That didn’t take long. The Redskins fired coach Jim Zorn shortly after they returned from their season-ending loss at San Diego, ending a two-year reign that started out promising only to quickly detour into a series of mishaps and controversies. He was seen leaving the facility at 4:45 this morning, escorted by team security.
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A press conference with executive vice president/general manager Bruce Allen is scheduled for 12:30 this afternoon.
“The status quo is unacceptable,” Allen said in a statement.
Zorn’s fate had been discussed for most of the past season, which ended with a 4-12 record. When the Redskins struggled vs. bad teams at the start of the season, especially on offense, the speculation started. And when they hired an offensive consultant, Sherman Lewis, and then removed Zorn’s play-calling duties, it was only a matter of time.
Though Zorn expressed a strong desire to remain in his job, and talked about offseason plans, he knew what awaited him after the season finale. After all, his two-year record was 12-20. Injuries and poor personnel decisions contributed to the dismal situation, but at season’s start the Redskins were healthy. And Zorn knows this is a bottom-line business.
“In my world, nothing has to be fair,” Zorn said after Sunday’s loss. “It’s not about fairness. I could whine about how uncomfortable everything is, but that is not productive. I don’t live in a world where I think everything has to be fair or dealt fairly. It’s not that way for anybody. It’s not that way for the players. Everyone gets mad about it, but it’s just not the way.”
Zorn’s selection as head coach was a stunning one that capped a coaching search that took more than a month. After his first press conference, many thought he appeared overmatched. But his tenure started out strong, with a 6-2 record and an offense that had scored at least 23 points in five of those games. At that point, quarterback Jason Campbell and running back Clinton Portis were being discussed as potential league MVPs. But their fortunes quickly changed, in part because of injuries and a tougher schedule. Regardless of the reason, the offense failed to score more than 13 points in six of the last eight games and Washington finished 8-8.
One Redskins source said players began discussing Zorn’s possible dismissal after last season ended, knowing owner Dan Snyder’s impatience and also knowing the big coaching names that would be available this offseason. There were even rumors that Snyder would consider firing Zorn after his first season.
His replacement is expected to be one of those big names — former Denver coach Mike Shanahan. Multiple outlets have reported that he is the favorite to land the position. Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray interviewed for the position during the season to help fulfill the Rooney Rule requirement. There’s a chance he’ll be re-interviewed with Allen. Gray’s initial interview came with former Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato.
