In two weeks, Jim Zorn will hopefully be as gone as the two feet of snow in the backyard.
When you run a Pop Warner formation on national TV after already faking it instead of kicking a field goal, you deserve banishment. Toss in lighting up like a Christmas tree when discussing it afterward — despite forgetting the play was intercepted — and your next job as the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach is a worthy exile.
New GM Bruce Allen just learned all he needs to know — the Redskins also require a new coach. And not just a new coach, but also many new players because they’re just as culpable for the 45-12 loss to the New York Giants on Monday. Players were supposed to impress the new boss, not insult 40,000 or so loyal fans braving arctic conditions. If this was a job audition, as players love to say, they broke a leg falling off the stage.
Seriously, the over/under on how long before Zorn is fired after the final game is in hours, not days. Will he walk off the plane following the San Diego finale a man with new options? Will Zorn make it to Redskins Park before being dismissed?
Some of this is owner Dan Snyder’s fault for undermining his coach at midseason, some is Zorn’s and some is on the players. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall suffered a cheapshot by New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, but control yourself already. Forget the vendetta in front of the officials. There are plenty of opportunities during a game for paybacks instead of nearly getting tossed. That undisciplined attitude comes when players no longer fear the coaches’ wrath.
But Zorn won’t spend the offseason gaining sympathy from coaching brethren who understand Washington has become such a toxic environment even Joe Gibbs couldn’t escape. Zorn can’t hide anymore after flashing on Monday Night Football that he doesn’t deserve an offensive coordinator job, much less a head coaching position. Maybe at a small college level where winning is less important than shaping young men, but not at the professional level.
Seriously, Steve Spurrier ran a better program than Zorn and Ballcoach was awful.
Even worse for the Redskins, they can’t use secondary coach Jerry Gray as a fallback replacement should Mike Shanahan not come. The secondary has been awful over recent weeks. Gray is no more the right choice for the Redskins than he was for Memphis.
Snyder should ignore fans this time and hire Jim Fassel or Shanahan on Jan. 4. The Redskins need a hardcase to take over or it’s four more years of the same.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
