Randle El demoted then promoted back to primary punt returner

November 5, 11:48 AMWashington Redskins ExaminerMark Newgent

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ARE repromoted to primay punt returner
(AP Photo)

Antwaan Randle El will remain the Redskins primary punt returner. Earlier this week it appeared that coach Jim Zorn had demoted ARE as the primary punt returner in favor of DeAngelo Hall and Santana Moss. ARE has been ineffective as a punt returner this season, and for much of his time in Washington. In 2009, ARE is already half way to the number of fair catches he had 2008 while already fielding a fourth of the number of punts from last year.

Zorn told ESPN 980 on Tuesday, that the “situation has changed” with regard to ARE. “Not totally his problem, but with some of the production problems that we've had there, I'm starting to interject with other guys."

However, as Rich Tandler reports ARE didn’t know about the switch and Zorn has backtracked a bit from his statements earlier in the week. ARE will be the primary punt returner against Atlanta this Sunday, with Hall in the mix as well.

Clarification:
In my previous post about Dan Snyder’s apology to the fans at a Redskins Charitable Foundation event, I referenced a Profootballtalk.com report, which noted the only reporters not employed by the Redskins attending the event were an AP reporter and Lindsay Czarniak of NBC 4. I made mention that Cznarniak also pulled double duty during the preseason as a member of the Redskins Broadcast Network. It was Cznarniak who asked Snyder the questions that elicited his apology.

Matt Terl, the official Redskins blogger emailed me to clarify that that Channel 7 also sent a camera crew. Cznarniak was there in her capacity as a reporter for NBC 4 and internal team personnel attending these events is the norm. No one knew Snyder was going to appear or speak to the media.

My antennae went up on Snyder’s impromptu news conference because the team has stated ad nauseum that he doesn’t give interviews during the season, and then the reporter who queries him also moonlights for the team during the preseason. Despite the sincerity in his comments, the skeptic in me took this to be an artful dodge by Snyder to avoid what surely would have been an overwhelming barrage of tough and critical questions had more media been there.

Snyder’s impromptu news conference may have been genuine. However it’s hard to give him the benefit of the doubt given that outside of Tuesday’s event, Snyder has been dead silent through the 2-5 start, and the ticket, sign and t-shirt scandals. It’s hard not to see the move as a way to apologize without having to answer harder questions about what’s happened to the team on his watch.
Personally I hope Snyder makes himself more available to the media and sits for the tough questions. I think that could go a long way in repairing the rift between ownership and the fan base.