Byner returns

[Jake]

Posted at 9:46 AM ET, 02/ 5/2008
EB Is Back
Redskins running backs coach Earnest Byner will be back with the team for the 2008 season, league sources said, after interviewing with Tampa Bay for the same position last week. Byner spoke to Bucs Coach Jon Gruden yesterday, league sources said, with the sides mutually agreeing to go in a different direction and Byner citing his long ties to this area and affinity for the organization, then signing his one-year deal with the Redskins.

He's done a great job with the backs these past four years.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/

[REDEEMEDSKIN]

Wold the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract? Still, it's good news in my book.

[welch]

Redeemed asked

Would the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract?

Does anything make sense that Redskin ownership does?

[SKINFAN]

= shelf life of CP, maybe?

[CanesSkins26]

Wold the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract? Still, it's good news in my book.

They shouldn't be signing any of these coaches until they have a head coach in place.

[playboy1972]

Wold the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract? Still, it's good news in my book.

They shouldn't be signing any of these coaches until they have a head coach in place.

Thank you.

[SKINFAN]

who's to say they don't have a coach in place....



bah, honestly I got nothing, I'm still holding on to the dream of GW being the HC and all these spagz talk is just to scout the Gints, and GW himself scouted the 'Pukes..... ANd we still have a copy of the playbook from the egrolls from Thrash....

[Redskin in Canada]

Rumour has it (from a friend of mine) that Joe had something to do with this decision by EB, at least in part.

One year??? I would not be surprised if he succeeds as OC somewhere else in the future.

[UK Skins Fan]

Pleased to read that news. I liked Byner as a player, and I like him as a coach. Glad to see him staying.

[SkinsFreak]

Wold the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract? Still, it's good news in my book.

They shouldn't be signing any of these coaches until they have a head coach in place.

You scream for continuity then complain when the team retains the services of their current staff.

If they hire one guy, a head coach, and that guy subsequently blows up the entire staff and brings in all new guys, in essence, that kinda kills the continuity aspect.

The promotion of Blache maintains continuity on that side of the ball. I can actually understand why they let Saunders go. And let's face it, as much as I wanted Williams to get the HC gig, he obviously pissed off Snyder and Cerrato or something happened there we simply don't know about. Hell, maybe Gibbs got sick of him and didn't like to be disrespected or undermined, as in the S.T. 10-man tribute, and told Snyder he was no longer in favor of a promotion for Williams. Nobody has considered that possibility. And if the HC, the front office and the ownership don't get along, that's not a healthy thing for the team, the players, the fans or the organization as a whole. Healthy relationships are key.

So in conclusion, finding a HC that would be satisfied with the vast majority of the staff would be an effort to maintain continuity... would it not? Remember, Gibbs resigned, so Snyder's hand was forced here. There is already clear evidence that either Mooch or Fassel would be perfectly fine with the current staff. That, regardless of whatever spin you might put on it, is an honest effort to maintain continuity.

Although he fired coordinators Gregg Williams and Al Saunders, Snyder said continuity has remained his goal throughout the search.

"That's one of the things we've really focused on," he said. "It became very apparent during the process that everybody agreed we had a great coaching staff. The promotion of Greg Blache [to defensive coordinator] will go a long way because he's a really fantastic coach and a great guy."

Snyder defended the hiring of both coordinators before a head coach.

"Jim Zorn is the only coach we've added so in reality, we're not hiring as much as we're keeping," he said. "We thought [adding Zorn] would be a smart move, and we did it. Other than that, we have not turned over our coaching staff."

If Byner and Lazor don't return, the Redskins will have a minimum of four new assistants — defensive line, running backs, quarterbacks and Zorn — on staff.

Speaking from his home in North Carolina, former coach Joe Gibbs supported Snyder's move in hiring Zorn and Blache ahead of his replacement.

"If you wait until late in the process, in this case going after the Super Bowl, a lot of the key people will be signed up by different teams," Gibbs said. "Dan couldn't afford to wait or he was going to lose a lot of good coaches."

Gibbs, who has not participated in any of the interviews, defended the way Snyder is conducting the search.

