Tag: Jim Zorn (Page 5 of 5)

      Jim Haslett deserves major praise for Rams win over Redskins

      October 12, 2008 /

      Jim HaslettAfter they beat division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia on the road the past two weeks to push their winning streak to four games, fans and pundits alike were ready to crown the Washington Redskins as an elite team in the NFC. But hold that thought.

      The previously winless, hapless St. Louis Rams waltzed into FedEx Field on Sunday and beat the Redskins 19-17 on a Josh Brown 49-yard field goal as time expired. It wasn’t only the Rams first win of the season, but it was also their first win after head coach Scott Linehan was fired and replaced by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

      Haslett’s previous tenure as head coach of the New Orleans Saints was up and down, but his players always played hard under him. You could see that again Sunday as Rams players rallied around their head coach and fought hard for four quarters. And when things took a turn for the worse when Redskins’ RB Clinton Portis scored a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, St. Louis didn’t give in like they might have under Linehan.

      Washington took a step back with this loss, but every team has bad days. Maybe expectations should be scaled back a bit, but this is still a good team. Had they not turned the ball over as much as they did Sunday against the Rams, they probably would have walked away with their fifth win in as many games.

      Still, it has to be awfully concerning to lose a home game against a previously winless Rams team. It’ll be interesting to see how first-year head coach Jim Zorn can rally his team in the wake of an embarrassing loss.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Redskins proving doubters wrong

      October 5, 2008 /

      Entering the year, pundits gave the Washington Redskins about as much respect as Paris Hilton gives herself. The team had a first-year head coach, a new offensive system for quarterback Jason Campbell to learn and they play in a stacked division. And after their dazzling performance against the Giants in Week 1, it was easy to see why the Skins weren’t given any respect in preseason.

      Washington RedskinsBut after rallying 23-17 to beat NFC East foe Philadelphia on Sunday, the Redskins are proving critics wrong. And it’s not like they’re beating the Lions, Chiefs and Texans every week – they’ve knocked off some of the best teams in the NFC over the past couple weeks, including the Eagles and Cowboys on the road.

      They’re also not winning by smoke and mirrors, either. Campbell’s development has been solid (he’s yet to throw an interception), Clinton Portis (145 yards, 1 TD vs. Philly) has been excellent and the defense has tightened up in clutch situations. They’ve also kept up the physical brand of football that Joe Gibbs implemented when he was head coach.

      It’s time to admit that the Redskins are better than what most people thought they’d be. And that’s a huge credit to rookie head coach Jim Zorn.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 5 Primer

      October 3, 2008 /

      Donovan McNabbSunday’s Best: Redskins (3-1) at Eagles (2-2) 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Who would have thought after four weeks that the Washington Redskins would be right in the thick of things in the NFC East? Especially after they bombed in the opener against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. But they are, and a big reason for that is the maturity of QB Jason Campbell, who has looked comfortable running Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense the past three weeks. But he’ll get a major test this weekend against Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense. The WCO is predicated on short timing routes and getting the ball into the hands of receivers so they can get yards after the catch. If Campbell can’t get the ball out of his hands quickly, Philly is sure to produce plenty of sacks and turnovers. Whether or not the Eagle offense converts those turnovers into points remains to be seen, however. In their loss last week to Chicago, Donovan McNabb struggled getting the Eagles into the end zone without the threat of Brian Westbrook in the backfield. Westbrook will be a game time decision, although he has seen a fair about of practice time this week, which might be a good sign that he’ll play. Expect another physical matchup between NFC East rivals.

