Finally, the madness has ended.
Can I hear an Amen?
The longest ill-fated march since Napoleon encountered the Russian winter of 1812 saw the Washington Redskins fall, 23-20, at San Diego on Sunday. It was a nice preseason game, essentially.
The game wasn’t half over before reports appeared concerning coach Jim Zorn’s dismissal on Monday. That hardly qualifies as news given Zorn’s firing nearly came at 2-4, but at least this circus finally moves from a two-month funeral dirge to kings-of-offseason mode.
Indeed, the office pool centered on what state would the Redskins be flying over when Zorn was dismissed. Honk if you had Nevada.
Mike Shanahan is the odds-on favorite to take over the Redskins, but owner Dan Snyder has pulled successful smoke-and-mirrors coaching moves before. There was some late buzz that Bill Cowher was back in play. Regardless, Washington gains new leadership.
Frankly, the Redskins need one to stop the largest exodus of fans in a generation.
Richmond and Norfolk TV stations showed the Dallas-Philadelphia game for the NFC East title rather than the traditional Redskins game. Both towns’ papers no longer regularly cover the team. A once die-hard region has slipped away.
The fan base has completely disconnected from the glory days of four Super Bowls in nine seasons. Two decades later, the franchise’s good will is past spent — it’s bankrupt.
Zorn is likely heading to Cleveland as the Browns quarterback coach. It’s a good fit for him. That or a Division III college program. Zorn never asked for the Redskins head job, so the stain of his tenure stays with Snyder. Still, the past two years match the Steve Spurrier 2002-’03 era as the franchise’s saddest moments since the early 1960s.
Remember how different U.S. presidents look after four years in office? Zorn’s makeover came in 15 months. Those spiky gray hairs wilted while eyes that once sparkled turned hollow.
“Anything I say about what my future might be here would just be babbling along here,” Zorn said. “I’m going to be forthright and get things moving, but I certainly want to be the head coach here.
“In my world, nothing has to be fair. I could whine about how uncomfortable everything is. That’s not productive. … I don’t live in a world where everything has to be fair or dealt fairly because it’s not that way for anybody. That’s just not the way it is.”
Can I get another Amen?
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
