Getting rid of the wrong colors, but are the Skins going in the right direction?

Maroon and Black.

The Redskins end coach Jim Zorn's two-year tenure after the team lost 23-20 to San Diego's backups, wrapping up a 4-12 season... their fewest wins since 1994. Zorn finishes 12-20 as Joe Gibbs II successor-- the identical record as Gibbs II predecessor Steve Spurrier (nice symmetry involving the two expansion quarterbacks of 1976... Spurrier-TB and Zorn-SEA). Some say the seeds of his demise were in his opening press conference, when he said he had purchased Skins gear for his family-- all of the team colors..."maroon and black".

Maroon and Black.

From the very beginning this man was overmatched in a difficult situation that was far above his head. Zorn in his first job above position coach did not know fully what he was getting into... a point underscored by his lack of knowledge about the team colors. Burgundy and Gold is to the Skins as Silver and Black is to the Raiders... as Scarlet and Gray is Ohio State and Maize and Blue is to Michigan. Burgundy and Gold isn't just a color choice, it's embedded in the Redskins Nation culture. To whiff on that set the tone for two years of a few thrills and mostly spills.

Maroon and Black.

Jim Zorn never had a chance in DC. The remnants of a Redskins roster built for Gibbs football had more than a few snags in adapting to Zorn's west coast offense... and it seemed as though Zorn never completely installed his new attack. The offense had problems putting points on the board-- not reaching the 30 point plateau until the 28th game of his tenure. Jason Campbell never seemed comfortable... while Clinton Portis appeared to be the wrong man for the right job.

Maroon and Black.

Discipline seemed to be an issue. The most lax training camp in the NFL (allowing players to sleep at home as a reward for the 8-8 season) set the tone for poor preseason play both years. The Skins didn't seem to be ready for either regular season to begin...and poor play highlighted both openers. Zorn in his postgame press conferences during both seasons appeared to refer to his team as a work in progress; not realizing time for rehearsals was over and they were on stage from there on out.

Maroon and Black.

How laissez-faire were things in Ashburn? Rock Cartwright said there were "rule guys" and "guideline guys"... it always appeared as though Clinton Portis operated under a different set of rules and guidelines. Albert Haynesworth? Tossed out of practice before complaining to anyone who'd listen about how he was being misused. Zorn played in the league back in the 70's and 80's... so I can't imagine he'd have trouble connecting with players. It's been long maintained that the team's elite players had personal pipelines past the coaching staff and into the owner's office. Did the former NFL veteran lose this team on his own or was the culture such he could never win it over in the first place?

Maroon and Black.

Zorn was given a top-heavy offense filled with prima-donnas and few glue-guys... and the superstars (Portis, Moss, Cooley) could never overcome an offensive line held together by duct tape with minimal depth. The defense while ranked highly during Zorn's tenure couldn't stop teams when it really mattered. Special teams? Despite Hunter Smith running and throwing for touchdowns out of field goal formation-- the memory remains Antwan Randle-El returning punts far too deep into the season...to a point where even Eleanor Holmes-Norton in her non-voting capacity was clamoring for his replacement.

Maroon and Black.

Zorn was in above his depth-- here was a guy who many thought may have been a stretch as an offensive coordinator all of a sudden being given the keys. I compared the situation to the Democrats being unable to decide between Obama or Hillary for the nomination-- and having chosen Virginia Governor Tim Kaine for the VP slot promoted him right before the convention. To illustrate the backwardness of the front office-- a new coordinator was chosen before the head coach was signed... where does that happen? It's not the case of Tampa Bay retaining Monte Kiffin when they replaced Tony Dungy-- the Skins went outside the organization for a position that the eventual head coach would want to fill himself.

Maroon and Black.

He leaves a legacy of intriguing interview sessions... I loved it when he went into different character voices--from "YOU CRASHED MY CAR!" after Pete Kendall's fumble against the Rams to "I had a conversation with myself-- hey, self..." Zorn was very thoughtful and introspective--always able to focus on the intricacies of the offense. Unfortunately the Skins needed an admiral to lead a fleet into battle, not a petty officer who could explain how the gun-turret operated.

Maroon and Black.

Perhaps Jim Zorn was the best thing that could have happened to the Redskins organization-- an illustration of how not to go about hiring a head coach... an underscoring of how poorly the Cerrato regime constructed this roster (that led to Vinny's ouster)... a road map of how not to plan a training camp... exhibit A in how a quality NFL organization doesn't operate. General Manager Bruce Allen has a chance to make a clean break with the mess that has been allowed to fester over the last decade-- and with rumors having Mike Shanahan coming to Ashburn there's always hope on the horizon. Perhaps this is where the Redskins turn the page... and thus Zorn's tenure could be viewed as a crop-burning of sorts-- to clear the pastures for proper franchise building.

Maroon and Black.