Will Zorn win an NFC East game in '08?

[ST is my boy]

if we can go 3-3 in the division that would be great.....anything higher and I think we win the division.....our schedule is cake outside of our division...

[SoCalSkins]

if we can go 3-3 in the division that would be great.....anything higher and I think we win the division.....our schedule is cake outside of our division...

Everyone else in the NFC East pretty much plays the same teams as us.

[Going Commando]

We're probably looking at 0-16.

I'd say so. And atleast all of the coaching staff will be fired... and go homeless... And Fedex will probably burn down... and Dan Snyder will lose all of his money and have to sell the team to Jerry Jones and the team will move to Dallas to become an Arena League farm team for the Cowboys. Yep, I'd say we're definitely in for a long year.

[ChiefPowhatan17]

Yes, we will go 4-2 in the NFL East games.

Zorn will beat the Giants both games. Unlike Gibbs, Zorn won't go into these games scared of the meadowlands.

Zorn will beat the Eagles at home and lose in Philly.

Zorn will beat the Cowboys at home and lose in Texas Stadium.

That's my prediction.

4-2

[westcoasthog]

Gibbs took over a team with a LOSING record. Zorn is taking over a team that has been to the playoffs 2 out of the last 3 years. Gibbs improved his team in year 1 from the year before. Zorn needs to do the same.

Firing a guy whose resume gives him no business in being a college coach for a top 50 team let alone an NFL team will in fact improve things if he doesn't produce in year 1.

Why are all of the Zorn supporters giving him a pass. If he is such a great coach, then he should improve the team on the field with results in W/L which is the only way teams are ultimately measured. He was kicked to the curb by the Seahawks and 3 weeks later he is the HC of a playoff team. A mediocre QB coach in his mid 50's could never ask for more. All he has to do is win with a team that has been to the playoffs 2 of the past 3 years. Not a bad deal for the former Cowboy.

Let's be honest though...we snuck into the playoffs those two years...riding an emotional wave last year. It's not like Zorn is being handed the Colts and being told not to screw it up. He is being given a team that has a solid foundation but still has a ways to go before it is an elite team. Expect next year to start off rough...but don't cry about it! Rome wasn't built in a day and Jim Zorn's coaching career won't be based on one single season. He wasn't kicked to the curb by Seattle either. Why do you hate on Zorn so much? It's like you are rooting for him to fail! It really doesn't make sense coming from someone who says he is a fan?

[westcoasthog]

You mean the WCO that Philly used to dominate the division over the course of several seasons, enroute to multiple NFC championship games?

:applause:

Exactly! But this seems to be the week of the hater. Is there a big silver and blue moon shining over Redskins nation or something? What's with all the (female dogging) and moaning here?

[matty dread]

Let's be honest though...we snuck into the playoffs those two years...riding an emotional wave last year. It's not like Zorn is being handed the Colts and being told not to screw it up. He is being given a team that has a solid foundation but still has a ways to go before it is an elite team. Expect next year to start off rough...but don't cry about it! Rome wasn't built in a day and Jim Zorn's coaching career won't be based on one single season. He wasn't kicked to the curb by Seattle either. Why do you hate on Zorn so much? It's like you are rooting for him to fail! It really doesn't make sense coming from someone who says he is a fan?

I would love to know how riding a 4 or 5 winning streak into the playoffs qualifies as "sneaking in".

There's no sneaking in. There's teams that either make the playoffs or teams that don't, and the Skins have made the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 seasons, period.

Enough with the lame excuses in an attempt to talk down what the team has accomplished.

[westcoasthog]

I would love to know how riding a 4 or 5 winning streak into the playoffs qualifies as "sneaking in".

There's no sneaking in. There's teams that either make the playoffs or teams that don't, and the Skins have made the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 seasons, period.

Enough with the lame excuses in an attempt to talk down what the team has accomplished.

I'm not trying to talk it down. I was very proud of what the team did last year. But don't pretend Zorn is inheriting a powerhouse either!

[SoCalSkins]

I'm not trying to talk it down. I was very proud of what the team did last year. But don't pretend Zorn is inheriting a powerhouse either!

Zorn is inheriting a team who beat the defending NFC champs who stil had playoff hopes, beat the eventual SB champs in their own house the next week, went on to beat the team with the longest NFC win streak on the road the following week and destroyed the NFC East champs who had the most wins in franchise history the week after that to get into the playoffs. I call that a powerhouse team.

