Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times recently chimed in on the Bears’ offensive coordinator dilemma (as in, it’s almost February and they don’t have one) and suggested that Jim Zorn should be on the team’s radar.

On the surface, hiring Zorn might offer the Bears some value. Outside of Mike Martz, he’s the biggest name available and he did have success with the Redskins in 2008 before they crashed and burned during the second half of the season.

But the problem that Jensen seems to forget is that Zorn was a disaster this past year in Washington and had his offensive play-calling duties stripped from him mid-season. Granted, that doesn’t mean Zorn can’t rebound and become a successful OC elsewhere, but there are seemingly better candidates available.

One in particular is current Raiders quarterback coach Paul Hackett. He has a ton of experience working with quarterbacks and had successful stints as an offensive coordinator with the Chiefs (’93-’97) and Jets (’01-’04) before settling in as a QB coach for the Bucs and Raiders over the past four years. He also recruited Carson Palmer when he was the head coach at USC.

During his five years as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, the Chiefs made the playoffs in four of those five seasons. They also ranked fifth in offense in his last year there before taking over as USC’s head coach from 1998 to 2000. During his stint in New York, the Jets made the playoffs in three of his four years and while his offenses never cracked the top 10, don’t forget that the J.E.T.S. didn’t have a roster full of Pro Bowlers on the offensive side of the ball.

Hackett is highly considered one of the best at working with quarterbacks. If there’s one person that could develop Cutler and make him reach his expectations, it might be Hackett. That said, Hackett does come from a West Coast Offense background and that may or may not suit Cutler. But maybe what Cutler needs is to be in a structured system, as opposed to a spread offense like the one Martz runs, where he would be more apt to freelance.

Another name the Bears should consider is Falcons’ QB coach Bill Musgrave, who has worked in developing Matt Schaub and Matt Ryan over the past couple years. But if both men were interested, the Bears might be more apt to giving Hackett a try seeing as how he has way more experience. Of course, whoever the Bears hire will still have the unenviable task of not only trying to develop Cutler, but also turning around a unit that couldn’t run the ball behind a brutal offensive line.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/28/bears-should-take-a-long-look-at-paul-hackett/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/04/blogging-the-bloggers-chris-johnson-jim-zorn-rashard-lewis-and-more/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/04/blogging-the-bloggers-chris-johnson-jim-zorn-rashard-lewis-and-more/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:00:05 +0000 John Paulsen http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=32278 - SHUTDOWN CORNER wonders if Chris Johnson’s 2009 campaign was the best ever season by a running back.

- SPORTZ ASSASSIN notices that three Week 17 blowouts will become first round playoff rematches next weekend.

- RASHARD LEWIS reminisces on his blog about jumping straight from high school to the NBA. I posed a question to him (about how his hometown Rockets passed on him three times), but he has yet to answer. Sigh.

- THE SPORTS GURU lists a few NFL players that would benefit from a position change.

- In honor of his (unsurprising) ousting, SPORTSbyBROOKS has the many faces of Jim Zorn.

Black Monday was kicked off in the NFL with the firing of Jim Zorn, which surprised absolutely no one.

From the Washington Post:

“The status quo is not acceptable,” General Manager Bruce Allen said in a statement. “I felt it was necessary to not waste a moment of time to begin building this team into a winner.”

The Redskins may swiftly announce his replacement, possibly within hours. In December, Washington forced out longtime front office executive Vinny Cerrato and announced the hiring of new general manager Bruce Allen within two hours, putting in motion the overhaul of the franchise’s infrastructure after a 10-year period that featured just two playoff appearances.

Former Denver and Oakland coach Mike Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and the Broncos, has been the presumed hire for weeks. Several NFL sources have said over the past month that they believe Shanahan has long been the choice of Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder, who now must hire his seventh head coach since he took control of the team in 1999.

Zorn wasn’t given much of an opportunity to succeed from the very beginning. He was hired by Daniel Snyder to become the Redskins’ offensive coordinator and then thrust into the head coaching position after Snyder couldn’t find a candidate he liked. Zorn was overmatched from the beginning and despite getting the Redskins off to a good start in 2008 his inexperience eventually did him in.

After losing his offensive playcalling duties earlier this season in Washington, I doubt he’ll land a gig as a coordinator right away but you never know. Even though he was fired, I imagine part of him has to be thrilled that he’s leaving that mess behind.

We’ll see if the Redskins move quickly on Shanahan. I suspect they will.

ESPN.com (via the Denver Post) reports that the Redskins have begun discussions with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position, despite the fact that Jim Zorn still occupies it.

