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OWNERSHIP INEPTITUDE NOT FIXED TO ASHBURN

October 14, 2009 12:36 am

BY STEVE DeSHAZO

While the pressure mounts on embattled Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn, several fingers are also being pointed higher in a dysfunctional franchise.

On Monday, cornerback Carlos Rogers became the first player to acknowledge what many have long been thinking when he said: "Not only does it start with the players and coaches, it starts with ownership. They bring everybody in and they've got the last say-so on everything. So that's where it starts, I guess."

He's right. Owner Daniel Snyder and vice president Vinny Cerrato have assembled a mismatched fantasy team long on star power but short on substance.

The fact that the Redskins haven't drafted an offensive lineman higher than the third round since Chris Samuels in 1999 accentuates their problems along a porous patchwork group of blockers that now includes undrafted Stephon Heyer, overweight castoff Mike Williams and either Chad Rinehart or Will Montgomery.

But the Redskins aren't alone. Look at the teams that have sunk to the bottom of the NFL standings and--with one glaring exception--you'll see that the problems start at the top.

That exception is the Tennessee Titans, who started 10-0 last year but are 0-5 in 2009. The Titans have the NFL's longest-tenured coach in Jeff Fisher and a respected owner in Bud Adams.

Injuries, inconsistency and a tough early schedule have conspired to leave them winless. But remember--they started 0-5 in 2006 and nearly made the playoffs.

But look elsewhere. The undisputed kings of dysfunction are the Oakland Raiders. Not only are they 1-4, but head coach Tom Caple is under investigation for allegedly assaulting assistant Randy Hanson during training camp.

Owner Al Davis fired coach Lane Kiffin last season for alleged insubordination, and his record of recent No .1 draft picks--Robert Gallery JaMarcus Russell, Darrius Heyward-Bey--has been horrible. Heyward-Bey, chosen ahead of Michael Crabtree, has two catches in five games.

The Detroit Lions (1-4) went 0-16 last year and are slowly digging out from the catastrophic personnel choices made by former team president Matt Millen, who seemed obsessed with wide receivers.

Same goes for Kansas City (0-5), a once-stable franchise that went south in the final years of former general manager Carl Peterson's tenure. The Chiefs are rebuilding with GM Scott Pioli, coach Todd Haley and quarterback Matt Cassel, but it will take a while.

Tampa Bay (0-5) has been on the decline since ownership fired coach Tony Dungy in 2001 because taking a once-wretched team to the playoffs every year wasn't good enough. Jon Gruden won a Super Bowl the next year (with Dungy's players), but his price tag (which included No. 1 draft picks) accelerated their slide.

The Browns (1-4) are on their fifth coach since rejoining the league a decade ago. Don't get too excited about Sunday's 6-3 win over the equally inept Bills, who have problems of their own.

Then there are the St. Louis Rams, who've lost 15 straight games and have been outscored 146-34 this season. Just when you think they've hit rock bottom comes the news of a potential ownership group that includes Rush Limbaugh.

Good luck, Rams fans.

UPSET PICK

It's so tempting to pick the Chiefs to effectively end Zorn's tenure in D.C. Instead, we'll go with the Texans (4-point underdogs) to upset the Bengals, who've been living a charmed life and may be due for a letdown at home.

Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com