For those of us who have covered the Redskins for a while, it's like we're living in a parallel universe this weekend akin to when Kirk and Spock ran into their evil twins on an episode of "Star Trek."

Half of the NFL's teams have already signed or traded for talent, but not Washington. Redskins One isn't flying around the country picking up prospective signees. Dan Snyder isn't wooing them with talk of millions during limousine rides to Morton's and Verizon Center.

Re-signing 36-year-old backup quarterback Todd Collins, whose stupendous 4-game December stint fills almost all of his resume for the past decade, isn't exactly the stuff of nationwide headlines. But that's all the Redskins have done so far. And according to front office boss Vinny Cerrato, that's all they're going to do for maybe a week unless they re-sign more of their own backups and special-teamers.

Is this the same franchise that spent lavishly right off the bat in: 2002 (Jessie Armstead); 2003 (Randy Thomas, John Hall, Brandon Noble, Dave Fiore); 2004 (Clinton Portis, Mark Brunell, Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington, Phillip Daniels, Cornelius Griffin); 2005 (Casey Rabach and David Patten); 2006 (Adam Archuleta, Brandon Lloyd, Andre Carter, Antwaan Randle El) and 2007 (London Fletcher and Fred Smoot)?

Has Snyder become an old-school owner like Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney, Cincinnati's Mike Brown and the Giants' John Mara?

When Cerrato criticizes "throwing money around," you know things are weird.

Safety Will Demps will likely be the first free agent to meet with the Redskins this year when he visits Redskin Park later this week.

Demps, 28, played his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before moving to the New York Giants in 2006 and the Houston Texans last season when he was a Pro Bowl alternate.

Although he wasn't drafted, the 6-foot, 208-pound Demps started 10 games as a rookie for the Ravens. He has remained a regular since despite a torn ACL that ended his last year in Baltimore five games early and a dislocated elbow that prompted his release by the Giants last August.

In the wake of the shooting death of Pro Bowl starter Sean Taylor in November, the Redskins are looking for a safety to play next to LaRon Landry. Second-year man Reed Doughty was solid after Taylor was lost last season, but backups Pierson Prioleau and Omar Stoutmire could well depart as free agents. Fellow reserve Vernon Fox is more of an asset on special teams than on defense.

Not only will safety Will Demps not be visiting the Redskins, he won't be playing for them this season. Demps re-signed with the Houston Texans for $4.75 million over two years, three days after it had been reported that he would be the Redskins' first free agent visitor of 2008.

Demps, 28, has started 70 games during his six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Giants and the Texans.

The Redskins are in the market for a safety in the wake of last November's shooting death of Pro Bowl starter Sean Taylor and the likely departures in free agency of backups Pierson Prioleau and Omar Stoutmire. LaRon Landry, Reed Doughty and Vernon Fox are the only safeties under contract for 2008.

Also, former Redskins running back Earnest Byner, who coached Washington's running backs the last four seasons, is expected to be hired in that same capacity by the Tennessee Titans this week. Byner would replace Sherman Smith, who left Tennessee to become Washington's offensive coordinator last month.

This might not be a weekly thing but here is my first crack at how I think the top 10 picks (plus the Redskins No. 21 selection) could shake down in late April at the NFL Draft.

1. Miami: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College. I'm pretty sure Parcells would love to dish this pick to pick up more assets but a top seven pick hasn't been traded since 2004 (teams ask for too much in return). Although I'd go with Chris Long, the Fins need a trigger man.

2. St. Louis: Chris Long, DE, Virginia. The best defensive player in the draft, he'll team with Leonard Little to form a potent pass-rushing combination. Michigan LT Jake Long would be a possibility but Orlando Pace is still around and the Rams are likely loathe to pay LT money to a player they would move to RT or G for a few years.

3. Atlanta: Jake Long, LT, Michigan. The Falcons desperately need help at quarterback so if Ryan falls in their lap, it's a no brainer. But to help new RB Michael Turner, they bolster their offensive line with Long.

4. Oakland: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU. He supposedly has health issues, but teams have to be impressed that he played through the injuries last year and remained productive.

5. Kansas City: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State. Clady has been climbing up team's draft boards since the season ended and some teams might have him ranked ahead of Michigan's Long. The Chiefs have to rebuild their entire line.

6. NY Jets: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. The Jets would foolish to pass up our pick as Best Overall Player In The Draft. Even with Thomas Jones in the fold, McFadden will be a dynamic addition.

