Mike Wise of The Washington Post questions whether or not Jim Zorn will retain his job following the Redskins’ collapse over the second half of the season.

Now the larger question: Is Zorn’s Norv-esque finish to a Redskins season bad enough to warrant against bringing him back?

Neither Daniel Snyder nor Vinny Cerrato seemed immediately interested in touching the vote-of-confidence issue after Sunday’s loss, and who can blame them? Even if the owner or executive vice president for football operations sound off in support of the newbie position coach they gambled on last February to replace Joe Gibbs, they give the issue credence and drive the story.

Saying “Jim is our guy” means they had doubt in the first place. And the truth is, they have no intention of looking for another coach after last offseason.

Suppose Zorn wins one of his last two games, or both. How to explain firing a man who installed a new offense, had the machine clicking early in the season and possibly finished with the same record as Joe Gibbs did in 2007 without a single game of head-coaching experience to start the season?

Unless the wheels completely come off and the Redskins look dreadful in their final home game next week against the Eagles and on Dec. 28 at San Francisco, Zorn is probably going nowhere. If he goes 8-8 or 9-7, he finishes with a better record than most observers probably believed possible when he first took over for Gibbs.

He essentially created a monster at 4-1 and 6-2. Because of injuries, mostly better competition and — let’s be honest — his sudden conservative values as a play-caller, Zorn and the Redskins have basically found their level — .500.

I said this in training camp and I’ll say it again: Not giving Zorn at least two years to make this work flies in the face of everything the organization said it wants to be: less impulsive, more patient; about building for a championship future not merely trying to buy it in one offseason.

It’s amazing that this is even a debate considering Zorn looked like a genius when the Redskins started the season 6-2. But he isn’t going anywhere – nor should he. It’s only his first season and given the fact that he installed a completely new offense, he’s done a pretty good job. He’ll learn from the mistakes he’s made over the past couple weeks and become a better head coach. Give the guy a chance.