Redskins fire Zorn

The Washington Redskins fired Head Coach Jim Zorn at about 4 AM this morning and have scheduled a team meeting and press conference later today. The firing came very soon after the team returned from San Diego following a 23-20 loss to the Chargers that ended the regular season and left Washington with a 4-12 record, its worst since the team went 3-13 in Norv Turner’s first year as Head Coach in 1994. The loss dropped Zorn’s record to 12-20 as Redskins head coach, the same as Steve Spurrier during his 2002-2003 stint with the team. The firing of Zorn has been inevitable almost since the beginning of the season and he became
the first coach to be fired following the 2009 season.

He had come directly to Redskins Park from the airport, arriving just ahead of buses carrying players at roughly 2:15 a.m. Most players and coaches – including defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and defensive coordinator Greg Blache – walked directly to their cars, but others went into the building. As he walked to his car, Blache told the media, “Let the dude go.” Secondary coach Jerry Gray and offensive coordinator Sherman Smith left shortly afterward.

At around 2:45, Redskins’ security ordered all media to leave the parking lot, with one security member saying that it was so that Zorn would not be bothered when he left the building. Over the next two hours, coaches continued to leave the property and at about 4:30 a.m., running backs coach Stump Mitchell got into his car. Redskins security and staff members came out of the building about 10 minutes later and walked toward the media room, which is in a different building, presumably to assure that Zorn would not be bothered by the small media group that had approached Mitchell.

Zorn then came out and walked to his car with a security escort and left the park at 4:43 a.m., talking on his cellphone as he drove out of the parking lot.

With the Redskins already having satisfied the “Rooney Rule” by interviewing Jerry Gray, an African-American coach, the team could hire a replacement for Zorn almost immediately. Don’t be surprised if owner Dan Snyder and new General Manager Bruce Allen introduce a replacement for Zorn today or tomorrow at the very latest. If that replacement is, as has long been rumored here and elsewhere, Mike Shanahan, expect all the other Redskins coaches to be fired soon, as well. Shanahan, or any other big name coach, is likely to want a clean slate and will bring in his own guys to assist him in running the team.