No surprise here. It was expected for weeks. I like Zorny but he was overmatched and it was time to go.
I understand that he had to deal with a lot of nonsense all year but honestly, the Zorny hiring was a disaster from the get go. The guy had never been a coordinator and was brought in to be the OC but then found himself as the new head coach. He took over the team that had its coaching staff in place which is difficult. He was the puppet to Snyderatto which is never good. He bowed down to whatever Snyderatto wanted to do.
Rock Cartright said today that he liked Zorn but there was a lack of discipline on the team that started from the top. He mentioned how different players played under different rules. Haynesworth hinted towards the same thing a short time ago. That can't happen. I'm sure that was a Snyderatto issue but it is also a reflection on the coaches.
I truly don't think Zorny is head coaching material. I think he is an excellent QB coach for his ability to relate to a few individuals but I don't think he is the guy that can rally a team. All that said, I wish him well and hopefully he has better success in his next gig.
Moving forward, I like the hiring of Allen. Actually, it is more that I love that Cerrato is gone. We could have replaced him with a monkey and I would have been happy. Still, Allen seems like a proven NFL executive so that is good. All reports seem to point to Shanahan being the next coach. I would be comfortable with that hire as I think we need a proven winner that is strong minded in here. It would be good for him to build his staff as opposed to being forced to take the one that is in place.
One of the big problems for the Redskins has been this hodge podge mentality of just getting a collection of high priced FAs and big names and throwing it together and not understanding why it doesn't work. It's like having all of the finest ingredients the world has to offer. If you throw all of it in a pot it doesn't mean you are going to come out with something that is delicious. We need a GM and coach on the same page. Understand the system that will be run and then bring in players and coaches that can fit that system and that can be team guys and a few guys that can really be leaders.
I believe there is good talent here but Rock was pretty telling in saying that there is poor discipline. Haynesworth said the same thing that there is talent but everyone is going there own direction and that we needed someone in here that can lead.
Along with Shanahan, I have heard reports of Cincy's Mike Zimmer or Jim Haslett taking over the defense. I like that Allen said today that the 2010 season starts now and it will be interesting to see what changes take place over the coming days/weeks.
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
12 comments:
The Deadskins season started with a bang yet again. They rule the off-season with their annual dramas.
Zorn may or may not be a head coach again, but the crap he dealt with in DC ensured failure. He wasn't allowed to hire any assistants except for Sherm Smith. He put up with Snyderatto and their poor personnel decisions. He had disloyal a-holes like Blache and Gray (who interviewed for Zorn's job while he was on the staff).
Zorn's tenure with the Deadskins was just like every other coach under Danny Boy.
I'd like to see him end up as a QB coach in Chicago.
Zorn star was hired for two reasons. 1. No one else wanted the job and 2. Cerrato convinced Snyder that Zorn could do the job. I think both of these issues arose for reasons that have been resolved with the recent front office moves the 'Skins have made.
Hiring Allen is a HUGE improvement over Cerrato. He's a savvy NFL personnel manager with a resume. I seriously doubt he would have made such a move based on a hope that things would just work out.
The other "move" is that Snyder has repeatedly admitted to making a number of mistakes in how he approaches his role with the team. I believe he will continue to be involved, but he will not be as impulsive and he will lean on Allen to make the right decisions. That in of itself is another HUGE improvement.
Zorny was a good guy. He was a skilled teacher, but he wasn't leader. Players have been talking about a lack of consistent dicipline in the locker-room. That's on the coach. So are the clock management issues, and the ability to delegate work to skilled assistants. Zorny didn't do any of that well. He helped Campbell improve, but that's about it.
Good luck to Zorny. I hope he lands a job somewhere and succeeds.
I like Zorny too. He is a good guy but he is not a head coach. He will most likely never get another NFL head coaching position in his career. He might get a college head coaching job but he won't get another NFL head coaching job. He is best suited as a QB coach. The Bears could probably benefit from his services and it would probably be a good move for them.
The good news for the Redskins is that we are finally taking steps in the right direction. Getting rid of Cerrato was a HUGE step in the right direction. Hiring Allen, a proven NFL GM/Front Office guy and bringing in presumedly Mike Shanahan, a proven NFL head coach, are good steps. Allowing these guys to bring in their own staff and players is at least the right way to build a team. I'm not saying that because we brought these guys in that we are guaranteed to be perennial Super Bowl winners but it's steps in the right direction.
Previously, we have been the Super Bowl winners in the NFL offseason bringing in big name, high priced FAs. As we all know, that doesn't mean we will be successful. Because you have all of the finest ingredients in the world and you throw them all in a pot, doesn't mean you are guaranteed to create something delicious. That is what we have been doing. We have to build a team and we seem to be doing that right now.
Also, with Allen and Shanahan, two proven NFL guys with good track records and strong minds, almost by definition, Snyder will have to take a back seat to these guys. No way will they allow Snyder to drive the ship the way he could/would with Cerrato and Zorny at the helm.
These are positive moves and hopefully we will see improvement in the coming years.
JC said yesterday on the Lavar show that he likes that Shanny's offense uses the qb roll-out effectively. He said that was one of his strong suites. If so, I have never understood why the Skins haven't used it more frequently. I think he's ok at rolling-out, but I still don't like his fundamentals. I would like to see Elway as the QB coach in the Shanny offense.
Do you think that last night Shanny and SnyderAllen smoked cigars and shot the shit about how bad Zorny was this year?
