In a somewhat bizarre turn of events, the Washington Redskins announced Jim Zorn as their new head coach today. What makes this so unusual is that Coach Zorn was appointed as the team’s offensive coordinator just two weeks ago.

There was certainly not a lack of interest in this job. Jim Mora, Jim Fassel, Steve Mariucci, Ron Meeks, Pete Carroll, Jim Schwartz, and Gregg Williams (several times) all went through the interview process. I was expecting Jim Fassel to get this job, but after a month of searching, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder obviously felt that Jim Zorn was the best man for the job.

Coach Zorn worked with the QBs in Seattle. And he is certainly a qualified and good teacher in that role. As OC in Washington, it would’ve been nice to see him work with QB Jason Campbell more closely. But now he’s taking over the entire Redskins team and he’ll certainly need some help in growing Jason’s game. Even Coach Zorn himself sounded a bit unsure about the whole thing in his presser today. He said he was “taken back” by the offer and admitted to being intimidated by the three Redskins Super Bowl trophies in front of him.

Of course, only time will tell if Coach Zorn is the right man for this job, but I would’ve preferred someone with more experience. I thought Coach Zorn at least needed some time as an OC before making this big step.

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Jim Zorn Named Head Coach of Redskins

It was a very busy day at Redskins Park. When Joe Gibbs stepped down as the head coach of the Washington Redskins a couple weeks ago, I felt his replacement was quite possibly already in-house. Or at least a couple good candidates were already in-house — defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and offensive coordinator Al Saunders. Much to my surprise, both coaches were fired today. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, especially considering that Coach Williams had been interviewed for the head position four times recently. So much for keeping continuity on the coaching staff.

Of course, there was a promotion to keep things somewhat intact. As coaches Williams and Saunders depart, D-line coach Greg Blache was upgraded to defensive coordinator. But Jim Zorn, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback coach since 2001, was hired as the new OC. The head coaching vacancy remains open. The next interviews aren’t expected to take place until February 4, the day after the New York Giants and New England Patriots play in the Super Bowl, so team owner Dan Snyder can talk to assistants from the two teams involved. The front-runners? Giants D-coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Now matter how it plays out from here, the Redskins have already been through a lot of changes.

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Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

‘Skins Fire Assistants Williams and Saunders, Head Coaching Position Remains Open