GrimReefa Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Ok, so where has this come from? I mean, we always knew the Redskins had talent. They just never could get it to work. So why now, all of a sudden? Is Jim Zorn really this great, or is this just an aberration? You don't know, of course. You CAN'T know after four games. I remember one season when, after four games, it was pretty well assumed that nobody would be able to tackle Tim Biakabatuka all year. But... There is reason to believe that Zorn is different. When I first heard about the Zorn hiring, I was quite content. I thought to myself, "here is someone who must have REALLY impressed these guys at his interview, I'll bet he has something to offer." You see, none of the other head coaches in the Dan Snyder era ever had to do that. They were all hired before their interview, as long as they didn't come in and drool all over themselves. Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, St. Joe, as soon as Snyder heard them say they would be interested in the job, he was throwing money at them. People have always said that Snyder's problem is that he is too implusive, and assumes he knows too much about the game. I say his problem is that he hasn't been confident enough in his own judgement, and has always been willing to go along with conventional wisdom (which is, of course, almost always wrong). Think about it. What do all of Daniel Snyder's major moves have in common? Answer: they were all lauded at the time they were made by virtually EVERYONE. It wasn't just Redskin die-hards, it was everybody. When we made that huge free agent splurge before 2000, we were called the "Evil Empire". The Super Bowl was a foregone conclusion. Didn't pan out, Snyder was smeared. Hiring Marty Schottenheimer, and old school disciplinarian, to smack down the egos of these big money prima donnas, was a brilliant move, we were told. As especially was Snyder's decision to give him complete control of the roster (which no coach should ever have, EVER...I don't care who he is). After one season, Tony Banks was our quarterback and we had the most boring team in the history of football. So Snyder got smeared. Then he brought in Steve Spurrier, who was a fierce competitor who ran an innovative offense that was going to revolutionize the passing game of the NFL, and it was not a question of "if" Spurrier would win, but when. Again, this is what is coming out of ESPN and the rest of the media. Instead, Spurrier was such a fierce competitor that he never actually put any effort into it and quit after two crummy seasons, during which he revolutionized the NFL passing game about the same way Michael Vick has revolutionized the quarterback position. Once again, it is Snyder getting his judgement questioned by the very people who were with him every step of the way before. And then it was Joe Gibbs, and once again, greatness was now right around the corner. And once again, not really. And once again, there is the media, crowing about his bad judgement when they themselves almost unanimously praised him when the call was made. Now, Snyder tries things his way. He begins his coaching search like he had before, with two people in mind who were pretty much hired before they interviewed - Steve Spagnuolo and Josh McDaniels. But a funny thing happened: neither one of them wanted the job. So Snyder was forced to do something he had never done before - namely, decide which of the remaining candidates had done the best job in the interview. Nobody should doubt that Dan Snyder has good personnel instincts. I don't mean personnel like the players - I mean personnel like management. You don't get rich by surrounding yourself with idiots as subordinates. There is no reason to believe that he can't tell a good football coach when he talks to one, he's just never tried before. Now, Jim Zorn is 55, so I'm guessing he doesn't have too much time to do this. Coaching is a younger man's profession, and coaching in DC especially so. We get 5-6 years out of Zorn, tops. But the good news is, now Dan Snyder knows he can trust his own instinct, rather than just go with whatever conventional wisdom suggests he should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedskinzOwnU Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Zorn is different because he trusts his players, and he's giving them a chance to succeed. We've had the talent on offense for at least 3 years. Now we're actually using it instead of handcuffing the team with conservative calls and a culture of fright that terrorizes QBs from taking risks or making mistakes. Call innovative plays and these players will do damage. Zorn is doing just that. The D was always good cause Gibbs never got his hands on it, and now the offense is good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanhillbilly Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Zorn reminds me of the few great teachers/professors that I have had through HS and college. He explains the how and the why things happen instead of saying this is how it is. I wonder if some of that comes from Holmgren who used to be a teacher before moving up to the college and pro ranks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoney26 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 He can coach longer than 5-6 years. If he continues to do well, we should see him here for somewhere around 10 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimReefa Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 He can coach longer than 5-6 years. If he continues to do well, we should see him here for somewhere around 10 years I don't see it. He has a lot of energy right now, because he hasn't done this before, but once he gets past 60, he is going to be too old to do this job, in this town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfitzo53 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Zorn is different because he trusts his players, and he's giving them a chance to succeed. We've had the talent on offense for at least 3 years. Now we're actually using it instead of handcuffing the team with conservative calls and a culture of fright that terrorizes QBs from taking risks or making mistakes. Call innovative plays and these players will do damage. Zorn is doing just that. The D was always good cause Gibbs never got his hands on it, and now the offense is good too. Sadly, this is true. We spent years bending our players to the system instead of the other way around. When you have talent, that's not the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinnyles Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I don't see it. He has a lot of energy right now, because he hasn't done this before, but once he gets past 60, he is going to be too old to do this job, in this town. Does he act or look 55 !? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheItalianStallion Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Does he act or look 55 !?Exactly. When I first saw him, I guessed he was about 15 years younger than he was in both appearance and personality.EDIT: Heh, looking at your age, I suppose you probably know how hard it is to have the level of energy that Zorn has at that age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKM311 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I am sorry, but he is a very young 55. I can almost guarentuee (assuming success is there or at least modest success) he lasts longer than 6 years. I agree he will be here for the 8-10 year range. The guy is just starting this process and he seems to know how to handle stress in a positive way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheItalianStallion Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 The guy is just starting this process and he seems to know how to handle stress in a positive way.Yeah, he handles stress by winning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKM311 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Yeah, he handles stress by winning! Not just that, after the Giants loss and the DC (and National) media were nailing him left and right. Lots of coaches would start falling to the pressure of the media. With him, everything was mute from the team. The focus was there. I think he has that special character which allows him to keep everything calm at the homefront and he just knows how to handle the stress. Knowing how to handle stress goes a long way into not getting burnt out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbsfan2018 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I was thinking 12 years. Players and coaches are always pushing the age boundry. We have QB's playing close to their 40's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Zorn is different because he trusts his players, and he's giving them a chance to succeed. We've had the talent on offense for at least 3 years. Now we're actually using it instead of handcuffing the team with conservative calls and a culture of fright that terrorizes QBs from taking risks or making mistakes. Call innovative plays and these players will do damage. Zorn is doing just that. The D was always good cause Gibbs never got his hands on it, and now the offense is good too. :applause::applause::applause: As if I had typed it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 FYI Joe Gibbs had to interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 FYIJoe Gibbs had to interview. and barely got the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Wu Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 FYIJoe Gibbs had to interview. I wonder how that interview went. "Are you Joe Gibbs?" "Yes." "You're hired!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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