The Redskins on Thursday hired Bruce Allen, son of late Redskins Hall of Fame coach George Allen, after Vinny Cerrato abruptly resigned.
Allen maintained Jim Zorn was still the Redskins’ coach.

“Give us some time to see how our relationship develops,” Allen said.

Zorn’s job status is believed to be tenuous, with the Redskins’ record at 4-9 and three games to play.

Zorn’s tenure in Washington has been bizarre from the start. In January of 2008, he was hired to be the team’s new offensive coordinator. But in February, Snyder decided to make him the new head coach despite the fact that Zorn had never even been a coordinator in the league.

Now, just two years after he was hired, he has to endure a situation in which his job is being filled while he still has it. He’s a better man than I, because if I knew I was going to be replaced at the end of the year, I’d be flipping Snyder the bird as I walked out the door. But I’m sure Zorn feels that he has a responsibility to his team and if so, he deserves credit for sticking around.

Zorn wasn’t ready to become a head coach when he was hired, but he deserves a shot to be an offensive coordinator someplace else. Hopefully other teams are monitoring his situation in Washington and will give him an opportunity to gain experience as an assistant.

Perhaps more than any other sport, a bad head coaching hire in the NFL can ruin a franchise for the better part of a decade. When you consider the free agent and draft acquisitions that are made to fit a coach’s style and philosophy, it’s no wonder that it usually takes years for a team to rebound after a bad coaching hire. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here are the 10 worst head coaching hires of the past decade. To be clear, this ranking is based on the result of the hire, and not necessarily the hire itself. (Although the ranking could be a combination of the two.)

10. Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns, 2009

One might argue that since Mangini hasn’t even gotten through his first year in Cleveland yet that he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. But others will argue that since he was absolutely despised in New York that the Browns should have never hired him in the first place. After all, was the one winning season he had with the Jets worth the Browns giving him a shot? Some of the moves that Mangini has made since arriving in Cleveland haven’t been bad at all: Trading Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, trading down multiple times to acquire more picks in the draft, acquiring safety Abram Elam, etc. But considering he hasn’t won many players over with his crass attitude, has made two quarterback changes and only has one win under his belt, things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start in Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see if the Browns fire him after only one season.

9 Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns, 2005

Due to his previous sucess as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, not many people criticized the Browns for hiring Crennel at the time. But as it turns out, maybe Bill Belichick had more to do with New England’s defensive success than Crennel did. The Browns posted a 24-40 record under Crennel, who was fired after four years in Cleveland. During that span, the Browns never finished higher than 16th in total defense, which was supposed to be Crennel’s specialty.

8. Denny Green, Arizona Cardinals, 2004

Given the success Green had in Minnesota, he seemed like a good bet to turn around a struggling Cardinals franchise in 2004. But he was fired after just three seasons in the desert while posting a 16-32 record. He also was at the helm of a brutal regular season in collapse in which the Cardinals lost a 20-point lead to the Bears in less than 20 minutes. But hey at least following the game, Denny gave us one of the best post-game rants of the decade:

“The Bears are what we thought they were. They’re what we thought they were. We played them in preaseason — who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it’s bull****? Bull***! We played them in the third game — everybody played three quarters — the Bears are who we thought they were! That’s why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let ‘em off the hook!”

7. Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions, 2006

Let’s see, he led a franchise to a 0-16 record for the first team in NFL history. Well, that ought to about sum things up. Marinelli wasn’t actually a bad coach – he just didn’t have the players or the ownership to succeed. But given that he coached a team to a winless record, it’s kind of hard not to include him on a list of worst coaching hires of the past decade. The other problem is that Marinelli didn’t have much coaching experience before Detroit hired him. He had served as the Buccaneers defensive line and assistant coach the season before he became the Lions head coach, but that was it, making Detroit’s choice to hire him all the more questionable.

6A. Art Shell, Oakland Raiders, 2006

Shell was a Hall of Fame player and was named AFC Coach of the Year in 1990 while compiling a 54-38 record for the Los Angeles Raiders in his first stint as the team’s head coach. But things fell apart in his second campaign with the Raiders after Al Davis hired him in February of 2006. Oakland’s defense was statistically one of the best units in the league, but its offense was absolutely atrocious. After compiling a 2-14 record and enduring a season-long feud with receiver Jerry Porter, Shell was fired as the Raiders head coach after just one year.

6B. Cam Cameron, Miami Dolphins, 2007

Cameron was another coach that went one-and-done for his team after leading the Dolphins to a 1-15 record in 2007 and then was fired in the 2008 offseason once Bill Parcells took over in Miami. Under Cameron, the Dolphins flirted with imperfection for 13 weeks before finally beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime in Week 15.