"I've been staying quiet on the process out of respect for the process," Gibbs said. "Some people took that to mean I was disappointed. That's not the case at all. I want to emphasize that I think Dan has been very, very thorough. In the end, what's going to come out of this is that he's going to make a great choice for the Redskins."

Although the Redskins' 25-day coaching search has been lampooned nationally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the opposite view yesterday. "The process has been quite good, quite thorough," Goodell said.

[CanesSkins26]

Wold the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract? Still, it's good news in my book.

They shouldn't be signing any of these coaches until they have a head coach in place.

You scream for continuity then complain when the team retains the services of their current staff.

If they hire one guy, a head coach, and that guy subsequently blows up the entire staff and brings in all new guys, in essence, that kinda kills the continuity aspect.

The promotion of Blache maintains continuity on that side of the ball. I can actually understand why they let Saunders go. And let's face it, as much as I wanted Williams to get the HC gig, he obviously pissed off Snyder and Cerrato or something happened there we simply don't know about. Hell, maybe Gibbs got sick of him and didn't like to be disrespected or undermined, as in the S.T. 10-man tribute, and told Snyder he was no longer in favor of a promotion for Williams. Nobody has considered that possibility. And if the HC, the front office and the ownership don't get along, that's not a healthy thing for the team, the players, the fans or the organization as a whole. Healthy relationships are key.

So in conclusion, finding a HC that would be satisfied with the vast majority of the staff would be an effort to maintain continuity... would it not? Remember, Gibbs resigned, so Snyder's hand was forced here. There is already clear evidence that either Mooch or Fassel would be perfectly fine with the current staff. That, regardless of whatever spin you might put on it, is an honest effort to maintain continuity.

Although he fired coordinators Gregg Williams and Al Saunders, Snyder said continuity has remained his goal throughout the search.

"That's one of the things we've really focused on," he said. "It became very apparent during the process that everybody agreed we had a great coaching staff. The promotion of Greg Blache [to defensive coordinator] will go a long way because he's a really fantastic coach and a great guy."

Snyder defended the hiring of both coordinators before a head coach.

"Jim Zorn is the only coach we've added so in reality, we're not hiring as much as we're keeping," he said. "We thought [adding Zorn] would be a smart move, and we did it. Other than that, we have not turned over our coaching staff."

If Byner and Lazor don't return, the Redskins will have a minimum of four new assistants — defensive line, running backs, quarterbacks and Zorn — on staff.

Speaking from his home in North Carolina, former coach Joe Gibbs supported Snyder's move in hiring Zorn and Blache ahead of his replacement.

"If you wait until late in the process, in this case going after the Super Bowl, a lot of the key people will be signed up by different teams," Gibbs said. "Dan couldn't afford to wait or he was going to lose a lot of good coaches."

Gibbs, who has not participated in any of the interviews, defended the way Snyder is conducting the search.

"I've been staying quiet on the process out of respect for the process," Gibbs said. "Some people took that to mean I was disappointed. That's not the case at all. I want to emphasize that I think Dan has been very, very thorough. In the end, what's going to come out of this is that he's going to make a great choice for the Redskins."

Although the Redskins' 25-day coaching search has been lampooned nationally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the opposite view yesterday. "The process has been quite good, quite thorough," Goodell said.

Continuity goes out the window when your head coach retires and both coordinators are fired. It is beyond stupid to hire an entire staff before bringing in a head coach. Usually a new head coach will bring in people that he knows, has worked with before, and gets along with. It makes the transition much easier. To me that's very important. Just look at what is going on in Dallas, and they only hired one coordinator before a head coach. Next year the Wilson/Garrett will blow up in Jones' face as soon as they go on any sort of losing streak. It's important for the staff to be loyal to the head coach, and it's pretty clear that that isn't the case with Wilson/Garrett. Why will that be any different here? Blache and Zorn will have been brought in or promoted by Vinny and Danny, so to who are they going to be most loyal too? Do you really think that there wont be any friction between Spagnuolo (if he is hired) and Blache if Spagnuolo wants to implement his system and get rid of some of the veterans that Blache likes?