[emor09]

6-0

:)

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[westcoasthog]

Zorn is inheriting a team who beat the defending NFC champs who stil had playoff hopes, beat the eventual SB champs in their own house the next week, went on to beat the team with the longest NFC win streak on the road the following week and destroyed the NFC East champs who had the most wins in franchise history the week after that to get into the playoffs. I call that a powerhouse team.

Well...I think you're wrong. Like I said before, I am proud of what the team accomplished last year. But you need to be realistic and look at our record and look at how we had to win the last 4 games of the season just to lose in the 1st round of the playoffs. The Redskins were a good team at the end of last year but they were not a great team no matter how thick your burgundy and gold glasses are. I'm as big a homer as there ever will be...but even I wouldn't say we were a great team. A good defense and a mediocre offense does not make a great team and all I'm trying to say is that if Zorn can get the offense to another level and our D can stay solid then we are going to get better...maybe not right away...but in the long run I believe the changes that were made will be better for the team.

[matty dread]

I'm not trying to talk it down. I was very proud of what the team did last year. But don't pretend Zorn is inheriting a powerhouse either!

Powerhouse? Probably not.

But it is a playoff team with talent on both sides of the ball.

I know some people are braced for a transition year, but personally I won't be satisifed unless this team goes back to the playoffs.

[Redskins4ever]

I'm not at all concerned with the Redskins matching up against the other three NFC east teams. We split with all of them last year, and could have won all six games. Zorn being the coach has nothing to do with it. This is a well seasoned veteran squad that knows what it takes to win.

[westcoasthog]

Powerhouse? Probably not.

But it is a playoff team with talent on both sides of the ball.

I know some people are braced for a transition year, but personally I won't be satisifed unless this team goes back to the playoffs.

I won't be satisfied either. I'm never satisfied if the Skins don't make the playoffs. Hell, I'm never satisfied when they make it to the playoffs and lose either. But I'm also not going to flip out if the team takes a step backwards if it looks like they are then going to take 2 steps forward. Personally I am very excited about the team and Zorn. I'm just saying to all the haters out there if we have one season that is kind of rough due to the new offensive philosophy it doesn't mean the team is doomed.

[jrfriedm]

3-3 is fair, but I think that the Skins will come closer to 4-2 in the division.

[Rob Mexico]

I would love to know how riding a 4 or 5 winning streak into the playoffs qualifies as "sneaking in".

There's no sneaking in. There's teams that either make the playoffs or teams that don't, and the Skins have made the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 seasons, period.

Enough with the lame excuses in an attempt to talk down what the team has accomplished.

AMEN TO THAT!!! There really is no sneaking in. We earned it by WINNING GAMES!!!!

HAIL!

[Gold21]

First of all, for the inevitable flamers:

:dallasuck :eaglesuck :gaintsuck

Now, to my post:

I am very concerned about winning a game in our division this year. Regardless of what people think about Zorn, he is clearly the weakest coach in the division. Reid has won an NFC championship and multiple division crowns, Phillips won the NFC East last year, and Coughlin won the Super Bowl.

Couple this with all the players being forced to adapt to yet another new system, I am concerned about a transition year in which we don't compete with these seasoned teams that are returning mostly the same players with the same staffs.

What does everyone think?

Let's get a few things clear about our friends in the NFC East...

Reid hasn't done much inthe last few years, not to deminish his accomplishments but let's be honest, the Eagles are in worse shape then we are, they have no big play WR, not even close. A TE who can't stay healthy..

As far as Phillips, he won the east with the team that Parcells built. I want to see him in a few years, see what he does. Every playmaker on that team was brought in by Parcells.

Coughlin, meh. Two years back it was compelte mutany in the organization. He had to change, to a laidback approach in comparisson to that he has done in the past.

Will we win a game in our division? Are you kidding me?

To lose 6 games within the division, when's the last time that has happened in the east? Heck it didn't even happen when the cowboys went 1-15, sadly.

I'm not going to flame you for the post, but come on, there is no way you honestly think that we aren't going to win a game.

Now, the coaches prepare players, the players play the games. So our players vs their players you really don't see us winning a game?

Same thing could have been said about everyone downing Gibbs plays, how he used the counter and all those things, but football is the same sport it's always been man vs, man. you beat your man off the ball, or in the one on one battle you will win the game.

