Vinny Cerrato, devil No. 2 in the eyes of frustrated Redskins fans, met with the Washington media collectively for the first time this season on Oct. 27, the day after Washington fell to 2-5 with a 27-17 nationally televised home loss to Philadelphia.
Cerrato, who runs the front office as the executive vice president of football operations, acknowledged the disappointing start but didn't take any particular blame on the day before the Redskins began their bye week.
That respite ended on Wednesday, the day after owner Dan Snyder, devil No. 1, broke his public silence in a brief interview with reporters following a charity event.
"No. 1, I feel bad for the fans," said Snyder, who avoided questions about the organization suing fans who couldn't fulfill their premium seat contracts and about the newly enforced ban on signs at FedEx Field, most of which were critical of him and Cerrato. "I feel sorry for the fans. We're very, very appreciative of our great, loyal fan base. And I'm understanding. I mean, we just feel terrible. We're disappointed and we're embarrassed."
Snyder semi-addressed the wrath of the fans, who sell out every game but who booed during the narrow victories over the then-winless Rams and Bucs.
"I see disappointment," Snyder acknowledged. "It's the same way I feel and I share their frustration. It's hard. We're going to try to put it together and get it going."
That's unlikely since the Redskins have lost Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels and veteran right guard Randy Thomas for the season and Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley for at least three weeks. Plus, their next five foes are Atlanta (4-3), Denver (6-1), Dallas (5-2), Philadelphia (5-2) and New Orleans (7-0).
"To date we have let everyone down, including ourselves," said Snyder, whose team has made the playoffs three times and won just two playoff games during his 10 full seasons as owner despite his mammoth spending and frequent change of coaches. "We know that. We're just apologetic. We've blown some games that obviously we think we should have won."
Indeed, Washington gave Detroit its only victory since 2007 and Kansas City its only triumph since last November.
"It hurts," Snyder said of the Redskins' fourth 2-5 start during his stewardship. "I mean, it really hurts. We are really trying very, very hard. Everyone at Redskins Park-- the coaches, the players, the organization -- quite frankly has held up well."
Snyder didn't address the future of Cerrato, embattled coach Jim Zorn, who was forced by management to give up play-calling duties after the 14-6 loss to the Chiefs, nor quarterback Jason Campbell, who was benched for the second half of that game and whom Snyder and Cerrato unsuccessfully tried to replace during the offseason with Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez.
"I think we have an opportunity the rest of the season to hopefully get it going," Snyder said. "The next step is Sunday. It's that simple. We hope we can put together a good performance down in Atlanta and start a winning streak."
SERIES HISTORY
21st regular-season meeting. Redskins lead 14-5-1 not counting their 1991 playoff victory that provided the most memorable matchup. Known as "The Seat Cushion Game" in Washington, the Redskins humbled Deion Sanders and the cocky, young Falcons 24-7 with a dominating performance in the rain at RFK Stadium. The fans celebrated by flinging their seat cushions onto the field as the Redskins advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
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