What if Zorn or Blache don't get along with the new head coach and problems arise during the season? Can the new head coach fire one of them or does Dan/Vinny make that decision?

You can try to rationalize this all you want, but there is simply no reason to hire a staff before deciding on a head coach.

[gibbsfan]

great to hear byners coming back...

[SkinsFreak]

Why will that be any different here? Blache and Zorn will have been brought in or promoted by Vinny and Danny, so to who are they going to be most loyal too? Do you really think that there wont be any friction between Spagnuolo (if he is hired) and Blache if Spagnuolo wants to implement his system and get rid of some of the veterans that Blache likes

First, with regard to Spagnoula, I'd bet my house he doesn't get the job. He's just being interviewed, as with the likes of Meeks and Scharwtz.

In any company or operation, if you are forced to replace the CEO, that doesn't mean you have to replace the entire management team already in place. There's a term called "subordination", perhaps you've heard of it. I don't buy this crap about a lack of loyalty. These folks are paid employees, and the fact remains, the ownership of any business or organization dictates the direction taken. If said employees don't like it, they're free to leave.

But for the purposes of continuity, it's already been reported that Zorn and Blache were on the desired lists of Fassel, Mariucci and Williams respectfully. So in this instance, I believe it will work out fine. I prefer Mariucci over Fassel, as Mooch, Zorn and Blache all come from the same pedigree. So that suggests they can work together. The retention of Byner offers further evidence that they're trying to maintain continuity as best they can.

All that said, I actually prefer Mooch over Williams.

And btw, I don't give a rats ass what's going on in Dallas, or in any other city for that matter. They don't set the standard and every situation is unique. Trying to speculate what will happen in the future in Dallas and subsequently using that as prediction of what will happen here now is absurd.

[SkinsJock]

I also am still holding out hope for Mariucci

I would be very surprised IF anyone comes in and moves any coach that is here out - these guys were recently hired (or re-hired) by Snyder and Cerrato and before anyone gets a job here they have to make Snyder and Cerrato feel good - telling them you might replace the guys they just hired is kind a strange way to try and impress your new bosses.

Not saying it makes any sense BUT nothing really has made too much sense, so what can you expect?

[CanesSkins26]

But for the purposes of continuity, it's already been reported that Zorn and Blache were on the desired lists of Fassel, Mariucci and Williams respectfully.

Please provide the link where it says that Zorn and Blache were on Mariucci's list of desired coordinators.

Also, just because Fassel or Williams were interested in Zorn and Blache that doesn't mean that they would have eventually hired them. Reports indicated that Ryan was Fassel's first choice anyway. Most of these guys haven't worked with each other before so to just assume that they will get along and be able to function effectively together is ridiculous.

[CanesSkins26]

First, with regard to Spagnoula, I'd bet my house he doesn't get the job. He's just being interviewed, as with the likes of Meeks and Scharwtz.

I seem to remember you making similar guarantees about Gregg Williams being hired as the head coach.

[VetSkinsFan]

Wold the team sign him for only one year? Why such a short contract? Still, it's good news in my book.

They shouldn't be signing any of these coaches until they have a head coach in place.

You scream for continuity then complain when the team retains the services of their current staff.

If they hire one guy, a head coach, and that guy subsequently blows up the entire staff and brings in all new guys, in essence, that kinda kills the continuity aspect.

The promotion of Blache maintains continuity on that side of the ball. I can actually understand why they let Saunders go. And let's face it, as much as I wanted Williams to get the HC gig, he obviously pissed off Snyder and Cerrato or something happened there we simply don't know about. Hell, maybe Gibbs got sick of him and didn't like to be disrespected or undermined, as in the S.T. 10-man tribute, and told Snyder he was no longer in favor of a promotion for Williams. Nobody has considered that possibility. And if the HC, the front office and the ownership don't get along, that's not a healthy thing for the team, the players, the fans or the organization as a whole. Healthy relationships are key.

