cerrato, Redskins fans only know Zorn couldn’t.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
