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Jim Zorn, the new head coach of the Washington Redskins, was originally hired to run the offense. |
BY STEVE DeSHAZO
ASHBURN--
When Jim Zorn was a scrambling rookie quarterback for the expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976, he had to make up a lot of things on the fly."He was very improvisational--and he had to be," former teammate Steve Largent said. "We had an offensive line that was very leaky, so we needed someone who could run around and throw the ball."
Zorn, who became a Pro Bowler, may need that skill in his new role with the Washington Redskins, who introduced him as their 27th head coach yesterday. After a secretive month-long search, he was chosen to succeed Joe Gibbs, who retired after leading the team to the NFL playoffs in two of the past three seasons.
Just two weeks ago, Zorn was hired away from the Seahawks to become the Redskins' offensive coordinator, while owner Daniel Snyder pursued bigger names like Bill Cowher, Pete Carroll, Jim Fassel and Steve Spagnuolo. After talks with at least seven candidates fell through, Snyder offered Zorn his first head-coaching job on Friday.
"[Snyder] said, 'I'd like to interview you for the head-coaching position. Would you like to interview for it?' I was a bit taken aback," said Zorn, who had never held a position higher than quarterbacks coach.
Zorn went to his new home, changed into a suit and impressed Snyder enough to earn the job.
Said defensive coordinator Greg Blache: "Everybody you talk to, they don't say, 'He's a good guy.' They say, 'He's a great guy.' They don't say, 'He's a good coach.' They say, 'He's a great coach.'"
Zorn brings enthusiasm and a track record of developing young quarterbacks--an important quality for a team that is counting on Jason Campbell to return the team to glory days.
Next comes the job of winning over the Redskins' players and fans, who were adamant in their dislike of Fassel and never even saw Zorn on the radar as a head-coaching candidate.
"I saw there was already a fan poll that said I had a 41 percent approval rate," Zorn said. "That's better than the president of the United States, so I must be doing OK."
At least until opening day.
Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com
