The Breakfast Blend...the best part of waking up

By Willie Mullen

Chris Henry & Vinny Cerrato

Here's my take on this morning's headlines:

• Tragic news in the NFL this morning as Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry has died of injuries resulting from a fall from the bed of a pickup truck.  Henry, 26, was on injured reserve with a broken arm but prior to the injury he was having a very solid year for the Bengals.  The wideout had a rough start to his career with off-the-field issues that led to him being cut in 2007.  But Henry matured and got his life back on track, making today's news even more troubling.  Now the Bengals organization has to cope with this tragedy while continuing their charge to the playoffs, a difficult situation for any NFL team.  Unfortunately, this is a situation many teams have had to face before.  Violence off-the-field seems to be more prevalent in the NFL than in other sports.  In 2007, Denver Broncos defensive back Darrent Williams was gunned-down in a drive-by shooting and, several months later, Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died after being shot during home invasion.  I was living in Washington DC at the time of Taylor's death and witnessed first-hand the impact a death has on a team, organization and community.  The Redskins rallied in honor of Taylor to make the playoffs and hopefully the Bengals can do the same.  There is no better way to remember Henry (or Slim as he's known around the league) than playing hard as a team and trying to win a championship.  
• In other NFL news, Redskins GM Vinny Cerrato has resigned.  Cerrato was hired by the team for a second time in 2002 and team posted a 52-65 record under his watch.  While Vinny was in the unenviable position of having to work for Daniel Snyder, he has been criticized for his lack of ability to identify talent and for wildly overpaying for talent in the wrong places.  Much of Cerrato's questionable signings have resulted from pressure from Snyder, who fancies himself a football man with no evidence to back-up this belief.  With Cerrato gone and head coach Jim Zorn headed out at the end of the season, the door is open for Snyder to do what he does best: throw a lot of money at a big name and hope it works out.  While the idea of being both head coach and general manager is sure to appeal to Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher, one has to question whether or not guys like that would want to work for Snyder.  After all, when Joe Gibbs retired in 2008, the Redskins were unable to find a coach and were forced to promote Jim Zorn, whom they hired as offensive coordinator.  Snyder is too hands-on and needs a "yes man" more than anything else.  Something tells me Cowher and Shanahan are not "yes men".  If money alone is not enough to lure one of the Hall-of-Fame coaches to the nation's capital, Washington is likely to find themselves in the same situation they were in during 2008.  If that is the case, several more years of mediocrity are sure to follow.

Week 15 preview and picks later today.