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navinsena223
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#1 Posted: Wed Jan 7th, 2009 01:54 |
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I see where Vinny Cerrato, the executive vice president of football operations for the Washington Redskins, said that Jim Zorn will return next season as the team's head coach. That's great, except there's one thing I don't understand: Why is this a story?
Zorn is in his first season as a head coach anywhere. The Redskins have more wins than losses. And, if they finish with a defeat of San Francisco on Sunday, they produce their second-best record over the last nine seasons.
So why does Cerrato have to defend the guy? Answer: He doesn't.
"I was asked about it on the radio," Cerrato said Tuesday afternoon, "and I said this is a creation of the media. This is not a creation of the Washington Redskins. We haven't discussed anything like this. Our focus was on beating Philadelphia (last week) and beating San Francisco (this week). This wasn't something that the Redskins said -- it was something the media said."
On this score, I'll side with the football team. Two weeks ago star, running back Clinton Portis took a shot at Zorn, sarcastically calling him "a genius." Big deal. People say stupid things, and that was stupid. I never knew that Portis was speaking for the team, and I haven't heard anyone suggest he was speaking for the team.
What's more, I haven't heard anyone suggest Zorn was or should be in trouble. The guy is 8-7 in his first season as a head coach, for crying out loud. But that's not the point. This is: HE'S IN HIS FIRST SEASON, PEOPLE! I mean, give the guy a chance.
I could see if the team went belly up or there was a player revolt or Al Davis was calling the shots, but last time I checked that wasn't the case. So there are 15 teams with records better than Washington. That puts Zorn in the top half of the league in his first crack at coaching, and that's not bad.
All I know is that if you told me prior to the season that Washington would be sitting 8-7 with a game to go, I'd say that Zorn had passed the bar.
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navinsena223
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#2 Posted: Wed Jan 7th, 2009 01:55 |
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The problem, of course, was that he raised it by winning six of his first eight -- something no one anticipated, and that probably includes Zorn. When the Redskins went into a tailspin, losing five of six, speculation immediately centered on Zorn's future -- and I'm not sure why.
Yeah, I know, the Redskins made the playoffs a year ago. They were also 9-7. If they win Sunday that's the record they have this season.
One other thing: I don't recall anyone calling for Joe Gibbs to be fired after he went 6-10 in his first season back on the job. And I don't recall anyone calling for his canning after four years of Gibbs produced a 30-34 record, either.
So why the fuss over Zorn and why now? Because they didn't make the playoffs? Tell me that when you surveyed the NFC East last summer you honestly expected that to happen. I didn't. In fact, I never anticipated the Redskins to get this far, largely because I'm wary of head coaches with no experience.
This season has been a learning process for everyone, with Zorn overcoming the freshmen mistakes he committed in the season-opening loss to the Giants. Zorn improved as the year wore on, and he got so much better the Redskins vaulted to their best start since 2000.
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navinsena223
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#3 Posted: Wed Jan 7th, 2009 01:56 |
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That, of course, raised expectations for the team, and when the Redskins failed to fulfill them we looked for scapegoats -- and Zorn was asked to step to the front of the line.
Please.
Under Zorn, Jason Campbell has developed into a steady quarterback, and Campbell's improvement was one of the reasons Zorn was hired. No, I don't know if Campbell can be a championship quarterback, but I do know the Redskins can win with him. A year ago, that was unresolved.
Zorn helped Campbell, and Campbell helped the team. His completion percentage is up. His interceptions are down. And he is a more confident and more reliable quarterback than at any time of his career.
"The quarterback made strides throwing the ball," said Cerrato, "and he became good at the line of scrimmage. He managed the line of scrimmage."
That's another way of saying he didn't screw up, and that's something to admire in quarterbacks. Chad Pennington doesn't screw up, either, but the New York Jets decided that wasn't enough, so they let him walk to Miami. Poll their fans now, and I'll bet they'd say they want him back.
I admit that Campbell isn't the quarterback now that he was earlier in the season; the offensive line that protects him isn't the same, either. The Redskins subtracted two tackles, including Pro Bowler Chris Samuels, while other offensive linemen slowed down.
The result was predictable: Sacks went up, Campbell's performance went down and the Redskins had trouble scoring. If you want to criticize Zorn, dissect his play calling. But how do you question a guy for winning more than he loses?
I don't know. All I know is that it just happened. And I'm not sure why.Last edited on Wed Jan 7th, 2009 01:56 by navinsena223
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nflfan
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Online NFL Jersey shop offer you authentic high-quality NFL Jerseys at wholesale price $22.99.
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#4 Posted: Wed Jul 21st, 2010 03:03 |
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Redskins QB Donovan McNabb said,all participants should expect to throw up in the fourth quarter,the sessions will be so tough and so intense,it will feel like playing in the Super Bowl.So McNabb has invited some of his new teammates to visit Arizona for the “Hell Week” workouts.Why did he call it “Hell Week” ? All right, McNabb didn’t say that exactly,but he has dubbed it“Hell Week”because of the hot temperatures in Arizona and the demanding nature of the workouts. But anybody really knows exactly what “Hell Week” is who has played any level of organized football.
It’s very important for the specialists on the offense McNabb and his teammates to have that chemistry,to have that bond,they can trust each other more.
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