Do you think that SnyderAllen said something like, "Well, at least our most highley paid player didn't bring guns into the locker room..."
I think SnyderAllen got naked and crazy last night.
Shanny was over at Snyder's house for the 8 hour interview all day yesterday. Therre was propably a moment when Shanny's wife looked over at Shanny and said what the hell is wrong with these two naked A-holes who keep licking each other's arses.
Shanny smiled at his wife and whispered, "Don't worry about it, they are going to pay me $6 million/year and all I have to do is watch a couple of weirdo peep shows like this every now and then.
The fan base will be creaming in its collective pants during the off-season for a guy who was 24-24 in his last three years in Denver (no playoffs) and was fired. He won 1 playoff game in the 10 years he coached after Elway left. Frankly, he is a mediocre coach.
In the end, the Deadskins will continue to lose.
How long do you think Jerry Gray is going to be with the Deadskins?
Shanny isn't going to want to keep an A-hole guy like Gray on the staff. He is a disloyal piece of crap for secretly interviewing for Zorn's job while he was on Zorn's staff.
The reason we didn't use the roll out is the same reason why ARE continued to return punts. It is the same reason of what has been wrong with the Redskins since Snyder took over. It is trying to fit square pegs in round holes - much like Lovie's dong dong into Angelo's b hole.
Robs nonsense isn't as effective or good with Allen and Snyder as opposed to Cerrato and Snyder. Allen is proven NFL F.O. guy.
Look, it doesn't matter who the Skins hired as coach because we all know that there would be supporters AND naysayers. That's just the way it works.
Bringing in Allen and presumedly Shanahan is good because they both have solid track records and apparently Shanahan picked Allen to be the GM that was a condition on his returning. It is critical for NFL teams to have a coach and GM on the same page. I can only assume that the two of them have an idea of the type of team they want to create and will work to build that type of team. Zorn was brought in to run a WC offense but we didn't have WC personnel. Again, this won't work and was one of many reasons Zorn was bound for failure. The other good thing is that it is much easier for Snyder to meddle when you have a Cerrato and Zorn at the helm as opposed to an Allen and Shanahan. Allen and Shanahan are proven NFL guys that I'm sure will include Snyder but won't allow him to meddle. Again, this is a good thing.
Look, I recognize the issues with Shanahan and I understand that just by bringing him in we are not guaranteed to become perennial Super Bowl winners. As a Skins fan, what I am happy about is that for the first time under Snyder, we actually seem to have a plan and seem to be building something to correct way.
Frankly, I don't give a shart if Gray stays or goes. Our DBs need help understanding not to fall for double moves and with their catching abilities so whether he stays or goes is of no consequence.
Also, Zorny had to know that he was gone several weeks ago. I'm not saying what Gray did was right and who knows if he didn't disclose some of that information to Zorny anyways but still we all knew the guy was going to be gone on Monday at the latest so no surprise.
Gray is an arse and a lot of coaches who may have hired him will think twice - he'll get a job (who knows maybe in Chicago), but he is an arse.
When Schottenheimer was here there was a plan and it was working. So this is the second time. I don't get the sense that Shanny likes to be questioned, but with his last 10 years there is good reason to question his judgement (he took Maurice Clarrett with a 3rd round pick one year).
I'll say this - the Deadskins needed change and this seems fairly promising. But Danny Boy will find a way to screw it up. That is what he is best at.
Part of me wonders if we would be better off with a younger guy like Mike Tomlin who can better relate to the players of today. Believe me, I am concerned that Shanny will come in here and do no better than Gibbs v2.0. Perhaps, if the right position coaches are brought in, the players can actually achieve their potential or exceed it. JKSD, JC will be re-signed, but only to be the place holder for a more promising QB that will be drafted this year. I know it's not what we want, but I will bet that they can't resist using the #4 pick on a QB. I don't agree with it, but what can they do, the temptation is too great.
The difference b/t Shanny and Gibbs v2.0 is that Shanny was a head coach last year. Gibbs was out of football for years. Shanny isn't so far removed from being a coach.
Also, there is no Cerrato to muddy up the waters. We actually seem to be building more of a real foundation where before there was none.
Finally, Gibbs just wanted to bring back the old gang (Buges, Breaux, and everyone else he could find) and then when he had difficulty, he was quick to bring on other assistants (Saunders). Gibbs was in over his head the second time around. He was a great spiritual leader and calming force and father figure but the actual game had passed him by.
Shanny will be allowed to bring in his guys and I'm sure he has a better sense of what he wants to accomplish and how to accomplish it. He will bring in his son as OC who has served in that role with Houston over the last couple of years and has had great success. There is talk of him bringing in Mike Zimmer as DC who has had good success in Cincy. The point is Shanny is closer to the game and will have the opportunity to build the staff that he wants of well qualified guys as opposed to Gibbs who was trying to relive 1987 and then realized he couldn't and started tinkering around with everything with Snyderatto.
Again, I am not saying that we are guaranteed success with Shanny but at the very least, we are building things the right way for the first time in 10 years.
Again, Schottenheimer was building things the right way but Snyder would have none of it.
Why would Zimmer come to the Deadskins? He works for a guy who can tell him all about the dysfunctional Deadskins. In any event, Jason Cole and Mike Lombardi have both identified Bob Slowik as the next DC in DC. He sucked in Denver and you can just about bet that the Deadskin D will be worse than this year when he comes in.
Add that to your new starting QB and things could be pretty bleak next year.
If JC has any opportunity to leave DC he will. Then let the Bradford/Tebow era begin!
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