5A. Steve Spurrier, Washington Redskins, 2002

Considering everyone wanted to see how his offense would translate into the NFL, the hiring of Spurrier wasn’t a bad decision by Daniel Snyder and the Redskins. But he turned out to be a horrible NFL coach for several reasons, none bigger than the fact that he didn’t know how to adjust to the pro game. He thought he could win with quarterbacks like Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews, yet he never gave them enough protection because he would constantly use three, four and five wide receiver sets. In Spurrier’s first game as a head coach, the Redskins racked up 31 points in a Week 1 win over the Cardinals. But his offense was completely shut down the following week as the Eagles routed Washington, 37-7. Defensive coordinators quickly figured out how to at least contain the Redskins’ offense and after leading Washington to a respectable 7-9 record in his first year, Spurrier’s squad stumbled to a 5-11 record in 2003. He resigned as the Skins’ head coach shortly after the season and returned to the college level where he, and so many other coaches belong.

7. 5B. Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins, 2006

Much like other head coaches on this list, the hiring of Saban wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he flat out lied to the Dolphins and to the media about his desire to return to the college ranks after only two seasons in Miami. He actually uttered the statement, “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach” just one month before becoming the Alabama head coach. The interesting part is that the Dolphins actually had some success under Saban, who led them to a 9-7 record and a second place finish in the AFC East in his first year. But the team sputtered to a 6-10 finish in his second season before he left them high and dry to coach at ‘Bama.

4. Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins, 2008

After Joe Gibbs retired in January of 2008, owner Daniel Snyder hired Zorn to be the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. That move would have been fine given that Zorn had some experience as an offensive assistant with the Seahawks and Lions, and therefore the next logical step would be for him to become a coordinator. But a few weeks later, Snyder decided to make Zorn Washington’s new head coach, which was a stunning decision to say the least given that the former NFL QB had zero experience as a head coach. The hire looked good at first, as Zorn led the Redskins to a 6-2 record in his first year. But the team collapsed down the stretch to finish 8-8 and as of this writing they’re 3-9 in 2009. Considering the Redskins play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and that Snyder doesn’t help him out with his careless approach to free agency, it’s hard to blame Zorn for not having much success. That said, this was a hire that never should have happened in the first place. He should still be cutting his teeth as a coordinator instead of preparing to lose his job at the end of the year.

3. Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams, 2006

Linehan had a fair amount of success as an offensive coordinator with the Vikings and Dolphins before being hired as the Rams’ head coach in 2006. But he was a disaster in St. Louis, getting into frequent disputes on and off the field with star players Steven Jackson, Torry Holt and Marc Bulger. He only made it through 36 games as a head coach, posting an 11-25 record over that time.

2. Marty Mornhinweg, Detroit Lions, 2001-2002

Poor Marty Mornhinweg; the guy can run an offensive, but he was a disaster as a head coach. Before his two-year stint in Detroit, Mornhinweg was an offensive assistant with the Packers and was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator from 1997 to 2000. The man had experience in the NFL, so it wasn’t necessarily a bad decision at the start. But Mornhinweg went on to compile a brutal 5-27 record with the Lions and will always be known as the coach that won the coin flip in overtime and took the wind instead of the ball. In case you forget what happened, Detroit never got the opportunity to test the wind because the Bears (their opponents that day) went drove right down the field and kicked the game winning field goal. After flubbing his only head coaching opportunity, he went to the Eagles and has had a great deal of success as Philly’s offensive coordinator. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be head coaches and Marty is one of them.

1. Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons, 2007

Given that Petrino was one of the hottest head coaches at the time, this wasn’t a bad hire at the start – it just turned into a horrifying decision not long after. Not only was Petrino completely outmatched for the pro game, but he also couldn’t even finish one season in Atlanta before bolting to go call the hogs in Arkansas. Considering his penchant for job-hopping, Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank should have known better. Blank wanted the flashy hire – the hotshot college coach with the offensive scheme that would give defensive coordinators nightmares for years. But the only nightmare was Petrino himself, who couldn’t communicate with his players because he didn’t understand that instilling fear in athletes doesn’t work on the professional level like it does in college. He wasn’t handed the best situation in the wake of the Michael Vick dog-fighting scandal, but instead of being a man and toughing things out in his first year, he left in the shadow of the night, along with whatever respect and dignity he had left. Here’s hoping the weasel never gets another opportunity to coach in the NFL.