      Upset Watch: Bills (4-0) at Cardinals (2-2), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      I’m not fooling oddsmakers by calling this a potential upset because they’ve already established the Cardinals as 1-point favorites. But considering how well the Bills have played this year and how Arizona surrendered 56 points in last weeks loss to the Jets, a Cardinal victory would be an upset. The fact of the matter is that the Cards just flat out play better in the desert than they do on the road. They’re a completely different team and while dynamic wide out Anquan Boldin is not expected to play after suffering a nasal injury last Sunday, the Cards have more than enough offensive weapons to pull out a win. The key will be Kurt Warner not turning the ball over and for the team to play all four quarters. Buffalo has trailed in the second half of three of their four victories this year, which means that they’ve been outstanding in the clutch. Arizona will have to play a complete game to earn a win, but an upset could be in the making.

      Ben RoethlisbergerIntriguing Matchup: Steelers (3-1) at Jaguars (2-2), 8:15 PM ET NBC
      The Steelers may be 3-1, but they can’t feel too good about the way things are unraveling as injuries continue to mount. Not only will Pittsburgh go into this game without their top two backs in Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, but Ben Roethlisberger is also dealing with shoulder and hand injuries and OT Kendall Simmons is now lost for the year. The Steelers had offensive line issues coming into the season with Simmons in their lineup. Now they have to play without him, which isn’t good news for Big Ben and the rest of the offense. The Jaguars started the year 0-2 but are now gaining confidence after beating the Colts and Texans in dramatic fashion over the past two weeks. The running game has opened up the passing attack for David Garrard, who is starting to play like the quarterback who led the Jags deep into the playoffs last season. We’re going to see what Pittsburgh is made of, because Jacksonville is starting to show signs of the Super Bowl contender that everyone that they’d be in preseason.

      Other Notable Games:
      Titans (4-0) at Ravens (2-1), 1:00 PM ET
      Tennessee is one of only two teams still undefeated and perhaps is playing the best defense in the AFC. Rookie Joe Flacco looked like he was starting to come into his home against the Steelers, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a tough Titans’ defense.

      Buccaneers (3-1) at Broncos (3-1), 4:05 PM ET
      This is one of the best matchups on the Week 5 schedule as it pits Monte Kiffin’s defense against the Broncos’ offense, which has been one of the best units in the league so far. Can Denver bounce back from its embarrassing loss to the Chiefs last week? Can the Bucs further convince people that they’re a contender with Brain Griese under center?

      Bengals (0-4) at Cowboys (3-1), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      Ocho Cinco vs. Grab Your Popcorn. Should be a good one.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL rookie head coaches have solid first month

      October 2, 2008 /

      Only four weeks have past in the 2008 NFL Season, but as Don Banks of SI.com writes, the four rookie head coaches are already off to a respectable start.

      Jim Zorn— Washington’s Jim Zorn has his confident Redskins at 3-1, on a three-game winning streak, and coming off a head-turning 26-24 upset of the previously undefeated Cowboys in Texas Stadium, where no new Redskins coach had ever won before.

      — Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and his scrappy Ravens are 2-1, and on Monday night in Pittsburgh came within a play or two of going to 3-0 within the AFC North despite starting a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco.

      — Atlanta’s Mike Smith has brought 2-2 respectability to his rebuilding Falcons, who are only a game behind NFC South co-leaders Carolina and Tampa Bay (3-1). Atlanta, too, is doing just fine with a rookie quarterback in Matt Ryan.

      — And even Miami’s Tony Sparano made us sit up and take notice, with his 1-2 Dolphins pulling off the NFL’s upset of the year, that imaginative 38-13 Week 3 thrashing of New England in Foxboro — a loss that snapped the Patriots’ league-record 21-game regular-season win streak. Miami, in case you forgot, finished a cool 15 games behind New England last year.

      All four of these head coaches have done a wonderful job, but the one that has most impressed is Zorn. We always hear that the West Coast Offense takes two to three years to learn and yet QB Jason Campbell has already shown how comfortable he is in the new system. That’s a testament to Zorn’s coaching and getting his players up to speed with a rather complicated offensive system.

      It’s not uncommon to see a team with a rookie head coach start the year winless for the first couple weeks. But considering all of these teams except Miami have two wins, it’s fair to say that these first-year head coaches are off to solid starts.

      NFL

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