It's not often I say this, so listen carefully: Let's hear it for Daniel Snyder.
Washington's owner this week did what he wasn't supposed to do, which was resist the temptation to fire coach Jim Zorn after an embarrassing loss to Detroit. It was the right thing, and only time will tell if it was the smart thing, too.
Granted, Zorn is struggling, and his football team is better -- or, at least, is supposed to be better -- than it has played. So give him -- and his team -- a chance to prove it.
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| The Redskins' next three opponents are a combined 0-9. Jim Zorn can't afford not to get two or more wins. (US Presswire) |
In short, he needs to blow the lid off Sunday's game with Tampa Bay.
I'm not talking about just beating the Bucs; I'm talking about beating them with big plays that make it to the 11 o'clock highlights. The only thing worse than losing is losing while you bore everyone to death.
Congratulations, Jim, your team scores high on both tests.
But Zorn can change all that against an opponent that starts an inexperienced quarterback and produced just one first down during the first three quarters of its last game.
Washington should win Sunday, but beating Tampa Bay is not Zorn's only concern. He must win back Washington's fans, some of whom not only expected Snyder to can his head coach this week but embraced the idea. Redskins' fans are loyal, but they're critical of their teams when they stink ... and right now these 'Skins stink. They can't produce in the red zone, they can't score touchdowns and their defense can't get off the field.
Put them together, and you have a 1-2 record and an outfit as listless as, well, Washington's baseball team. Which is why Zorn must not only win Sunday, he must win and score style points. The Redskins were booed at their last home game, and while that didn't go over with some of the players, the team deserved it.
Zorn knows there are qualified replacements out there waiting on a call from Snyder, but Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher and Mike Holmgren don't budge if Zorn can extricate himself from this mess. The good news for him is that he will have the chance. I don't know if he lasts the season, but I do know he has a rare opportunity to straighten himself and his football team out over the next three weeks.
Take a look at the schedule. There's Tampa Bay this Sunday. The Bucs haven't won. There's Carolina on Oct. 11. The Panthers haven't won. There's Kansas City on Oct. 18. The Chiefs haven't won. The next three opponents are 0-9, and, for Zorn's sake, he better beat two of them and should win all three.
So let's start with Tampa Bay. The Bucs couldn't come along at a more opportune time for Zorn. Their offense ranks 25th overall, 25th in first downs and 31st in third-down efficiency, and their quarterback, Josh Johnson, hasn't started an NFL game. Their defense is just as dreadful, ranking 31st overall, 31st against the run and dead last in yards per pass play. If there's an opponent that can help Zorn and the Redskins junk this funk, the Bucs are it.
Of course, we said the same thing about St. Louis. But Tampa Bay looks like the complete team -- bad offense, bad defense, bad special teams. In short, it looks like someone Zorn can hammer.
And that's exactly what the guy needs now. But he could use cooperation from a defense that hasn't exactly been scintillating -- with the Redskins ranked dead-last in third-down efficiency. Never was Washington worse than against Detroit, with the Lions converting 10 of 18 third downs and producing four drives of 74 or more yards each, including a 12-play, 99-yard series that ended with their first touchdown.
Say what you want about Washington's offense and Zorn's play-calling, but if the Redskins' defense doesn't shape up Zorn might as well ship out. In the first half of last Sunday's loss Detroit ran off 45 plays to the Redskins' 19 and was 9 of 12 in third-down conversions.
I guarantee that doesn't happen against Tampa Bay because, frankly, the Bucs are the perfect opponent. They can't get anything right.
So do what's necessary, Jim, and win big. Beat the Bucs as the New York Giants beat them. You're home. You have the better team. You have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Make a statement, and I'm not talking about one to the rest of the division or the league; I'm talking about one to your owner and your fans.
If Zorn has any hope of surviving this season -- or beyond -- he must make Washington a winner that is worth watching, and, so far, the Redskins fail on both counts.
"My opinion?" said an NFC general manager I trust. "I think Jim Zorn is in over his head. Some of the 'in-game' decisions he makes I don't understand."
Well, fasten your seat belts because Carolina is up in two weeks, and the Panthers are short on both sides of the ball. Then it's Kansas City, and I just sat through another Chiefs' loss. They're undermanned and overwhelmed. Their offense ranks dead last in third-down conversions and couldn't produce one in 11 tries against Philadelphia. Basically, they're another perfect fit for Zorn and his staggering Redskins.
I'll be honest: I don't know if Jim Zorn can win in Washington. I know he did the first half of last season. But he's 3-8 over his last 11 starts, and that is one trend that better end soon. Speculation has centered on defensive coordinator Greg Blache as Zorn's likely replacement should he be fired in midseason, but two things here: 1) Blache's defense hasn't exactly covered itself in glory, and 2) who calls the plays if Zorn is gone?
In essence, Jim Zorn has three weeks to make things better again. Then the schedule turns tough, and we discover what Zorn and the Redskins are all about. For now, the schedule is in Zorn's favor. So is his owner. But I'd be wary of both as the season progresses. Get-out-of-jail cards are nearly gone.
DBowman 