7. New England: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy. The Patriots have lost Asante Samuel (big loss) and Randall Gay (no loss) in free agency so they have to address this position.

8. Baltimore: Keith Rivers, LB, USC. The Ravens have the misfortune of needing help at quarterback, cornerback and left tackle -- none of those positions have players available that are worthy of the eighth pick.

9. Cincinnati: Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State. The Bengals defense stunk last year and Gholston will replace departed free agent Justin Smith.

10. New Orleans: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC. The Saints addressed LB (Jonathan Vilma) with a trade and think they took care of CB with the awful Gay. Enter Ellis.

Can't forget about the home team. ...

21. Redskins: Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State. Thomas has some size (6-1.5) and big-play ability. He could be the third receiver taken. Because there will be a run on receivers, the Redskins should address that need in round 1 and then take a pass rusher in round 2.

Just chatted with Redskins front office boss Vinny Cerrato. We're more than a week into free agency and Cerrato is holding firm to his stand-pat stance.

"We have no visits scheduled," said Cerrato, even though he admitted the market had started to shake out, bringing the price down on free agents.

Asked if he had any interest in Takeo Spikes, a former Pro Bowl linebacker was who cut by Philadelphia yesterday, Cerrato said, "Nope."

Asked about a rumor that the Redskins were going to bring in former New York Jet Justin McCareins in their quest for a big receiver, Cerrato said, "That's wrong."

And Cerrato said there had been no progress in re-signing any of Washington's own free agents (other than backup quarterback Todd Collins, whose deal got done in the first few hours of free agency) such as punter Derrick Frost and kick returner Rock Cartwright.

Although Cerrato confirmed the Redskins have about $8 million in salary cap space, he said that they currently only plan to sign players to minimum salary deals.

In sum, it's quieter at Redskin Park than at 3 a.m. on a weekday in downtown Berryville.

Yes, the Redskins might land a compensatory third-round pick in next month's draft for losing guard Derrick Dockery to Buffalo last March, but counting on rookies to significantly upgrade the roster when you're picking 21st is a longshot.

Maybe November pickup Anthony Mix is the big receiver the Redskins have been missing. Maybe holdover Matt Sinclair and a draft pick will provide the necessary depth at outside linebacker. Maybe Pierson Prioleau will return to provide experience behind young safeties LaRon Landry and Reed Doughty. Maybe the Redskins will finally draft a starting defensive end, some competent offensive linemen, a fourth corner and a third-string quarterback.

That's a lot of maybes for a team that competes in the same division with the Super Bowl champions (the Giants), the team that had the NFC's best record in 2007 (the Cowboys) and the team that won the NFC East in all but one year from 2001-06 and signed the best free agent on defense (the Eagles).

But then after covering the Redskins and/or the NFL for more than 15 years, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

David Elfin just phoned in some news: Rock Cartwright is on his way to Redskins Park to sign a three-year deal with the Washington Redskins, meaning he'll remain with the only NFL team he's every played with.

According to a Redskins source, Cartwright will receive a $300,000 bonus for signing the three-year deal, which is worth about $3 million.

He's just the second player to sign with the Redskins this offseason, following teammate Todd Collins.

The Redskins selected Cartwright in the seventh round of the 2002 draft. Since then he's lined up at both spots in the backfield but excelled at special teams of late.

More to come later.

UPDATE (5:50 p.m.)

Just noticed this, courtesy of our friends at ProFootballTalk.com: Brandon Lloyd has signed with the Chicago Bears. Maybe they'll put his locker next to Adam Archuleta.

It's somewhat understandable that Mark Brunell is drawing interest from, among other teams, Green Bay to be a back up quarterback. But you know a team is short on receivers when they sign old friend Brandon Lloyd.

Yep, Lloyd has found a job.

The Chicago Bears signed Lloyd to a one-year contract today, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Bears recently lost free agent Bernard Berrian to Minnesota.

The connection is that Lloyd, he of zero touchdown catches in exchange for $10 million of guaranteed money during his two years with the Redskins, played at Illinois for current Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

The Bears signed veteran Marty Booker earlier this week.

Chicago fans weren't exactly embracing the Lloyd signing. Among the responses to the Tribune story:

* "You got to be kidding right?"

* "When are the Bears going to stop picking up Washington rejects? ... Lloyd is a basket case. He's turned into an 'all-me' Terrell Owens but without the talent. If a Bears scout recommended this pick up, then he should be fired."

* "We just drove fear into the hearts of our competitors."

