Zorn remains at the helm in wake of 19-14 loss to Detroit Lions
The frustration mounted after two games, with players venting to the coach and to the owner. Just two games into Jim Zorn’s second season, cracks in the organization were showing.
Recommended Stories
And then came Sunday’s embarrassment, a 19-14 loss at Detroit — the NFL’s worst team with a 19-game losing streak.
In the first two weeks alone, playmaking running back Clinton Portis voiced his frustration with the head coach over perceived too few carries. Another player unloaded on the coach during practice while a teammate spoke to the owner over his role, according to multiple sources.
Now coach Jim Zorn’s job security isn’t the only thing at risk (he’s safe for now). A lifeless locker room heading for the second half against Detroit may indicate players no longer subscribe to the coach’s one-time hip, hip hooray motto.
Indeed, the locker room relationship with the former NFL quarterback may be the key to Zorn’s future.
After the game Albert Haynesworth told reporters, “It don’t matter if Joe Gibbs was here or any All-Star coach, they’re still going to point fingers.”
Though one NFL source said Sunday that Zorn had “lost the guys,” Haynesworth said he thought the players still backed Zorn.
“I hope so,” Haynesworth said. “You only have one head coach. I can’t speak for everybody else, but I am.”
There’s no doubt this is the low point in the 19-game Zorn era. But this is likely the lowest point in Snyder’s 10-plus year tenure.
It’s not just about Sunday’s loss. It’s about the fact that they were booed off their home field after a win last week and responded with a lackluster effort. It’s about the fact that they’re now 3-8 since opening Zorn’s first season at 6-2. The offensive-minded coach has not seen his offense score more than two touchdowns in 10 of his last 11 games.
The Redskins have largely ignored holes on their offensive line for the past few seasons. The result: a line that was aging last season is now just ineffective. They drafted two receivers and a pass-catching tight end in the second round of 2008; none have yet caught a touchdown pass.
The failure is system-wide.
But that doesn’t matter now. The burden is mostly on Zorn.
One player said as the Redskins left the locker room after halftime Sunday, there was no energy. Nobody delivered any rah-rah type yells as they entered a crucial half.
“Just dead silent,” the player said. “It was real bad.”