[jrfriedm]

I'm not worried about next year's record. I hope that this is considered a rebuilding team. I'm very disappointed if this not considered a serious rebuild. While I'm not impressed at all with the staff we got to do it, I pray that we are just committed to rebuilding. If we are, then I'm fine with a losing season. I think we will have one. Hopefully Zorn can learn from it.

But I think we will have a top draft pick next year and be in the running for Tim Tebow or Beanie Wells at the top of the draft. That will help with the rebuild.

I think in order for there to be a "rebuilding year", one who have to pretty much completly overhaul their entire roster, not just a part of the coaching staff.

[Spitfire71]

To be completely fair to Zorn, the coach can't put on the uniform and get out there. Zorn could coach until he was blue in the face, but if our players somehow regress kind of like they did in '06, not all of that can be laid on the coach's shoulders. Anyone who's dumb enough to blame the misfortunes of an entire team on one man doesn't really know the game.

The one thing that's going for us is that, while they changed the coaching staff, they kept the vast majority of our team from last year together. While Zorn may be new, this won't be the team's first rodeo in the NFCBeast - same goes for Greg Blache. He's been with the team long enough to know what's up.

And, frankly, Seattle - especially Matt Hasselbeck - has seemingly had our number in the playoffs the last two times we went. As the QBs coach, Zorn had to have something to do with that.

I still say 3-3 because, despite good or bad coaching, the fact is that those games can go either way. Where Zorn will really earn his money is playing teams that are beatable. Because of the conservative stylings of Gibbs II, we sat on a lot of leads when we should have been attacking - and those leads didn't always hold up.

But I wouldn't be willing to fire him after an 8-8 season, or even a 7-9 season. Especially if we have as many key injuries as we did last year. We were fortunate to bounce back from that.

If he comes in here and the 'Skins crank out a 6-10, 5-11, or worse, I say he's gone. I think that there'll be no excuse for the team to regress THAT far. If he goes 7-9 or 8-8, especially if a couple of those losses were close, I'd give him another year. 9-7, 10-6, or better...we hang onto him for a while.

The one thing I really like about Zorn is that, besides getting the 'official' names of the colors wrong, he seemed to have his finger on the pulse of this team from the very jump. The FO didn't go out and do anything really drastic... :fingersx:

Zorn seemed to have an understanding of one of the key issues that happened with our team last year with the quiet power struggle between Gibbs and Saunders over whose philosophy won out. He said from the jump that even if and when they hired an OC, HE would be the one to call the plays.

He even cares about minute details like getting Casey Rabach's big ol' ass a couple of inches higher in the air so Campbell can field the guy's snaps more cleanly.

Of course, none of that's any indication that he'll be great, but for someone with no head coaching experience, he seems to be making all of the right first moves. That's why I'd give him at least two years before I start moving **** around, because I think another coaching change might make certain fans happy - you know, the ones that unreasonably expect perfection from their team every year and live out in the distant outposts of Redskin country *coughSoCalSkinscough* - but it might alienate the core of players that we have, causing team changes and raising a whole lot of hell when we get not only a new coach, but halfway new players because half of your skilled veterans bolted for teams with more stability.

[bulldog]

Are Portis and Moss going to remain healthy? How about McIntosh, Landry, Fletcher and Springs?

The answers to those questions will help determine if the Redskins win their share of NFC East games in 2008.

The fact the Redskins were able to win an NFC East game while going 5-11 in 2006 seems to indicate it is unlikely the team would go 0-6.

[BobDigi]

I call that a powerhouse team.

I love our Skins, but I don't know if I would go quite THAT far... at the same time I think its kind of rediculous to think that we're in as bad shape as the OP seems to think we are. 9-7 and a Wild Card can't be considered a powerhouse but come on - is anybody REALLY worried that we wont be able to win a SINGLE divison game this season???

:sucks:

[iceman330]

IMHO, Zorn is a first yr coach for the Skins so i forsee 6-10 over-all w/ 1 or 2 wins in the NFC East.

[skinsman4u]

IMHO, Zorn is a first yr coach for the Skins so i forsee 6-10 over-all w/ 1 or 2 wins in the NFC East.

Yep, it's called the Law of averages. Just as Big Brown won't win the kentucky Derby. Who'll win ? Don't kmow but Pyro ha s better chance. Why because Big Brown is the favorite, at least for now.

[Chief skin]

He Better!!!

[Rob Mexico]

He Better!!!

He will win 6. HAIL!