Problems at the Core

"What? That ball was 10 yards underthrown," Lloyd said. "Go talk to the quarterback."

To many members of the organization, it was another example of Lloyd's lack of maturity disrupting Saunders's offense.

"From the equipment people on up, he has alienated everyone in this building," said one high-ranking member of the organization. "He needs help at a level that goes beyond what a teammate or a coach can give him."

Some in the organization wonder if he will last more than a season or two here given his swings in attitude. But one prominent assistant said he would be surprised if Gibbs gives up on Lloyd.

"Throwing your helmet and all of that is great and well when you're 9-4, and you're frustrated from losing a game. But when you're 4-9 and make $30 million and you don't have a touchdown, it's a problem," said a teammate. "He's capable of great things, but you've got to be able to see that a guy like that is a front-runner. When everything is great, then he's great. But it's not always going to be great."

A Duckett Disaster

The front office found more trouble after tailback Clinton Portis partially dislocated his shoulder in the preseason opener Aug. 13 and Gibbs began mulling over a replacement. The Redskins had two veteran running backs and a fullback on the roster, all of them called "real Redskins" by Gibbs: Betts, Rock Cartwright and Mike Sellers. Each was hoping for more playing time.

During a personnel meeting with the offensive coaching staff and all of the pro scouts the next day, Cerrato's scouting department listed the available outside options. Former Redskin Stephen Davis, a free agent cut by Carolina and coming off major health problems, was shopping his wares, marginal backs such as Ron Dayne and Samkon Gado could be had for late-round draft picks, and Atlanta was trying to trade former first-round pick T.J. Duckett, who had fallen out of favor there but whom Gibbs knew and liked from his time consulting for the Falcons.

The Redskins also could do nothing to see which running backs were cut before the season.

The offensive staff was issued scouting reports and film of the candidates while the organization awaited an update on Portis's condition. Discussions continued after it was learned that Portis was expected to be back around the season-opening game. Coaches offered their views on what to do in meetings and informal discussions with Gibbs and Cerrato.

Quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor and tight ends coach Rennie Simmons -- both had worked in Atlanta's organization -- strongly endorsed Duckett. Gado was nixed by Saunders, who had coached him in Kansas City. Saunders thought Duckett would be a nice complement to the other backs and was enthused about him, sources said.

Running backs coach Earnest Byner, after working so closely with Betts, Cartwright and Sellers, was of the mind that sufficient depth existed already and was one of Betts's primary advocates.

But according to multiple team sources, Gibbs harbored serious reservations about Betts's ability to stay healthy and Cartwright's ability to hold on to the ball, and fretted about the possibility of re-injury for Portis, a smaller runner with a low-to-the-ground style.

With the team bracing for what it thought would be a deep playoff run, Gibbs was intent on getting help. Said one member of the organization, "We all thought this was a playoff team, and this was something that could shore us up."

Atlanta and Denver had been discussing a trade involving Broncos wide receiver Ashley Lelie, but talks had stalled, according to a league source, and the teams were seeking a third party. The Broncos enjoyed doing business with the Redskins; they had worked blockbuster trades with them each of the previous two seasons.

Like in the Lloyd case, the rest of the league was well aware of Duckett's availability. The general manger who disliked Lloyd didn't want Duckett either, calling him "a fat, underachieving running back."

On Aug. 23 the Redskins acquired Duckett, who is eligible for free agency in March, with the Falcons getting Lelie. The "real Redskins" bristled. "I'm shocked, man," Sellers said at the time. "I thought we had depth." Cartwright said he felt like he had been "slapped in the face."

In the end, the Redskins turned out to be the ones who were slapped. Betts proved Gibbs wrong, matching a franchise record with five straight 100-yard games. Duckett had only 132 rushing yards. He cost the Redskins their third-round pick in 2007 and probably a fourth-round pick in 2008.

"Did we give up too much to get him? Probably," one coach said. "But I think getting him was the right move. We all thought we had a playoff team and Duckett was the best back out there. It was Joe's decision -- he is making all of those decisions -- and I know it looks bad now, but I think it made sense at the time."

The lack of success with new players has angered some coaches. Several assistants said they are frustrated with the lack of support they receive from Cerrato and the scouting department; players said they sometimes joke about precisely what Cerrato does to earn his titles. Players said he serves as Snyder's eyes and ears at Redskins Park. "We all know why Vinny is here," one prominent player said. "Dan."

