The Redskins have reportedly engaged in preliminary talks with potential free agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall about signing him to a long-term contract. The team has expressed an interest in retaining Hall, according to sources, although the sides have yet to reach the stage at which they exchange proposals and financial details.

Jim Zorn will return as the coach of the Redskins in 2009, according to team executive vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato. Zorn, in his first season as a head coach, has been criticized as the Redskins stumbled down the stretch following a strong start. The Washington Post reported that Cerrato characterized a question about Zorn's standing as "crazy", saying, "Why wouldn't he be back?"

The Redskins reportedly haven't discussed coach Jim Zorn's status with the team. "In this building, that question has never even been brought up," Vinny Cerrato, the executive vice president of football operations, said on his radio show. "It's never even been discussed." There have been reports that Zorn could be out of a job at the end of the season.

Jason Taylor was on 106.7 WJFK Thursday morning and offered a fairly scathing assessment of his own season, concluding with this: "I'm a realist. You can tell me the truth, and I'm fine with that. Because at the end of the day, most of us know the truth, and some times some guys are just afraid to admit it, but I'm not worth 8 million dollars....You know what, I'll tell you, I may not be worth 8 million dollars, but I know one thing, this dog can still hunt. This dog can still hunt. Put me in the right situation, the right position, and I'll hunt all day."

Legendary Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh, who set numerous passing records with the Redskins, died on Wednesday at the age of 94. Baugh redefined the position of quarterback with the Redskins after joining the team as a first-round pick in 1937. ?Slingin? Sammy? Baugh played college ball at Texas Christian before joining the Redskins. Once in Washington, Baugh was a huge factor in the development of offenses that took place in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Redskins' defensive end Jason Taylor hasn't ruled out a return to the NFL next season or even a return to the Dolphins. "You never close any door, man," Taylor said. "You never close any door. But I don't know what I'm going to do. A lot of it, you don't have any control over." It's unlikely that the Redskins will make the playoffs, which means retirement is weighing heavily on his mind as well. "I don't know," Taylor said. "I don't know."

The Redskins are out of the NFC playoff picture, and coach Jim Zorn has begun to question his future with the franchise. "I need to check my plan of attack," Zorn said. "And all of our staff, we need to re-evaluate what we're doing to see if we're going in the right direction." Washington has lost five of their last six games. "I really believe we're building a good foundation, but certainly when these things get strung across the board I certainly have to take -- and do take -- the responsibility for some of these games that just are not turning out like we have planned," Zorn added.

Jim Zorn is not worried about getting fired, now that the Redskins have stumbled in the second half of the season. "We're trying to build something with substance here, not just a little toothpick house with glass walls," Zorn said. "We want something solid here. That's what I'm all about. That's where I'm trying to go. I feel very comfortable." Later in his post-practice briefing, Zorn said he doesn't pay attention to the outside criticism that has engulfed the area since last week's loss to Baltimore. "I don't even know all that stuff is out there because that would be hard to live with," he said. "I don't even know that stuff is out there unless you tell me it's out there. ... [My job status] won't be up to me. My whole attitude and my whole goal - do a tremendous job as long as I can do it."

Redskins' running back Clinton Portis and head coach Jim Zorn reportedly met to discuss their recent differences. Upset for several days over his lack of playing time in last week's 24-10 loss to the Ravens, Portis unleashed his frustrations about the coach's methods in a radio interview on Tuesday. "We've already met as a team; Clinton and Coach Zorn have already met," quarterback Jason Campbell said. "From a standpoint of the team, the issue has died out already. But from the outside world, it'll probably go on for the rest of the week."

The Washington Redskins announced today that they have signed offensive lineman D?Anthony Batiste. He will wear jersey No. 78. The 6-foot-4 Batiste, who is in his third NFL season, played and started four games at guard for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. He was originally signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He spent the first six weeks of that season on the Cowboys practice squad before being signed by Carolina. He did not see any action for the Panthers.