Well, that experiment ended rather poorly for the Washington Redskins.
When Jim Zorn was hired to be offensive coordinator, it wasn’t a bad decision — he was a good quarterback coach for the Seattle Seahawks, grooming Matt Hassleback into a star. However, naming him head coach was a leap of faith, or more likely desperation by Dan Snyder/Vinny Cerrato, but one I kind of embraced, even with the maroon and black silliness. I knew a little of Zorn from his days as the first Seahawks quarterback. He was clever and excelled at fake field goals. My NFL Super Pro Club “how to play football” pamphlet also featured Zorn, so I was inclined to like the guy and root for him.
As I got to see Zorn perform in the first half of his rookie season, I really liked him. He was a Renaissance man and a free spirit — in other words, perfect fodder for DC Sports Bog whether good, bad or um, goofy. There is hope with prospective new coach Mike Shanahan though.
In the end, Zorn wasn’t the main problem; the owner and the mess that his general manager Cerrato left behind (um, no offensive line) are bigger faults. Unfortunately, Zorn was not the solution, either. Hopefully, he will land on his feet as a quarterback coach and find professional redemption. His record was the same as Steve Spurrier, but Zorn was a lot more fun (though not so much on Sundays or Monday nights) and if you can’t win, it had better be fun.