Honorable Mention: Lane Kiffin (Oakland Raiders, 2007); Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2009); Tom Cable (Oakland Raiders, 2008); Dick Jauron (Buffalo Bills, 2006), Steve Mariucci (2003, Detroit Lions); Mike Nolan (San Francisco 49ers, 2005); Dom Capers (Houston Texas, 2005).

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Here are five quick-hit observations from the Saints’ 33-30 overtime win over the Redskins in Week 13.

1. Team of destiny? Uh, yeah – maybe.
Up 30-23 with just over two minutes remaining, the Redskins could have iced the game with a 23-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham. But he missed the chip-shot and not surprisingly, the Saints took the gift 80-yards for the game-tying score. To win in the NFL, teams have to be a mixture of good and lucky. Well, New Orleans is better than good – they’re great. And after today, it appears that they have quite a bit of luck on their side as well. Sometimes, teams are just destined to win and it looks like it’s the Saints year.

2. The Saints better get healthy.
They may be a team of destiny, but injuries on the defensive side of the ball are starting to mount for the Saints. They were absolutely shredded for 367 passing yards by an offense that has been anemic all season and they better get healthy before they face the likes of the Vikings, Cardinals, Cowboys or whomever come January.

3. How does any defense stop this Saints’ receiving corps?
Marques Colston caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown today and he was about the third or fourth most productive receiver for the Saints. Robert Meachem (8 receptions, 142 yards, 1 TD) is finally starting to cash in on his first-round ability and Devery Henderson (6 receptions, 61 yards) turned in his best game of the season. Washington’s secondary is one of the best in the league and it still couldn’t figure out how to defense the New Orleans’ receiving crops. Defenses just have to pick their poison with this bunch.

4. There’s still fight left in the Skins.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote that the Redskins had given up. I was wrong. They’re not going to the playoffs this season, but they’ve continued to fight hard under head coach Jim Zorn. He won’t save his job, but he deserves a little credit for the way his team hasn’t thrown in the towel yet.

5. Campbell can play.
Redskin fans might grill me for this, but Jason Campbell proved today that he can play in this league. Granted, his interception at midfield with 28 seconds remaining cost the Redskins a potential opportunity at a game-winning field goal attempt, but he was fantastic outside of that. He completed 30-of-42 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns. Considering he plays in the West Coast Offense, those numbers should have been good enough for Washington to blow New Orleans out. If the Redskins move in another direction next year, I’d love to see Campbell get a shot to be a starter elsewhere.

After their loss to the winless Kansas City Chiefs last week, the Washington Redskins stripped head coach Jim Zorn of his playcalling duties and handed them over to Sherman Lewis, who hadn’t even been with the team for a month.

The move was made in hopes to spark the Redskins’ dismal offense, but as their 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles tonight can attest to, Lewis isn’t going to change Washington’s misfortune over night.

The Redskins’ loss to the Eagles actually had very little to do with Lewis’ playcalling and more to do with Washington’s lack of execution. In the first half, quarterback Jason Campbell had a ball batted into the air by a defensive lineman and intercepted by linebacker Will Witherspoon, who returned it for a touchdown. Later in the half, Campbell escaped the pocket but didn’t get the ball out of his hands in time and was stripped from behind. The Eagles recovered and turned the gift into three points to take a 17-0 second quarter lead.

Campbell finished the night 29 of 43 passing for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. For all intents and purposes, his final numbers weren’t bad (he had a QB rating of 91.6), but he often settled for check downs or underneath routes and both of his touchdown passes came around the goal line. He still struggled with hanging onto the ball too long and missing open receivers.

That said, his pass protection wasn’t that great and his receivers dropped a few passes. He also didn’t have Chris Cooley, who left the game early in the first half due to an ankle injury and never returned. All in all, it was a complete team effort by a Redskins squad that somehow generated 17 points from a brutal showing. Lewis wasn’t the problem tonight – lack of execution by the players was.

Although the game was never in doubt, the Eagles weren’t too impressive either — at least offensively. Defensively they battered Campbell the entire night, shut down Clinton Portis and flew around the football.

But offensively, McNabb and company struggled without Brian Westbrook, who left the game early in the first half after he suffered a concussion. The Eagles had major issues sustaining drives and were completely shut out in the second half when they didn’t get the same great field position generated by their defense.

Thankfully, DeSean Jackson was a showstopper. The second year player scored on a spectacular 67-yard run on the first possession of the game and then broke free in Washington’s secondary for a 57-yard touchdown reception right before half. He was the Eagles’ offense tonight.

But regardless of their offensive struggles, this was a big win for the Eagles, who desperately needed one after the Raiders embarrassed them last week in Oakland.