By Hot Rod! The Rowdy One

To the tune of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’”

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
I have a story to tell
It’s about Jim Zorn
For the times they are a-changin’

When Hall of Fame coach, Joe Gibbs, retired from the Washington Redskins for the second time, Redskins owner, Daniel Snyder went on a hunt to find Gibb’s replacement. In doing so, Snyder began to hire assistants for whomever he would hire as the new head coach. That right there should have been the tell tale sign that trouble was brewing in D.C. Throughout his search; Snyder hired Jim Zorn to be the Redskins offensive coordinator. Two weeks after receiving the offensive coordinator job, Snyder hired Zorn to be the head coach of the ‘Skins. Talk about a promotion.

In his first year, 2008, Zorn’s record was 8-8 as a head coach. Not bad, considering this was his first NFL head-coaching gig and it was in a very competitive NFC East. Now, in his second year as head coach, 2009, Zorn’s record is 2-4 and the word on the street is that his head-coaching career is in jeopardy

The ‘Skins front office made some adjustments during this 2-4 start by hiring Sherman Lewis as an “Offensive Consultant” to help the team. He’ll be making the offensive calls alongside Offensive Coordinator Sherman Smith. So basically, Zorn has been stripped of his duties on the offensive side of the ball. Wasn’t that what he was hired to do in the first place? Mind you, and this is in no way a knock against Sherman Lewis, but Lewis hasn’t coached since 2004. On top of that, when he received the call, he was calling numbers at a bingo hall. Talk about a promotion.

First off, firing Zorn would be a mistake. This is only his second year as head coach. You gotta give the man a chance before you fire him. He has the backing of the players and apparently a few other people as well.

Zorn has received the vote of confidence from Executive V.P. of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato

Also, his old Seattle Seahawks teammate and Hall of Famer, Steve Largent , has shown support for Zorn, even when Zorn had thoughts of quitting.

The problem isn’t Zorn. It’s ownership. It’s Daniel Snyder. Every year when free agency rolls around, Snyder and the Redskins front office go out and spend money on free agents. From March to September, the Redskins are “paper champs.” The team looks real good on paper with the players they sign in free agency. Once the season starts, the team barely reaches their expectations. For example, the Redskins spent tons of money on signing DE Albert Haynesworth from the Tennessee Titans. This year as a Redskin, he’s been plagued with an ankle injury. How’s that working out for you Mr. Snyder?

You’re running a real team, in real time, in real life Mr. Snyder. You’re not running a team on Madden 10. Just because you sign some of the best players out there during free agency, it doesn’t mean that there will be instant success. Teams have to learn to mesh and become a cohesive unit. You can’t expect success when you keep adding pieces and not allowing those pieces to connect as a team. And you can’t expect success when you change coaches like you change your socks. Athletes are creatures of habit.

When you keep changing old habits, then it takes time for new ones to flourish. The coaches you hire call the plays, but the players on the field have to execute those players. Like Guns N’ Roses said, “All you need is patience”. If you always need to revamp Mr. Snyder, maybe you should look to your players rather than your coaching staff.

This team is a shell of once very proud and respected club. Now, the Redskins are punch lines for sports radio morning shows. On Friday’s edition of ESPN’s Around the Horn, L.A. Times sports writer, Bill Plaschke, described the Washington Redskins as the “Oakland Raiders: East” and described Snyder as the East Coast version of Al Davis 2. 0 years ago, that would have been a complement. Nowadays, not so much. At least Snyder doesn’t have to worry about his head coach keeping his hands to himself.

Now that I’ve gotten that off of my chest, here are my picks for Week 7:

Sunday, 10/25/09, 1pm

3-2 @3-3, My Pick:

3-2 @ 1-5, My Pick:

2-3 @1-5, My Pick:

5-0 @ 0-6, My Pick:

6-0 @ 4-2, My Pick:

4-2 @ 0-6, My Pick: *

*2009 International Series Game @ Wembley Stadium, London, England

Sunday, 10/25/09, 4pm

3-3 @ 2-4, My Pick:

2-4 @ 2-3, My Pick:

3-2 @ 4-2, My Pick:

5-1 @ 3-2, My Pick:

5-0 @ 2-3, My Pick:

Sunday Night Football, 10/25/09, 8:20pm

3-2 @ 5-1, My Pick:

Monday Night Football, 10/26/09, 8:30pm

3-2 @ 2-4, My Pick:

Bye week teams: , , , , ,

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