* "Whoever thinks this is a good move should be banned from ever talking about football again."

Rock Cartwright's three-year, $3.550 million deal included $300,000 up front with roster bonuses of $300,000 this year and $200,000 in 2009. Not bad for a seventh-round pick who received just a $22,000 signing bonus for his three-year rookie contract in 2002.

An NFL source just told me that Seattle receiver D.J. Hackett will become the first free agent to visit Redskin Park when he comes on Wednesday night, nearly two weeks after the signing period started.

Hackett, 26, caught just 32 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns last year, but he knows new coach Jim Zorn well from their four years together with the Seahawks. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Colorado product has the size the Redskins have been seeking to complement undersized holdovers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El.

Has it occurred to anyone besides me that in the past year the 2006 NFC champion Chicago Bears have added safety Adam Archuleta and receiver Brandon Lloyd, the biggest reasons the Washington Redskins plummeted from 10-6 the previous year to 5-11 that season?

What can Bears GM Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith possibly be thinking? Archuleta can't cover anyone and was probably the player who snitched to ESPN about backbiting at Redskin Park during his only season in Washington. Lloyd didn't hustle and was a locker room cancer during his two years in burgundy and gold. But then this is an organization which thinks it can overcome Rex Grossman's quarterbacking and get back to the Super Bowl.

Last week, I tackled the first 10 picks plus the Redskins' No. 21 selection of next month's NFL Draft. This week, it's picks 11-20, a point of the draft where things become muddled -- trades are possible, some teams draft based entirely on need and other teams draft the Best Player On The Board regardless of position.

11. Buffalo: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas. Even with Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed on the roster, Lee Evans is still double-teamed on a regular basis. Sweed gets the edge over Mario Manningham because of his size (6-4) even though he was limited to six games last year.

12. Denver: Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina. A reach for sure -- and expect Denver to trade down. The Broncos addressed LB (Boss Bailey) and S (Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel) in free agency.

13. Carolina: Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma. Dwayne Jarrett was a disaster in his first year and the Panthers need to get a receiver to compliment the small-ish Steve Smith. Enter 6-3 Kelly.

14. Chicago: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt. The Bears didn’t address this position in free agency (although they did sign Brandon Lloyd to poison the locker room).

15. Detroit: Sam Baker, OT, USC. The Lions allowed Damien Woody to leave via free agency and although they re-signed George Foster, they have to address the OT position.

16. Arizona: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon. Edgerrin James is on his last laps as a feature back so the Cardinals, having re-upped with Larry Fitzgerald, look to the future.

17. Minnesota: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida. The Purple took care of their receiver need with Bernard Berrian. They address a pass-rush hole by drafting the productive Harvey.

18. Houston: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois. Like Arizona, the Texans have a veteran back (Ahman Green). The Texans took care of cornerback with Jacques Reeves.

19. Philadelphia: Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson. The Eagles cut ties with Jevon Kearse but signed free agent Chris Clemons. Still, Clemons is a pass-rusher, not a run-stopper. Merling had 78 tackles in 13 games last year.

20. Tampa Bay: Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan. Receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard are north of age 30 and the Bucs didn’t use any of their cap space on a receiver.

Safety Pierson Prioleau, one of the prominent unsigned Redskins, made his first public comments since becoming a free agent.

Prioleau, who'll be 30 in August, isn't worried that his phone hasn't been ringing with offers nearly two weeks into the signing period.

"I'm chilling at home and working to get myself in top shape for next season," Prioleau said. "I'm feeling great. They say the second year after you have major knee surgery [which he did in September 2006 after being injured on the season-opening kickoff] is when you really like yourself again. I know I can help someone this season. I just don't know what team that is yet."

Prioleau's best bets are the Redskins, for whom he played the last three seasons and whose secondary coach, Jerry Gray, was his coordinator in Buffalo in 2004, and Jacksonville. The Jaguars' new defensive coordinator is Gregg Williams, who coached Prioleau with the Bills and the Redskins.

"When I was out of football for two months [after being cut by San Francisco] in 2001, I learned patience," Prioleau said. "I signed with Buffalo in November and was there for four years. I'm just being patient again now."

David Elfin caught up with Jim Zorn today to discuss D.J. Hackett:

"This will all be up to him," Zorn said of Hackett, who declined comment. "We're not going to risk it all to try to pay him. The financial package has to work. But if we have a chance to get him, we'd like to have him. He's got two other teams plus Seattle that wants to match [his contract offers]."

