Jim Zorn Is Getting Better and Better Every Week

Jim Zorn, dangerous play calling and W's

After the short-lived run with second-time around Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, the Redskins were searching for a new coach to lead the struggling team! 

Through a very long search, Dan Snyder had his man: Jim Zorn. The once star Seattle quarterback turned coach was the one. I still remember his first press conference when he mentioned the red, black, and yellow.

A lot of Redskins fans responded to this comment in a negative way, after all, the Redskins are the Burgundy and Gold. But Zorn has proven that he can use his knowledge to lead a team to victory.

In my opinion, being a retired pro player should be a requirement to be a head coach in any pro sport. Jim Zorn fits that outfit and has excelled through Week Five of his head-coaching debut. Playing for Seattle, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay as a quarterback, Zorn has learned, through experience and trial and error, how to be a high-end commodity for the Washington Redskins.

After retiring from pro football, Zorn started his coaching career at Boise State as a quarterback coach. After a three-year stint, Zorn coached for Utah State and the University of Minnesota for four years. As Zorn made his transition into coaching pro football, he stayed with his roots at Seattle. He became the quarterback coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 1997. 

Zorn stayed with the Seahawks for one year and then became the quarterback coach for the Detroit Lions for a year, inevitably going back to Seattle for a seven-year stint.

Zorn worked wonders for Seattle in his second go; he helped Matt Hasselbeck form into an elite QB. His good coaching strategies carried over to the Redskins, as he continues to improve the gameplan, week after week.

After a pitiful loss to the New York Giants, the Redskins' fanbase was looking for answers. How could the Redskins give the Giants the season opener? How could we put up such pitiful attempt at a game? Was Zorn the right choice?

The next week, and every week since then, Zorn answered those questions.

New Orleans: Redskins 29, Saints 24

After the first loss, everyone thought little of the Redskins and Jim Zorn. They looked as if they were going nowhere. The Redskins feared for the worst, as a high-potency passing game led by Drew Brees and an unrelenting rushing game led by Reggie Bush appeared to be unbeatable.

The Redskins stuffed Drew and Reggie—holding Brees to 216 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INT.  The Redskins' defense took away Reggie Bush and limited him to just 28 rushing yards.  Rookie Chris Horton had two interceptions, leading to two scores. 

The Redskins won the attack on all sides of the ball. Jason Campbell threw for 321 yards and a score, while Clinton Portis ran for two and racked up 96 yards. Jim Zorn and his Washington Redskins had a dramatic turnaround but were staring at the face of another great team in the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals: Redskins 24, Cards 17

Outplaying the cards by only 10 yards, the Redskins made the right calls at the right time, and Jim Zorn finally started to get the respect he deserved.

Dallas Cowboys: Redskins 26, Cowboys 24

Beating the undefeated Cowboys at their field in a game that everyone thought the Redskins would lose by a large margin was a huge statement in the NFL. Overnight rankings went up, and the Redskins were soon ranked in the top five of all NFL teams. 

Jim Zorn is the person to give credit to for this one; smart and bold play calling was the reason for this Redskins win. Zorn used Clinton Portis to outrun Dallas and Santana Moss to outplay the corners and secondary.

This game was not a fluke; Jim Zorn and the Redskins outcoached and outplayed the Cowboys in every area.

Philadelphia Eagles: Redskins 23, Eagles 17

145! The magic number: Clinton Portis rushed for 145 yards and a score against the No. 1 rushing defense of the Eagles (not anymore). Jim Zorn's aggressive play calling and witty decisions kept the ball on the ground with Portis, while Campbell made some crucial throws; however, this game was won on the ground with the rushing attack. 

Zorn called the plays perfectly, and the 4th-and-1 call to go for it was huge. It led to the Redskins knocking off yet another opponent.

The Big Picture

Through five games and four wins, Zorn has brought great success to the Redskins thus far; if he and the Redskins continue this surge, they will become serious contenders in the playoffs. 

Jim Zorn continues to improve Jason Campbell; he is now interception free for five weeks—tops in the NFL. Zorn's disregard for conventional wisdom and dangerous play calling works, and for the fourth-straight week, the Redskins have finished the games in their favorite victory formation: The Quarterback Kneel!!