I guess no one likes VC.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

I think it's fair to say that we should judge him here forward. So far if we judge him on the Zorn hire and the 08 draft class I'd say it's below average. We've got a draft class that basically did nothing and a coach who had one of the worst offenses in the league and showed no ability to adjust. So far it's not very good.

I want Vinny outta here as much as the next guy, but I think youre being a little harsh there:

• Vinny wisely chose not to promote Gregg Williams to HC - that would have been a disaster - The guy couldnt even keep the job as DC in Jacksonville.
• Vinny stressed continuity, which was much needed given the foundation Gibbs laid here.
• Saunders offense was doo-doo. Bringing in Zorn to be the OC/QB coach was a smart move, given Zorns success record developing QBs
• Promoting Zorn to HC was a prudent move at the time, considering Jim Fassel and Mooch were the only other men who wanted the job.
• We entered the draft with our starters set. The goal in the draft was never to draft rookie starters... it was to draft depth guys who could grow into starting roles in years 2 and beyond. If Thomas and Rinehart are starting in 2009, and Davis and Kelly are contributing more, then Vinny will have succeeded there.
• Trading for Jason Taylor - who was coming off a 16sack season - was a brilliant move - praised by EVERYONE in the media at the time. Getting him for a 2nd and 6th rounder was a steal, especially since Taylor vowed to play 2 more years minimum. No one could have guessed a guy who hadnt missed a start in over a decade would suddenly suffer a slew of injury problems.
• We wisely remained quiet in free agency last year. There really wasnt anyone out there worth breaking the bank for.
• We had every reason to expect a better performance from our offensive line than we got. Vinny can be forgiven for not doing more to address that in the draft. Given how quickly the QB is supposed to throw the ball in the WCO, our OL should have done a much better job than it did.
• By all appearances, our plan was to draft atleast 1 Defensive linemen in the 2nd round. Unfortunately for us, Philly and Miami picked guys we were likely targeting right before we made our selections. Sometimes, thats just how things play out.

Vinnys first offseason cannot be judged in one year. Like head coaches and draft picks, GMs need atleast 2-3 years to accurately evaluate. I'm not saying danny shouldnt be seeing what he can do to get guys like Holmgren, Shanahan, Cowher, or Pioli, because they would clearly be upgrades over what we have now, but I also wouldnt throw in the towel on Cerrato for anything less than Pioli or Cowher running the FO.