So in conclusion, finding a HC that would be satisfied with the vast majority of the staff would be an effort to maintain continuity... would it not? Remember, Gibbs resigned, so Snyder's hand was forced here. There is already clear evidence that either Mooch or Fassel would be perfectly fine with the current staff. That, regardless of whatever spin you might put on it, is an honest effort to maintain continuity.

Although he fired coordinators Gregg Williams and Al Saunders, Snyder said continuity has remained his goal throughout the search.

"That's one of the things we've really focused on," he said. "It became very apparent during the process that everybody agreed we had a great coaching staff. The promotion of Greg Blache [to defensive coordinator] will go a long way because he's a really fantastic coach and a great guy."

Snyder defended the hiring of both coordinators before a head coach.

"Jim Zorn is the only coach we've added so in reality, we're not hiring as much as we're keeping," he said. "We thought [adding Zorn] would be a smart move, and we did it. Other than that, we have not turned over our coaching staff."

If Byner and Lazor don't return, the Redskins will have a minimum of four new assistants — defensive line, running backs, quarterbacks and Zorn — on staff.

Speaking from his home in North Carolina, former coach Joe Gibbs supported Snyder's move in hiring Zorn and Blache ahead of his replacement.

"If you wait until late in the process, in this case going after the Super Bowl, a lot of the key people will be signed up by different teams," Gibbs said. "Dan couldn't afford to wait or he was going to lose a lot of good coaches."

Gibbs, who has not participated in any of the interviews, defended the way Snyder is conducting the search.

"I've been staying quiet on the process out of respect for the process," Gibbs said. "Some people took that to mean I was disappointed. That's not the case at all. I want to emphasize that I think Dan has been very, very thorough. In the end, what's going to come out of this is that he's going to make a great choice for the Redskins."

Although the Redskins' 25-day coaching search has been lampooned nationally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the opposite view yesterday. "The process has been quite good, quite thorough," Goodell said.

Skinsfreak,

Contrary to your "epiphany," more than a few of us have said that GW pissed Snyder off. There was even an article I've seen on it. Partly was b/c of the 10 man tribute, but there was also a pissing contest with personnel decisions; GW wanted control and you know the Danny wasn't going to give it to him. Heck, he wouldn't even give those reigns to JG.

[SkinsFreak]

Skinsfreak,

Contrary to your "epiphany," more than a few of us have said that GW pissed Snyder off. There was even an article I've seen on it. Partly was b/c of the 10 man tribute, but there was also a pissing contest with personnel decisions; GW wanted control and you know the Danny wasn't going to give it to him. Heck, he wouldn't even give those reigns to JG.

When I said "nobody considered that possibility", I wasn't referring to the reports about Williams pissing Snyder off. I read those reports too, and in fact, I posted them. I was referring to the "possibility" that perhaps Gibbs himself told Snyder Williams wasn't the right man for the job. Fact is, nobody knows for sure and will probably never know.

[SkinsFreak]

First, with regard to Spagnoula, I'd bet my house he doesn't get the job. He's just being interviewed, as with the likes of Meeks and Scharwtz.

I seem to remember you making similar guarantees about Gregg Williams being hired as the head coach.

First, that's not a "guarantee". That's an opinion and my beliefs, based solely on the fact that I believe the next head coach will be an offensive guy. Second, I've never made any "guarantees" regarding ANYTHING pertaining to the Skins. I've stated my desires, with regard to the next head coach, but have never made any guarantees. That's just stupid. Not sure how you interpret my above comment as a guarantee.

[SkinsFreak]

Also, just because Fassel or Williams were interested in Zorn and Blache that doesn't mean that they would have eventually hired them.

You seem to be confused about who actually does the hiring. And sure, there's no guarantee of anything. But when someone suggests they like this coach or that coach, that's pretty good evidence.

Most of these guys haven't worked with each other before so to just assume that they will get along and be able to function effectively together is ridiculous.

Please provide the link where it says that Zorn and Blache were on Mariucci's list of desired coordinators.

Do you really want me to school you again?

I'm not going to waste my time searching for articles I've already read (try google ) but here's some insight.

From your boy...

