Zorn Turns Scrutiny Upon Himself

Zorn Turns Scrutiny Upon Himself
December 16
Washington Post
"With his team in a free fall that has all but eliminated it from playoff contention, Washington Redskins Coach Jim Zorn turned introspective yesterday, saying that any evaluation of the Redskins' collapse -- five losses in their last six games, including a debacle Sunday in Cincinnati -- must start with Zorn himself.

Zorn, in his first year as a head coach at any level, said he had not spoken with team owner Daniel Snyder or Executive Vice President for Football Operations Vinny Cerrato about his immediate future with the team, but said both had offered "tremendous support." He gave his players yesterday off, he said, so he could turn the attention to himself, an evaluation that he indicated might be scathing.

"I always ask the players to be very honest when they look at the game, and be very self-critical," Zorn said. "And so that's what I'm going to be to myself, just criticize my overall coaching [of] this football team. Where do I need to improve, not only on Sunday, but on Wednesday, on . . . all the game-planning, all the paying attention to the detail?

"Those are things that I need to make good use of this time, and I will, because it hurts. I feel -- I just feel like the worst coach in America to have to lose the way we're losing."

Such public self-flagellation marks a departure from Zorn's recent Monday news conferences during this skid, which reached a nadir with Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Bengals, who had just one previous win. After the Redskins lost to potentially playoff-bound Pittsburgh, Dallas, the New York Giants and Baltimore, Zorn spoke most frequently about his players' lack of execution, even as he praised their effort and commitment. Yesterday, in a 21-minute address to two dozen media members at Redskins Park, Zorn again said he appreciated the players' work ethic both in practice and in games, but did not once mention the word "execution."

"To me, it's all about me," Zorn said. "And I need to check my plan of attack -- and all of our staff. And then we need to reevaluate what we're doing to see if we're going in the right direction. I really believe we're building a great foundation, but certainly, when these things get strung across the board, I certainly take -- have to take, and do take -- the responsibility for some of these games that just are not turning out like we have planned."

Snyder and Cerrato were in the Redskins' locker room at Paul Brown Stadium following Sunday's loss, but, through a team spokesman, both declined to comment on Zorn's future yesterday. Cerrato normally hosts a two-hour radio show on Mondays on ESPN 980, and he often addresses organizational situations in that forum. But his appearance was canceled yesterday because he was out of town attending league meetings, according to Bruce Gilbert, the chief executive of Red Zebra Broadcasting, the media conglomerate owned by Snyder. "

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