In an announcement that no one saw coming, the Washington Redskins have hired Jim Zorn as their new head coach. To the extent that fans know Zorn, they know him from his old days as a player, so here he is in those days:
The hiring comes as a major surprise, as widespread reports had Jim Fassel, Steve Mariucci and Ron Meeks as the finalists for the job. Zorn was slated to be the offensive coordinator no matter who got the job, but apparently Redskins owner Daniel Snyder decided that hiring Zorn for the top job was the better move.
So what kind of coach will Zorn be? Doug Farrar of Seahawks.net explained why the Redskins might like Zorn:
As far as Zorn, the first word that comes to mind is "integrity". Integrity in his personal life, in his methodology, in everything he does. This is a guy who's in Seattle's Ring of Honor as a quarterback, had some great NFL seasons, won the 1976 NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and he spent 1988 through 1996 as a quarterback coach/offensive assistant for three colleges. There are no airs about him. He has no entitlement issues - in fact he liked to ride his bicycle from home to practice in his second go-round with the Seahawks.
Sounds like a Snyder kind of guy, but I have a feeling Redskins fans won't be happy.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-09-2008 @ 8:28PM
pjohn53100 said...
Welcom to volume 2 of the Dan Snyder and Vinnie Cerato follies!
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2-09-2008 @ 9:43PM
nganassim said...
Redskins fans may not be happy, but we won't be angry either. He's an unknown, so there's really not much to be happy or angry about.
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2-09-2008 @ 11:05PM
StigmA said...
Wow, go from a qb coach to head coach? then again, nothing would surprise me when it comes to Atlanta, Miami, & Washington these days...
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2-09-2008 @ 11:15PM
Jon said...
A "Snyder kind of guy"? Pete Carroll is a "Snyder kind of guy". Bill Cowher is a "Snyder kind of guy". Snyder loves the big names, not the guys who bike to work.
I don't necessarily have a problem with Zorn himself (I know nothing about him), but I have a problem that we couldn't get ANYONE we wanted. That sounds really bad for the Redskins as an organization. I'm sure Snyder threw a ton of money at Carroll and Mariucci and the rest of the names he interviewed. If none of them wanted to come to Washington, it sounds like people are starting to realize that Snyder is a terrible owner to work for, and that's bad news for the whole franchise.
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2-10-2008 @ 2:41AM
NeonDon said...
Yeah, I remember all these same know-it-alls saying guys named Belichik and Dungy could never be good head coaches. Get Zorn a Brady and Moss or Manning and Harrison and defense and the Redskins will do just fine with Zorn. Amateur analysts.
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2-10-2008 @ 3:16AM
nickstoli said...
I'd rather see Zorn get a shot than retreads like Fassell and Mooch.
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2-10-2008 @ 5:13AM
scalar7 said...
People have to remember that Snyder is relying on Joe Gibbs for a final say on this. Joe is now his personal consultant, and you know, Joe has had a past reputation of picking players and coaches that wouldn't be the natural pick but turned out to be a beautiful pick. Don't forget John Riggins - a troubled player with the Jets. He turned out to be one of the biggest "Hall of Famers" from 'Skins history, and that happened because Joe Gibbs orchestrated it. This is a good move - I have to believe we will see it down the line.
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2-10-2008 @ 5:57AM
pedro said...
Skins have nothing to loose with this pick
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2-10-2008 @ 11:28AM
Tim F said...
The R'Skin freaks don't deserve Jim Zorn. He is a class act, and will be a winner and bring class to the mess that is the Redskins. One thing you can count on, he won't be calling any stupid timeouts. He was the first star of the C-Hawks and helped make Steve Largent a hall of famer. As a coach he is the one that deserves the most credit for turning Matt Hasselbeck into a pro-bowler, not Holmgren. As a C-Hawk fan I am sorry to see him leave but I wish him well even though you redskinheads don't deserve him, yet!
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2-10-2008 @ 3:56PM
mo said...
Do know if it is a good move but I definitly don't think it is a bad move. The Danny has waisted so many seasons on retread players and coaches that never pan out, that it is refreshing to see a new face. Zorn should be able to make a quick assesment on Jason Cambell that he is "the future" of the redskins or he is not. He also does not come with a lot of "loyalty" to good players who are past their prime and are no longer contributing. He definitly should change the Redskin's view that draft choices are to be "given away" to "buy" big name, broken down, retreads. I look forward to a fresh start. Now if Ceruto and the danny can keep their hands off and let him do his job.
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2-10-2008 @ 6:45PM
yateck said...
Gibbs didn't have anything to do with bringing John Riggins to the Redskins.
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2-10-2008 @ 7:55PM
Patickvashon said...
As a Seattleite who watched him from day one and who later got to know him this man is the real goods. He is in the mold of Tony Dungee, honest caring and with Integrity. He will instill a spirit of teamwork and the owner wont have to worry because Jim's ego does not require constant feeding. He once said he would be involved in football even if they didn't pay him because he loved the game. The Redskins are lucky.
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