"I tried to instigate this a little bit," said Zorn, a Seahawks assistant during Hackett's four seasons in Seattle. "Nobody was bringing him anywhere. I said, 'Let's try to get him out here.' We brought him out here and now [it's like] 'Oh, they're interested? Let's see if we're interested.' "

"When you run slants and things like that, you like to be big enough to where you can take a pounding," Zorn said. "[When] you're running inside on curl routes and crossing routes, you like to have a bigger target. And in the red zone when we're going for the end zone, you like to have a target that you can throw to. D.J. fits that bill."

"We've got a chance [to sign Hackett], but it's really a one in four chance right now," Zorn said.

Update (4:45 p.m.): We've got David Elfin's full story up on our front page

Mark Brunell, the Redskins' starting quarterback for most of 2004-06, signed a two-year deal with New Orleans on Thursday, according to a league source. Brunell, who was third-string in Washington last season before voiding his contract last month, will replace free agent Jamie Martin as the backup to Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

Returning to Green Bay where Brunell started his career in 1993 as a backup to Brett Favre made more sense since the 37-year-old could have been a mentor of sorts to 24-year-old first-year starter Aaron Rodgers.

It's not as if Brees, a serious MVP candidate in 2006, needs any tutoring on how to play the position from Brunell. And New Orleans, the Sodom and Gomorrah of the South, if not the nation, doesn't seem like a great choice of cities, for a serious Christian like Brunell, but a job's a job.

And don't expect Trent Dilfer to replace Brunell as No. 3 in Washington behind Jason Campbell and Todd Collins despite new coach Jim Zorn's connection to the former Seahawk who was cut by San Francisco in his 36th birthday today. Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato, who's making all of the team's personnel decisions these days, has said he wants a young third-stringer to develop behind Campbell, 26, and Collins, 36.

San Francisco's reported signing of former Arizona receiver Bryant Johnson today leaves Seattle's D.J. Hackett, who visited the Redskins yesterday, as the clear choice for teams looking for a big and tall wideout. Hackett was in Tampa Bay today and will finish his East Coast swing with a stop in Carolina tomorrow.

The Redskins could use their second-round pick in next month's draft on a receiver like Hackett (assuming they finally use a first-rounder on a defensive lineman for the first time since they drafted Kenard Lang in 1997). But a rookie is always an unknown commodity. Remember the Redskins drafted receivers Desmond Howard and Michael Westbrook with top five picks and Taylor Jacobs in the second round and got little in return.

New coach Jim Zorn knows Hackett well from their four years together with the Seahawks. Hackett knows Zorn's offense. Unless the Redskins are planning on swinging a trade for some big-time player, they should spend some of their $7 million on cap space and sign Hackett.

-- David Elfin

Receiver D.J. Hackett, the only free agent the Redskins have brought in for a visit, has reportedly signed a two-year, $3,5 million contract with Carolina. The Redskins had only offered Hackett, who worked with coach Jim Zorn the past four years in Seattle, a minimum-salary deal. With Bryant Johnson having signed with San Francisco, the market in free agent receivers is pretty dry so the Redskins will likely use an early-round draft pick to add the big wideout Zorn wants.

I just caught up with Clinton Portis who was at Redskin Park for the first time since the 2007 season ended with coach Joe Gibbs' surprising retirement. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation with the ever-offbeat running back..

On Gibbs' retirement:

"It came as a shock to all of us. Obviously everyone in the locker room would've loved to have coach [Gibbs] back. I'm sure everybody around here learned something from coach Gibbs. Maybe we didn't do the things that he set out to accomplish, but at the same time, people became men and learned that from coach Gibbs and that will last a lifetime."

On new coach Jim Zorn:

"With Coach Zorn on board, I think it's going to be a more relaxed setting and things are going to open up. I think you're going to see a lot of players go wild this year. I mean, wild as [in] stats, not trouble. I think there will be more opportunity to open it up and spread it out, get Cooley in great position and Santana. We'll be exploiting matchups which we really didn't do a lot of [the past four seasons under Gibbs].

"He's a relaxed person. Coach Gibbs was a great coach, motivationally and everything else, but he tended to worry. Coach Zorn is just going to let it rip whether it work or not. If it don't work, he'll try it again."

On rumors that his pal, standout receiver Chad Johnson, wants to leave Cincinnati for Washington:

"I talk to Chad a lot. I might call Chad him just to tell him how relaxed we are here Hopeflly, he can get out of Cincinnati and come join us. You always want to play with a guy like Chad. He's a great guy, very talented. Trying to top his antics week-in and week-out, I'm sure that would bring a lot of excitement."

