FanHouse Dan Snyder

In the days since his release, speculation has been rampant as to where former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson would eventually end up. Almost immediately, the Washington Redskins were a hot rumor. The shoe fit because Dan Snyder likes signing big names -- even if they are washed up has-beens -- and starting running back Clinton Portis recently went down with a concussion.

Wednesday, though, head coach Jim Zorn ruled out the possibility of the 'Skins bringing in the maligned veteran from Penn State.

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.

In what has been an incredibly disappointing 2009 campaign, to this point, maligned Redskins owner Daniel Snyder had been noticeably quiet. This movement was pretty shocking because, in the past, Snyder has been a relatively vocal and hands-on owner. His silence opened the door for all kinds of theories as to why he wasn't talking and what he may have been planning.

Tuesday, he finally said a few words about his 2-5 'Skins, who -- in addition to having to climb out of a crater-sized hole in the NFC East -- face a much tougher schedule than they've already played. He managed to come off sounding like a caring and remorseful owner.

I've mentioned it before but as long as the Redskins continue to flail their way through the season, and owner Dan Snyder and the assistant to the traveling secretary Vinny Cerrato continue to incite an already disgruntled fan base, I suspect we'll see more of the creative spirit to help supporters cope with the rampant incompetence.

Today's offering: BangCartoon's "Flawed Execution." John Tayman is the guy behind the art and, sadly, he's a Redskins fan. But the suffering makes the final product all the more heartfelt, poignant and funny as hell.

Fun starts after the jump.

I'm beginning to think that Redskins owner Dan Snyder might be making things worse between the fans and the team. Throwing millions at over-the-hill players is one thing, but putting unreasonable in-stadium restrictions on the tens of thousands of supporters who battle beltway traffic to endure three hours of what now passes for football ... well, let's just say the persecuted are mobilizing.

In the wake of the team's latest loss -- a 27-17 Monday night matchup with the Eagles that the 'Skins never had a chance of winning -- comes reports that a few fans were ejected from FedEx Field for wielding anti-Snyder signs.

We can add Bill Cowher's name to the litany of folks who have weighed in on the Jim Zorn situation in Washington. After the 'Skins lost to the then-winless Chiefs last Sunday, Zorn's tenure in DC was pretty much done -- except that Assistant to the Traveling Secretary Vinny Cerrato went on the radio to proclaim that Zorn's job would be safe through the end of the season.

His job description would change, however. Sure, owner Dan Snyder brought in Zorn specifically because of his ability to develop quarterbacks and put together an offensive game plan, but now, 21 games into his first head-coaching gig, Zorn would have to give up play-calling duties to Bingo Grand Master Sherm Lewis.

During Sunday's CBS pregame show, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was not impressed. Via Newsday's Neil Best:

I'm not sure how John Riggins would fill his days if not for the futility that Redskins football provided. He's carved out a nice little niche in a crowded DC-area media landscape.

Partly because he was an integral cog in those 'Skins teams that routinely made the playoffs in the early 1980s, but also because he's frank in his assessment of the current organization, not to mention his attention to details others might overlook. Like, say, production quality (and free-stylin').

There are no metaphorical wood piles this week, however. Nope, just Riggo on the radio diatribin' it up. Video after the jump:

It's been 24 hours since the Redskins lost to the Chiefs. In that time, Jim Zorn has been stripped of play-calling duties, Bingo guru Sherm Lewis has been given the responsibility, and John Riggins is hastily producing another backwoods manifesto.

While we wait for the inevitable, Tony Kornheiser used his radio show to relay his encounter with 'Skins owner Dan Snyder during Sunday's fiasco. Mr. Tony had the pleasure of sitting in the owner's box (as much as 60 minutes of JV high school football can be deemed pleasurable).

Via the Sports Bog:

I lived in Washington, DC for four years, and it was more than enough time for me to come to hate the Redskins. But that was earlier this decade, when Joe Gibbs had returned to the nation's capital to rescue the franchise he had previously led to three Super Bowl titles.

Gibbs was hailed as a savior, the one man who could save Dan Snyder from himself and, frankly, it all got to be a bit much. But after less than two years of Jim Zorn, I've softened my anti-'Skins stance, mostly because it's such pitiful situation. And it would be one thing if Snyder and Vinny Cerrato were the only victims in this sideshow, but Gitmo detainees have been better treated than Redskins' fans.

But as the Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg writes, some good has come from the hopelessness: "One thing about this Burgundy Revolution; whatever happens in the end, it's been beautiful to see the creative flowering this unrest has engendered."

Danny Rouhier, disaffected 'Skins supporter, has taken his story to the YouTubes. It's poignant and funny. But mostly poignant.

Not only is John Riggins a speaker of the truth, he's a storyteller using both words and images to convey his message. Take the YouTube below, for example. The piles of chopped wood? Yeah, that's a metaphor for the Dan Snyder Redskins.

Riggo's first target: Vinny Cerrato. "Your head coach has basically been castrated by the guy you work for. ... Let's face it, your real, true passion is radio so I would say just go ahead and go radio full time. ... I mean, you're a great guy, Vin, but you're no GM."