Several league sources said they doubted a defensive coach would get this job now after Blache being promoted, and with the Redskins prizing the development of QB Jason Campbell, whom they have invested so much in, during this process (one of the primary reasons Fassel is an attractive candidate).

Okay, so let's see, Jim Zorn, West Coast Offense coach, directly from the Mike Holmgren tree. Well, what do you know, so is Mariucci. Very strong ties there. Perhaps he would not have been Mariucci's top choice as OC, but they come from the same system, Holmgren is their mentor (Zorn spent the last six seasons as Holmgren's QB coach). They run essentially the same system. Zorn has no previous experience as an NFL OC, but with an offensive minded head coach and another hire or two, your set. Also, Zorn will be working heavily with Campbell, and Mariucci goes back to Brett Favre in the developing QBs department.

What about Blache, you say?

Well, Blache is another West Coast guy, worked with Mariucci under Holmgren in Green Bay for a few years. In 2004, when Blache was leaving Chicago after 5 years as the Bears DC, Mariucci tired very hard to get him on his staff with the Lions. The Redskins ended up beating him out for that hire, but there was major interest from Mariucci, multiple league sources said.

Want another connection? Executive vice president Vinny Cerrato. Cerrato worked with Mariucci in SF and as the Redskins put in a press release about Cerrato's promotion last week, he is very influential in this process. Cerrato "loves" Mariucci, two NFL sources said. (Mariucci may have some concerns about Washington's current personnel structure, according to two of his former assistants, but no job is perfect and in the end money talks).

It certainly is unusual - though hardly unprecedented - that Snyder would hire his coordinators before his head coach. And league sources said that Jim Zorn was Jim Fassel's top choice as OC, and that he was very comfortable with Greg Blache running his defense as well. That all adds up. Snyder told Fassel on Wednesday night that while he was delaying a decision until after the Super Bowl that Fassel remained a top candidate. I buy all of that and no doubt whatsoever Fassel is in this thing and has a good chance of getting it. But Snyder also could have gone ahead and hired him this week, even though he was unable to get his top choice defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan.

"Those are hires I think Mooch would be very comfortable with," said one of his former assistants. "That makes perfect sense. And I know Steve wants to get back into coaching, because this is the last year of his Detroit contract (Mariucci was fired with two years left on his deal with Detroit, earning $11 million from the team in the process). That makes perfect sense."

One NFL GM, after studying the consecutive hires of Zorn and Blache said: "It all points to Mariucci. It's like you're starting a Washington branch of the West Coast family. Look at the coordinators. Then you've got Vinny who could put it together. That's viable. That's something I think you could sell.

Link

Here's the difference. Some folks fear that which they don't understand and you seem to fit that mold. Evident by your endless belly aching, complaints and negativity.

When something happens which I don't fully understand, I try to educate myself and analyze the logic and rationale behind those decisions. You simply read the headline and automatically and emphatically conclude it's wrong or can't work, then offer unfounded argument in a blind attempt to substantiate your claims, like you did with the posts about Campbell not being a west coast QB and not possessing the skill set. Or when you claim to know what will happen in the future in Dallas. Good luck with that approach, but unfortunately, that approach holds no credibility.

[CanesSkins26]

Rolling Eyes First, that's not a "guarantee". That's an opinion and my beliefs, based solely on the fact that I believe the next head coach will be an offensive guy. Second, I've never made any "guarantees" regarding ANYTHING pertaining to the Skins. I've stated my desires, with regard to the next head coach, but have never made any guarantees. That's just stupid. Not sure how you interpret my above comment as a guarantee. Rolling Eyes

Fine, it's only your "opinion." In that case, it's your opinion that has been wrong throughout this coaching search.

Just a few examples...

Jim Zorn for an offensive coordinator position... ... over Saunders? :ROTFALMAO:

I don't believe Snyder was even considering Mora for the head coaching position. It simply won't be logical to hire Mora over Williams. I'll bet they were only interested in 'perhaps' offering him an assistant position.