What this kind of offense could mean for him:

"[I'll be] the Tasmanian devil. If [Shaun Alexander] did great in this system, I'm sure I'll be all right. I just gotta get my wheels back. I'm training with the Olympic team right now [joking]. I'm gonna be flying with sprinter-type speed."

On having a clear offensive boss as opposed to Gibbs and former associate coach Al Saunders:

"This system will be more like a spread, Denver system, pretty much the same play-calling, the same strategies. One idea, one philosophy, everybody get on the same page. There won't be people pulling at each other about whatever the call is going to be."

On offseason preparations:

"I've got to [take the offseason more seriously]. I'm getting older [27 in September] and wiser. I'm trying to work on team unity. A lot of the guys are here [today]. I'm sure over that over the next week, everybody will be around. It's an early jump and we're having fun."

On the absence of late safety Sean Taylor, whose locker netx to that of Portis remains encased in plexiglas:

"Sean's not here. You can talk to him, but he won't respond. You come to work with a different attitude. You don't have a day to waste. You come in every day and make the most of it."

On the NFC East rival New York Giants winning the Suiper Bowl

"At first, I didn't want them to win, but then I found myself cheering for them. It just gives us all the hope in the world. We basically ran over the Giants, dominated both games [ in 2007]. For them to go and win [the Super Bowl], show us where we at. ... If we can come together and get on the same page like they did, that can be us this year."

Coach Jim Zorn just came into the media room for a chat with the handful of reporters working the daily grind at Redskin Park. Here are some excerpts of the conversation.

On losing free agent receiver D.J. Hackett, with whom he worked in Seattle, to Carolina yesterday.

"I'm excited for D.J. because I know him and I think he's a good receiver. He's off and running now. He's got himself an opportunity. He used this opportunity to look at all the situations [Hackett also visited Tampa Bay and returning to Seattle was an option] and he took the one that was best for him."

On bringing in any more free agents for a visit:

"If something comes up, we'll run it down, but there isn't anything that I'm hot after."

On drafting a big receiver early:

"I don't know if I want to say big is the prerequisite. It can't be a 5-8 guy. It's something that has to definitely be considered depending on who that guy or that group is, who's available. There are a lot of receivers out there."

On 6-5 receiver Anthony Mix, who hardly played after signing in November:

"I just got to meet Anthony Mix. He's a big receiver. He's going to get every opportunity. I don't know these guys yet. This is the early part of workouts. I get to put a face to a name and see how they work, see what I have to work with."

On the players who have yet to report for workouts:

"There's not a designated 'you have a free pass to do whatever you want.' There's a constant communication effort to make sure we know what those guys are doing and they know what we're doing. All of these guys are going to be in and out."

On preparing for the draft as a head coach as opposed to as a position coach:

"I can't know 330 players. I know who the upper crust is. The whole idea for a head coach is to go over it, go over it and get to know one more guy each time. You start familiarizing yourself with that list at each position so you can develop a depth as you go."

On the Redskins' offensive personnel fitting his quick-hitting, West Coast scheme:

"Probably the key areas are tight end -- what type of tight end are you going to have? Are you going to have more than two or three receivers at any time so your wide receiver group is important. To be diversified in that group. If we're going to be a two-back run team what's our fullback going to be like? Our fullback at times can look like a tight end [which fits incumbent Mike Sellers]. We have a little bit of flexibility there. Even [Pro Bowl tight end] Chris Cooley can be in the backfield. He's not going to be our lead blocker like our fullback would be, but you can create a little deception that way."

On installing the playbook:

"We're very close for what we want to do this offseason. Then it's just a matter of extending it out to training camp. The nuts and bolts, how we want to call plays, are all there. We're making sure that the pictures we put up on our Powerpoint match exactly what we want to communicate. The play selection, that's what I'm having to [decide how much to install]."

Receiver Reche Caldwell and corner David Macklin were the first Redskins free agents to visit another team today when both were entertained by the St. Louis Rams.

Caldwell would reunite in St. Louis with former Redskins associate head coach Al Saunders. Caldwell, who has also had feelers from Oakland, has received a minimum salary offer from Washington. The Redskins don't appear to be interested in retaining Macklin.

UPDATE (5:37 p.m.):

Macklin signed a 1-year deal with the Rams; we haven't yet learned terms on the deal. Caldwell, meanwhile, could sign as early Friday.

