FanHouse Greg Blache

Former Redskins player John Riggins has been increasingly critical of current Redskins owner Dan Snyder over the course of the 2009 season. Most recently he took to Showtime's Inside the NFL to air his grievances against Snyder and the Redskins.

Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache, who apparently is an ardent Snyder supporter, took some serious issue with Riggins and his constant criticism. So serious an issue, in fact, that the Redskins sent out an incredibly lengthy press release courtesy of Blache early Thursday afternoon.

It looks like we can call off the Jim Zorn Deathwatch. For the next couple of days anyway.

Redskins executive vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato said on his ESPN980 radio show Friday morning that Zorn won't be fired before the 2009 season reaches its conclusion.

"Let me start by making a few things very perfectly clear: Jim Zorn is the head coach of the Washington Redskins, and will be for the rest of this season, and hopefully into the future."

Cerrato's hardly an impartial party to this decision. When and if Zorn gets fired and when and if Daniel Snyder brings in the big-name coach everyone expects he'll bring in as a replacement, Cerrato will be the next head on the chopping block.

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Offense -- They stormed out of the gate last season, on the shoulders of Clinton Portis. In the second half of the season, though, the offensive line began to wear down and Jason Campbell wasn't productive enough downfield to take attention away from CP26. This season, there are reasons for optimism. The offensive line has been retooled. The growth of second-year wideouts Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly will give Campbell more reliable options in the passing attack in addition to the solid Chris Cooley and Santana Moss.

So, why did a team who ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense draft a defensive player in the first round?

Because Brian Orakpo fell to the 13th pick, was one of the most versatile defensive players in the draft, and improves an area where the Redskins were lacking. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache doesn't blitz, but that doesn't mean the Redskins couldn't use some pressure on the quarterback. That's (presumably, though we can't really be sure with Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder at the helm) why they coughed up a second-round draft pick for Jason Taylor. With injuries hampering Taylor, the Redskins managed only a paltry 24 sacks.

Enter Orakpo.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

When I anointed Brian Orakpo as the ideal pick for the Washington Redskins in the first round of the draft, I sort of assumed they'd do something about the offensive line later in the draft. You see, heading into the offseason, the Redskins really had one glaring issue: The sack ratio. They allowed 38 -- in a division full of pass-rushing fiends -- and only accrued 24 themselves. I'm aware that Greg Blache's defensive scheme doesn't chase the passer, but pressuring him with a front four means that's less time the coverage has to do their job. Orakpo helps take care of that with his outside push.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The Redskins made the biggest early splash this offseason, luring beastly defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth from Tennessee to anchor their defensive line. Their work, however, is not done. Unfortunately for Washington, it plays in arguably the best division in the NFL. Fortunately, the few holes the Redskins still have on their roster should be perfectly fixable. In fact, many could be done in-house, with younger players developing further.

Last offseason, the Redskins traded a few draft picks -- including their second-rounder for the upcoming draft -- for the big name of Jason Taylor. The name is about all they got, as the six-time pro-bowler had the least productive season of his career.

The flip-side to that was the mitigating factor that was a hampering leg injury during the preseason. He ended up having to undergo surgery twice to relieve pressure in his left calf, and was hobbled throughout the season.

For 2009, Taylor really wants to remain on the Redskins' roster, and he wants to have success.

And that is that. After a weird 24 hours that included rumors that Gregg Williams had said some not-so-nice things about Joe Gibbs, and that he might withdraw from consideration for the head-coaching gig, the latter has been confirmed (Williams denies the former).

I suppose this is what happens when team owner Dan Snyder interviews you four times, and then cuts off all contact for a week and a half while he interviews -- and tries to hire -- every candidate he meets.

Williams, assistant head coach - defense, had a meeting with owner Dan Snyder this morning according to his agent Marvin Demoff, and is no longer a part of the organization. The sides mutually agreed that he was no longer a candidate, Demoff said, and will move on.

The Washington Post's Jason La Canfora also reports that Williams was set to withdraw from the process last Tuesday, but Gibbs talked him out of it. The Redskins named veteran assistant coach Greg Blache the new defensive coordinator. Williams is now free to pursue other opportunities; one rumor has him joining the Jaguars as their defensive coordinator to replace Mike Smith, the Falcons head coach as of a few days ago.

I have no doubt Williams will be fine; the bigger question, though, is how much damage Snyder and Vinny Cerrato will do to the Redskins? I'm guessing they're just getting started.