Bruce Allen

Vinny Cerrato is probably busy cleaning out his office, but the Redskins could barely wait until after he left the premises to name his replacement. Moving quickly, the team brought on Bruce Allen, the son of Redskins coaching legend George Allen. Allen will take over as the team’s top executive, confirming speculation that began shortly after the news broke this morning.

Allen is practically local royalty, with such heavy ties to Washington’s favorite pastimes, football and politics — his brother is former Virginia Sen. George Allen. Bruce Allen’s previous experience in the NFL spans from 1996 and 2008, first with the Oakland Raiders and then later as general manager of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was eventually fired along with head coach Jon Gruden. Allen built the Raiders to a Super Bowl appearance in 2003 (though the Buccaneers — his future employers — ended up winning Super Bowl XXXVII that season.)

Are fans excited? Well, early this morning, someone had already taken to Allen’s Wikipedia page and proclaimed him Cerrato’s successor, hours before the announcement was officially made. The loss of Cerrato and Allen’s subsequent hiring also would appear to open up the Redskins’ inevitable coaching search to include Gruden, currently an analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, who recently signed a multi-year deal to remain in the booth. But who knows?

As far as the former director of football operations goes, Ceratto actually stated upon his exit that he thought he had “laid a strong foundation for the franchise” and labeled himself “disappointed” at this season, one which has seen the Redskins squirm under an unenviable set of circumstances, including a lame-duck coach Ceratto himself hired, a poor record he fostered, and a fanbase who finally snapped at the team’s lack of positive direction. Based on such statements, one could say that Cerrato leaves the franchise much the same way in which he ran it: a man stuck in a fog of his own failure.