Punter Derrick Frost just re-signed with the Redskins. The one-year deal will be worth $805,000 if he makes the team.

"I'm just happy to get it done," Frost said. "I'm excited to to return for [a fourth] year in Washington. I look forward to proving myself again and earning a long-term contract next year."

The Redskins officially announced earlier today that punter Derrick Frost had re-signed with the team.

Frost has been the Redskins punter since early in the 2005 season. Last year, he averaged 40.9 yards on 75 kicks. He is also the team's holder.

With Frost back onboard, the Redskins specialists are set: Frost, kicker Shaun Suisham, holder Ethan Albright, punt returner Antwaan Randle El and kick returner Rock Cartwright.

The Redskins just made official what had been circulating through the D.C. Media Gossip Circle since Saturday at the Verizon Center: Wizards PR chief Zack Bolno has been hired as the Redskins' Executive Director of Communications.

Bolno will be in charge of dealing with us media know-it-alls and will join the Redskins once the Wizards' season is over.

For the last four seasons, Bolno has been the Wizards' Director of Public Relations. He replaces Chris Helein with the Redskins.

Expressing an opinion on the hire, this is a positive move by the Redskins. While disappointed they parted ways with Helein, I think it's important they hired a person who a) has knowledge of the D.C. media/sports scene, b) had run their own shop with another team and c) had previous NFL experience. Before joining the Wizards, Bolno spent five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which included their Super Bowl XXXVII season.

- Ryan O'Halloran

The Washington Redskins will open their first year under coach Jim Zorn in the nationally televised NFL Thursday Night opener on Sept. 4 at the New York Giants, an NFL source confirmed last night.

The Giants will be the fifth straight Super Bowl champion to open the defense of its title with the kickoff game at home. The last non-championship team to host the game was the Redskins against the New York Jets in 2003. This will be the Redskins' third primetime opener in six years since they played host to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2006 Monday Night Football opener.

The Associated Press reported that the NFL is considering moving the game's kickoff 90 minutes ahead from its usual 8:30 PM to accomodate the expected acceptance speech of all-but sure Presidental nominee John McCain at the Republican convention that night.

SEATTLE -- The Wizards weren't the only D.C. area sports celebrities at KeyArena on Wednesday night. The Redskins new head coach Jim Zorn, who served as the Seattle Seahawks' quarterbacks coach since 2001 before being hired by Daniel Snyder this winter, was also on hand. When shown on the jumbotro, the Seattle fans gave a mighty cheer as the coach -- roughly a month away from his first draft as a head coach -- looked up and waived.

While the former Seahawks QB is still a fan favorite, not everyone has confidence in his abilities as a head coach. A few members of the local believe he will be in over his head and were admittedly shocked that he even got the head coaching job in the first place.

-- Mike Jones

New Redskins coach Jim Zorn just spotted me in the front row of the media room and came over to say hi. Palm Beach is in casual South Florida, but the Breakers, where the NFL meetings are being held, is as blue-blood. So, Zorn was wearing a sportscoat, a contrast to the flannel shirt and jeans combo he wore when last seen at Redskin Park.

Zorn, a rookie head coach, said he's enjoying being behind the scenes with all the owners for the first time. It's a big step up from position coach.

Meanwhile, Eagles coach Andy Reid -- the veteran of the NFC East -- is being interviewed 50 steps from my computer while wearing a Hawaiian shirt. It's not a pretty sight.

And if Zorn thinks his Redskins might get some help in his debut from the Giants' fearsome pass rush being being torn apart by defending championitis, he can think again. Giants GM Jerry Reese just said that he doesn't expect Michael Strahan to retire or fellow defensive end Osi Umenyiora to hold out.

The NFL just released this year's compensatory draft picks and the Redskins, for a change, came up big. Washington was granted extra choices at the end of the third round (96th overall) and two after the seventh (244th and 249th). The third-rounder was compensation for losing guard Derrick Dockery to Buffalo. The seventh-rounders were for losing running back T.J. Duckett to Detroit and cornerback Kenny Wright to Cleveland.

The extra third-rounder gives the Redskins four picks in the first rounds for the first time since 2002. Washington had just nine such selections during the five drafts since.

UPDATE: In my haste to post the news about the Redskins being awarded three compensatory draft picks today, I neglected to mention that losing linebacker Warrick Holdman to Denver before last season was another factor in Washington receiving two seventh-rounders.