When asked if they felt comfortable giving Cerrato any positive public backing, several coaches declined. Several praised Riddick's work ethic and performance.

"Do we need a system of checks and balances" in the personnel department? one coach said. "I think that's a fair question."

Yesterday, Gibbs said it was unfair to judge the front office's performance on one offseason.

"As far as how we pick players, I kind of go off what's happened over the three-year period," Gibbs said. "If you're talking about personnel issues, look at the three-year block of what we've done, and I would say in there to be quite truthful, you take a look at that group. I totally disagree. Getting a Clinton Portis, a Santana Moss, a Casey Rabach, a Marcus Washington, what all that means. What's happened in total, that's what you've got to be judged on.

"What I have a problem with is to point to a one-year deal and saying that's a mistake, when many times it turns around the next year and you say, whoops it wasn't a mistake. Take the three years and evaluate it and we stand on that."

Drafted Out

Most NFL teams use draft picks to bolster their depth. Not the Redskins. Between the 2004 and 2006 draft, the Redskins traded 11 picks, an approach Gibbs defends.

"I saw a list of all the times we traded picks, and we've done a pretty good job with it," he said. "Look at who we did get and in most cases check where the draft choices went: for pretty high-quality stuff. My preference would be to have a big impact draft. It would be great, but you never know what's going to happen."

Other than having a high first-round pick, not much will happen for the Redskins in the draft this April. The team will be without its second-, third- and fourth-round picks.

"They give away draft picks like they're nothing," a longtime NFL general manager said. "It's unbelievable. Look at [trades for linebacker Rocky] McIntosh, Lloyd and Duckett -- that's six draft picks right there, almost all in the top four rounds, and at best two of those guys will be back there next season. And they got virtually no production out of any of them the entire season when they're trying to get to the Super Bowl. You can't do that."

A team could theoretically do that if its free agent signings also include some talented bargain-basement backups. But here, too, Gibbs and the front office fell short in a critical way. With cornerback Shawn Springs suffering through repeated injuries, the Redskins needed a reserve to rise up and assume his role. But Kenny Wright and Mike Rumph, brought in to provide depth at cornerback, both struggled and Rumph was cut on Wednesday.

"You don't have the depth because you don't have an astute personnel guy you can rely on to find some quality guys to hold you over on the cheap," the longtime NFL general manager said.

Gibbs's inability to sign talented reserves was especially evident two Sundays ago when, with Springs and Washington injured, the defense gave up 579 yards to the St. Louis Rams.

Said one key defensive starter: "That's the big problem. We don't have the horses. One of us goes down and there's nobody there to step in, nobody from the draft."

One defensive coordinator who has faced the Redskins said: "I don't know that Washington is a team built to handle any injuries. They are a very top-heavy team."

The Future

Gibbs said he and Snyder have discussed adding a general manager at various times, including recently, but have not determined a need to do so. They have remained comfortable with the way they operate, and with the players it has netted them. "Up until this point we haven't felt like we need" a general manager, Gibbs said yesterday.

Out of playoff contention for weeks despite a mediocre NFC, the Redskins face a critical offseason while lacking draft picks. The free agent class is expected to be thin around the league. To acquire players the Redskins would probably need to create additional salary cap space by cutting some veterans and asking others to restructure their contracts. Then there is the matter of financially rewarding players who have restructured in the past, some of whom will we be watching closely.

"We want to take care of our guys, and we want to keep everyone together," Gibbs said. "So my part of the argument would be I think we're as stable as anyone in the league. We want this to be a good place to work and want guys to be happy. I know there's some [grousing among players] going on, but I think what I would fall back on, what the facts are, is we don't have a lot of turnover, and I think that means you're taking care of your guys."

But not everyone agrees.

"The guys who are there aren't valued as much as a free agent," said Pierce, a linebacker who was allowed to sign with the Giants in a move now considered Gibbs's worst as team president. "You can't keep changing like they do."

Gibbs's assurance that Saunders and Williams will return, and the re-signing of Betts, were interpreted as signs that stability will be emphasized.

"I think obviously there are lots of things we can learn from this year," Gibbs said. "When we get to the offseason I've got a lot of things on my mind. When you get in a situation like that a lot of things have been unproductive. What you're doing is you've got to be a good student and learn from it, but I like our process."

Staff writers Howard Bryant and Les Carpenter contributed to this story.

Tomorrow: Adjusting to Al Saunders