Williams has been the choice all along; implanted, sanctioned and endorsed by Gibbs. They're just going through the motions to satisfy the Rooney Rule, possibly looking for an assistant or two, and gaining some valuable insight, opinions and ideas from other coaches while they have the opportunity. That's just good business.

As for your claim of never having made any guarantees....perhaps you forgot about this?

I guarantee they (Gibbs & Dan) already have their plan in place, and you can bet that Gibbs orchestrated that plan.

As for your quoted stories, they addresses nothing. I never suggested that Fassel didn't like Blache or Zorn. I only said that even if they were on his short list, it makes no sense to hire them before Fassel is in place and has a chance to interview them and make a final determination.

As for Mariucci, you have nothing to support your claim that Zorn/Blache were on Mariucci's desired list of candidates. All you have is speculation that based on Mooch's history, he might be comfortable with them as coaches.

You can spin this any way that you want, but the hiring of Zorn and Blache was premature. Snyder and Vinny appear to have gone with coaches that Fassel is comfortable with, except the problem is that Fassel isn't the head coach (yet). Since Blache and Zorn were hired, Meeks, Mooch, and Spagnuolo have been interviewed. At best Fassel (perhaps Mooch but I doubt it) had input on these hires.

Also, nothing that you have posted addresses the fact that not only will the new head coach have coordinators in place, but will also already have full staffs in place. If Spagnuolo is brought in as the head coach we are looking at new offensive and defensive systems anyway, so at this point continuity isn't really all that relevant. For example, I read an article (cant find it now, will try to find it later) that speculated that Spagnuolo would want to bring in Philadelphia's qb coach as his offensive coordinator. You can argue all that you want, but I simply don't see the logic in hiring a full staff before brining in your head coach.

[SkinsJock]

I like the hiring of Zorn and the promotion of Blache -

Zorn would not have been available for very long as he has impressed a lot of NFL people recently (according to Snyder who's really in touch with all this)

Blache provides some stability from the defensive side. (Well if we couldn't keep Williams lets try for the next one down)



We just need to get somebody as HC here that will do and say everything that Snyder and Cerrato want.

[SkinsFreak]

Canes,

I am still of the belief that Snyder and Cerrato have known all along who they want. Any proof of that? Of course not. It's merely an opinion and I absolutely could be wrong when speculating what they are thinking, as have numerous members of the media.

I did, in fact, read an article that said Blache and Zorn were desired candidates of Mariucci, I just can't find it. I get the google news alerts for all Skins related news sent to my email. Nevertheless, they've worked together and all come from the same coaching tree. Based on that alone, it would appear, to me anyway, they would be a cohesive group of coaches.

As for the hiring of Zorn and the promotion of Blache, and whether or not that was premature, as Gibbs said himself, if we didn't sign them, they could have easily been snatched up by other teams. And we're really only talking about Zorn, Blache has been our defensive coordinator for 4 years now.

I don't think anyone can question the fact that Snyder is conducting this process in a very thorough manner. I just think some get impatient. But my point is that you always conclude everything is wrong before knowing any of the facts. And rather than trying to analyze the situation, you immediately try to find fault with everything, and I basically find that to be a disturbing approach. You also seem to take what the media spits out as gospel. I don't.

You are absolutely entitled to your opinion, but don't always be so surprised when some know more than you on a particular subject or matter and call your bluff on the issue; like JC, the WCO and our receivers who happen to be pretty good YAC receivers, predominant in the WCO. Peace.

[CanesSkins26]

I like the hiring of Zorn and the promotion of Blache -

Zorn would not have been available for very long as he has impressed a lot of NFL people recently (according to Snyder who's really in touch with all this)

Blache provides some stability from the defensive side. (Well if we couldn't keep Williams lets try for the next one down)



We just need to get somebody as HC here that will do and say everything that Snyder and Cerrato want.

I'm not saying that I don't like the hires, I just would have preferred that they be made by the coach. I think Zorn will do a good job, especially helping coach up JC. I'm not all that thrilled with Blache, considering that he was thinking of retiring and his record as the Bears DC wasn't all that spectacular. Will also be interested to see how he and Spagunuolo work together if that is who we hire as the HC.