Did Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn just practice his exit speech?
The Redskins are 3-8, with perhaps one win left on a schedule that stiffens against NFC kingpin New Orleans on Sunday. This may be the worst of owner Dan Snyder’s 11-season tenure. Changes surely will follow.
Recommended Stories
A short-timer since a 2-4 start, Zorn has seemingly accepted his pending unemployment after an 11-16 mark over nearly two seasons. His remarks on Monday showed earlier deniability over the coming dismissal is easing.
“I’m certainly accountable for our football season, no question about it. I’ll be held accountable. [The season is] awful, it really is,” Zorn said.
“But I’m not trying to lose heart myself. … Not just give up and ‘Woe is me’ and sink back into a hole. I try to face what’s before me. It’s difficult. I’ll be a better coach because of what I’m going through, it’s just hard to go through it.”
Sounds like someone who sees a pink slip coming. Zorn has always been an open, standup guy. Indeed, his frankness has team officials limiting news conferences for fear of what Zorn might say.
Some coaches will never concede a bad season down to the final moments. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said goodbye to players after Saturday’s finale just in case he’s dismissed, but it was only after the last snap that Fridge conceded that his return is uncertain. Virginia coach Al Groh was defiant with the media following his final game despite knowing his departure would come the next day.
But some coaches are honest over their futures. Zorn knows 2010 means relocating. The hardest part is selling players on the idea that they must play hard despite no playoff chances.
Players often talk about pride, of being a professional, but it’s too often lip service. Zorn spoke frankly over the challenge of not turning the final five games into a joke.
“[Players] hurt after every loss,” he said. “It’s not the type of thing where after the game we take showers and leave. It hurts. It hurts the coaches, it hurts the ownership, the fans. There’s nothing good about the end result. What we’re pushing toward is pride in doing a good job.”
Too many bad injuries have left Zorn more shorthanded than a one-armed cook at lunchtime.
“There’s just not enough time to lament what could have been,” he said. “The what ifs, we don’t spend a lot of time on that.”
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
