Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder has issued the following statement regarding the firing of head coach Jim Zorn:

"This has been an extremely difficult season for our organization and for the fans. Bruce Allen spent many hours examining the football operations, and we are both determined to do whatever it takes to build a championship team. That process begins today.

"No one in the organization is satisfied with our record over the last two years, and I am sure that Jim would concur with that statement. It has been painful for him too. I certainly accept responsibility for mistakes that I have made. I am hopeful that our fans will accept my commitment and pledge to deliver a franchise that can compete in the NFC East every season.

"Finally, I am mindful that this is a tough day for Jim and his family, and I do want to wish him success in his next endeavor."

It's official: Executive Vice President/General Manager Bruce Allen met with Head Coach Jim Zorn early this morning and relieved him of his duties. Zorn departed the building sometime after that, but was NOT escorted by security (contrary to some other reports).

"The status quo is not acceptable. I felt it was necessary to not waste a moment of time to begin building this team into a winner," Allen said in a statement.

Zorn finishes with a career record of 12-20, with half of those wins coming in just his first eight games.

There's no word yet on any other moves. Allen will hold a press conference at Redskin Park today at 12:30 p.m.; I'll have more details then and throughout the day.

The most interesting thing in practice today, at least from the portion I saw, actually took place before practice, when defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and head coach Jim Zorn (pictured above in happier times) had a lengthy conversation. It didn't look like a particularly joyous chat, but I also didn't think it reached the level of -- as David Elfin of the Washington Times wrote -- "a heated discussion." Either way, after the conversation ended, Haynesworth went back to the locker room and departed the facility.

Coach Zorn addressed the issue while talking to the media after practice.

Antwaan Randle El's punt returns this year have been disappointing, to say this least. Heading into the Oakland game, he had thirteen returns for 58 yards -- a 4.5 average -- with two fumbles and seventeen fair catches, numbers that left people fairly disappointed.

In Sunday's game, things got even worse. The Raiders punted the ball six times. Two of those were for touchbacks. One more was downed after Randle El misjudged its landing spot and let it roll eighteen yards into Redskins territory. Randle El fair-caught another one. Of the remaining two punts, Randle El received both of them, for 0 yards and one fumble. This left people even more disappointed, and left Randle El's statistics even more ravaged.

On his radio show this week, head coach Jim Zorn promised "some adjustments," and during his chat with the media today he went into that issue in a little more depth.

During his daily media chat session, head coach Jim Zorn was asked his opinion on Greg Blache's impassioned defense of Daniel Snyder. You might have thought -- given all the reports that swirled around Sherm Lewis taking over play-calling duties -- that this might've been a tense moment, but that wasn't how it played out at all.

Zorn didn't hesitate before agreeing with Blache and offering up his own defense of the owner -- and taking responsibility for a big chunk of the problem.

"Dan Snyder is a guy that absolutely cares about other people. He does not have that kind of [dark heart] attitude," Zorn said.

Around noon on Monday, reports surfaced via Rick Maese's Twitter that DeAngelo Hall would be the primary punt returner for the Redskins, replacing Antwaan Randle El. By a little more than an hour later, Ryan O'Halloran was tweeting a conflicting report -- one that squared with what I had been told here at Redskins Park -- that both Hall and Randle El would be involved in the return game, along with Santana Moss.

Randle El talked about this during open locker room today, and he wasn't particularly happy about the change, and he was doubly unhappy that he had learned about it via questions from reporters.

"I gotta find out the logistics of it myself in terms of the punt return," Randle El said. "My whole thing is I'm still gonna ... you know, given the opportunity, when I get the chance, I gotta go out and be little more productive, but, you know, it's not always just one guy there. So it's just a matter of ... you take it as it is: go out and play when you get your opportunity and be thankful for it and make the best of it."

A reporter mentioned that he didn't look thrilled about this change. "Not at all," Randle El responded. "But that's part of it sometimes."

In case that wasn't clear enough, another reporter asked if this was a tough pill for Randle El to swallow. "Little bit," he said.

Later in the day, speaking after practice -- and, apparently, after a meeting with Randle El -- head coach Jim Zorn clarified the situation. Mostly.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, I appear on Redskins Nation on Comcast SportsNet. I sit next to Larry Michael to answer fan questions or pick games or talk about what's going on at Redskins Park.

And, occasionally, I sit there and fidget while he goes on a rant. That happened Wednesday, when Michael held forth about members of the media doing nothing but transcribing radio shows and being, I believe his word was, "stenographers."

The gist of his argument was, I believe, that people on live radio sometimes say things in an awkward fashion but that -- unlike writers -- they don't have the opportunity to edit the final product. He really seemed to feel quite strongly about it, and went on somewhat at length, and I fidgeted, and that was that.

So keep all of that in mind as you read the following eleven-hundred word transcript of the first few minutes of Vinny Cerrato's radio show this morning, the bit where Cerrato declared that Jim Zorn will be the head coach for the rest of the season and hopefully beyond, and his explanation of the playcaller switch.

If you want to listen to the rest of it, I've embedded it after the transcript segment (with thanks to ESPN980), but here's one stenographer's interpretation of the first part.

After a week of rumors, counter-rumors, statements from what seemed like every ex-Redskin still in the area (and one ex-Seahawk), and a metric ton of drama, it seemed like nearly everyone assumed head coach Jim Zorn's tenure was as good as over.

So naturally, executive vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato started his Inside The Red Zone radio show this week with ... a pretty unequivocal endorsement of Zorn.

"Let me start by making a few things very perfectly clear," he said. "Jim Zorn is the head coach of the Washington Redskins and will for the rest of this season, and hopefully into the future."

Cerrato also insisted that -- despite what some have said -- "the relationships internally within the organization quite frankly remain the same," and acknowledged that everyone in the organization (including the owner) is disappointed for the fans about how the team has performed.

Yeah, that's exactly what everyone expected today.

• Metromix Washington D.C. got a chance to talk to the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders about their rigorous practice regimen. There's also a photo gallery, if you prefer that sort of thing.

• Clinton Portis is launching the Clinton Portis Foundation.

It seems that there was some sort of incident -- a "heated argument," per the Washington Times -- between the Redskins Pro Bowl running backs Monday night. Rumors have Clinton Portis questioning Mike Sellers's abilities as a blocker, but no details have been confirmed. Neither Portis nor Sellers spoke after practice, but Head Coach Jim Zorn addressed the situation.

I had considered a few different approaches Zorn might take to this kind of thing, but he went with one that I hadn't thought of at all: an upbeat Zorn -- as cheerful as he's seemed for weeks -- was actively supportive and enthusiastic about the incident.

Here's my transcription of Zorn's answers, for the inevitable group of people who are unable or unwilling to watch internet video.