Redskins fire coach Jim Zorn
January 4, 2010
ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—Jim Zorn was fired by the Washington Redskins early Monday,the first step in yet another team overhaul under owner Dan Snyder.
Zorn was informed of his dismissal shortly after the team returned toRedskins Park following Sunday’s season-ending 23-20 loss at San Diego.
Zorn went 12-20 over two seasons, but he lost 18 of his last 24 games aftera 6-2 start in 2008. The Redskins struggled early despite a weak schedule thisseason and finished 4-12, their worst record since 1994.
“The status quo is not acceptable,” general manager Bruce Allen said in astatement released by the team. “I felt it was necessary to not waste a momentof time to begin building this team into a winner.”
Zorn’s replacement will be Washington’s seventh coach since Snyder boughtthe team in 1999. Playing a role in the decision will be Allen, who was hired asthe GM last month.
Zorn’s dismissal had been expected for months. The front office stripped himof his play-calling duties in late October, and Snyder has interviewed assistantcoach Jerry Gray for the job weeks ago, according to the Fritz Pollard Alliance,which monitors minority hiring in the NFL.
Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is considered the favorite toreplace Zorn. The new coach, Snyder and Allen will have a monumental task torebuild a team with many roster deficiencies and major questions at offensiveline, quarterback and running back.
This year’s team has been hurt by numerous injuries, a lack of depth andmany off-the-field distractions, but also by an inability of Zorn’s West Coastoffense to consistently find the end zone.
The Redskins failed to score more than 17 points in their first eight games,prompting the front office to bring longtime NFL assistant coach Sherm Lewis outof retirement as an offensive consultant and play-caller.
Zorn, who had never previously been a head coach or coordinator in the NFL,wasn’t even on Snyder’s list of candidates when Joe Gibbs retired at the end ofthe 2007 season. Zorn become a last-minute option when other contenders eithershowed no interest, dropped out or were deemed unsatisfactory. Snyder initiallyhired Zorn to be the offensive coordinator, then promoted him to head coach twoweeks later after an extensive interview.
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