Buford
February-10th-2008, 03:16 PM
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/
Posted at 2:55 PM ET, 02/10/2008
Highlights From Zorn News Conference
What follows is a rough transcript of key comments, posted live during the 3 p.m. Zorn presser:
First up, of course was owner Daniel Snyder, who thanked fans for "their patience and understanding. I appreciate very much the fan support and patience. ... I also want to thank Joe Gibbs for his daily calls and support. ... It was very comforting as he told me to keep going on the process. ... i appreciate every much that support. ...
The commissioner, Roger Goodell, was frequent caller too, telling me to be patient and complete the process....We conducted a full search and we ended up with the right guy."
On the circumstances that led to Zorn as the choice: "Vinny kept saying after every interview, 'Zorn.' And that's how we got there."
Fashion note (http://www.mensvogue.com/): Zorn is wearing a black suit and a bright yellow-gold tie. After the usual thank yous, he addressed the matter of taking over a pre-fab staff. "I'm excited that there's a lot of the staff in place already. I think it would be very difficult for me to come in and start from square one [with the combine and draft upcoming]. ... It's going to be much more comfortable for me in this situation than it would be starting from scratch.
"I want to acknowledge Joe Gibbs. I look at these three trophies [like I have to tell you they're the Lombardis...] and it's quite intimidating and I know who's responsible. ... In my playing career, I was only on a team that had a chance to play for the AFC championship in a losing situation. ... I want to acknowledge that a lot of the things that are in place were by Joe and Dan...Thanks, Joe, and thanks for being here [at Redskins Park]. I hope to be able to lean on you in situations that could be a struggle."
On his mentors: "Bobby Ross with the Detroit Lions has been a major influence in my coaching career. ... The thing I learned from him was how to work. ... Working under Mike Holmgren, I learned how to be efficient, how to delegate, how to oversee and make sure that all the areas you have in place are being taken care of. ... [He's great at] stepping in, stepping back out. ..."
He also said he would definitely hire an offensive coordinator.
Zorn now is saying how much he admires the players for the character they showed in the aftermath of Taylor's death. On the tribute to Taylor by the defense in the first game after he died: "I thought to myself, 'Who could have thought something like that up, to play with 10 players on a play to honor a fallen teammate? It's pretty awesome when you think about it."
He favors a balanced attack and, duh, the West Coast offense, "This whole game is about rhythm, not about hanging onto the ball until you see a guy open."
On his reaction when Snyder asked Thursday if he wanted to be considered for the head coaching job: "I was taken aback, but not quite speechless because the first words out of my mouth were 'Certainly, I'd like to do that.' It was a little but shocking."
Zorn gave a little shoutout to The Post's copy desk: "I loved the newspaper headline today: 'Quarterback Sneak.' That's kind of how I got in here, isn't it? The Post got it right."
On the number of offensive coordinators that quarterback Jason Campbell has worked for in his short career: "I say, 'Ehhh, bummer.' That's his career. I'm not going to worry about all the influences he has had. I am going to worry about the influences he is going to have now.
"The thing I didn't like is the way he has had to squat when he's under center. We've got to get the center to get his bottom up a little higher. Part of being a quarterback is being ... explosive off the line of scrimmage. When I was watching him, I wondered how he could be explosive off the line of scrimmage."
Lastly, Zorn introduced Hall of Fame WR Steve Largent, who was at Redskins Park, and -- of course --was a longtime teammate: "We're still friends and it's tremendous that he lives in Washington D.C., and his boys are here."
Posted at 2:55 PM ET, 02/10/2008
Highlights From Zorn News Conference
What follows is a rough transcript of key comments, posted live during the 3 p.m. Zorn presser:
First up, of course was owner Daniel Snyder, who thanked fans for "their patience and understanding. I appreciate very much the fan support and patience. ... I also want to thank Joe Gibbs for his daily calls and support. ... It was very comforting as he told me to keep going on the process. ... i appreciate every much that support. ...
The commissioner, Roger Goodell, was frequent caller too, telling me to be patient and complete the process....We conducted a full search and we ended up with the right guy."
On the circumstances that led to Zorn as the choice: "Vinny kept saying after every interview, 'Zorn.' And that's how we got there."
Fashion note (http://www.mensvogue.com/): Zorn is wearing a black suit and a bright yellow-gold tie. After the usual thank yous, he addressed the matter of taking over a pre-fab staff. "I'm excited that there's a lot of the staff in place already. I think it would be very difficult for me to come in and start from square one [with the combine and draft upcoming]. ... It's going to be much more comfortable for me in this situation than it would be starting from scratch.
"I want to acknowledge Joe Gibbs. I look at these three trophies [like I have to tell you they're the Lombardis...] and it's quite intimidating and I know who's responsible. ... In my playing career, I was only on a team that had a chance to play for the AFC championship in a losing situation. ... I want to acknowledge that a lot of the things that are in place were by Joe and Dan...Thanks, Joe, and thanks for being here [at Redskins Park]. I hope to be able to lean on you in situations that could be a struggle."
On his mentors: "Bobby Ross with the Detroit Lions has been a major influence in my coaching career. ... The thing I learned from him was how to work. ... Working under Mike Holmgren, I learned how to be efficient, how to delegate, how to oversee and make sure that all the areas you have in place are being taken care of. ... [He's great at] stepping in, stepping back out. ..."
He also said he would definitely hire an offensive coordinator.
Zorn now is saying how much he admires the players for the character they showed in the aftermath of Taylor's death. On the tribute to Taylor by the defense in the first game after he died: "I thought to myself, 'Who could have thought something like that up, to play with 10 players on a play to honor a fallen teammate? It's pretty awesome when you think about it."
He favors a balanced attack and, duh, the West Coast offense, "This whole game is about rhythm, not about hanging onto the ball until you see a guy open."
On his reaction when Snyder asked Thursday if he wanted to be considered for the head coaching job: "I was taken aback, but not quite speechless because the first words out of my mouth were 'Certainly, I'd like to do that.' It was a little but shocking."
Zorn gave a little shoutout to The Post's copy desk: "I loved the newspaper headline today: 'Quarterback Sneak.' That's kind of how I got in here, isn't it? The Post got it right."
On the number of offensive coordinators that quarterback Jason Campbell has worked for in his short career: "I say, 'Ehhh, bummer.' That's his career. I'm not going to worry about all the influences he has had. I am going to worry about the influences he is going to have now.
"The thing I didn't like is the way he has had to squat when he's under center. We've got to get the center to get his bottom up a little higher. Part of being a quarterback is being ... explosive off the line of scrimmage. When I was watching him, I wondered how he could be explosive off the line of scrimmage."
Lastly, Zorn introduced Hall of Fame WR Steve Largent, who was at Redskins Park, and -- of course --was a longtime teammate: "We're still friends and it's tremendous that he lives in Washington D.C., and his boys are here."