The Redskins Blog

Breaking News: Jim Zorn Is An Unconventional Kind Of Guy

ESPN.com‘s Elizabeth Merrill talked with Coach Jim Zorn, his wife Joy, linebacker London Fletcher, and offensive coordinator Sherman Smith, and came out of it with a very good rendition of the familiar-in-these-parts “Jim Zorn Is Unusual” story.

One thing that Merrill does effectively here is capture Zorn’s energy; what sometimes comes off as goofiness in transcripts and interviews plays in person as much more … not serious, exactly, but earnest. Here’s one of Merrill’s descriptions:

His enthusiasm, almost childlike, along with his slightly spiked hair, makes him seem much younger than his 56 years. Zorn has been known on occasion, Fletcher says, to break up the monotony of an illustration to the team by doing a little dance. He calls Zorn’s moves “awful.”

Here’s another, actually Merrill’s paraphrase of Joy Zorn’s description of her husband: Read more »

Monday, July 13: Still More On Jason Campbell, From Noted Potter Chris Cooley

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If you watch the video above of Chris Cooley working the pottery wheel, you might not guess that behind that placid, almost hippie-like exterior lies a man of very, very, VERY strong opinions. Fortunately, Peter King has gone on vacation and left his popular Monday Morning Quarterback column to a series of NFL players, and this week it’s Cooley’s turn.

Within one paragraph, Cooley works in an amusing potshot at Trent Green. In paragraph two, it’s NFL kickers. Paragraph three is fairly tame, but by paragraph four the whole NFL officiating system is on blast and Ed Hochuli is called out by name. There’s no need to go through all of them — in the final paragraph, Vikings center Matt Birk and Eagles QB Donovan McNabb get it as well — but you get the idea: Cooley is a man of very firm opinions, and he’s not remotely shy about stating them whenever he’s given a platform.

So here’s what he has to say about the Redskins upcoming season in general, and Jason Campbell in particular. Read more »