Zorn sneaks up to Redskins boss

The former NFL quarterback is a surprise hire by Dan Snyder.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Always the energetic left-hander, Jim Zorn had an upbeat but nervous start to his coming-out event with the Washington Redskins.

The new coach got the team colors wrong. He paid tribute to an assistant the team recently fired. He lacked the polish of his predecessor, Joe Gibbs, who sat watching from the second row during the news conference Sunday in the Redskins Park auditorium.

Not too surprising, really, given that Zorn himself said it was nothing short of “miraculous” that he was standing where he was: a few feet behind the team’s three Super Bowl trophies, essentially making the jump from quarterbacks coach to head coach because none of the candidates on owner Dan Snyder’s initial list worked out. The 54-year-old Zorn was taking the first step in finding out what it really means to take a such a big job in a Redskins-crazy town.

“I look at these three trophies,” Zorn said, “and it’s quite intimidating.”

Zorn signed a five-year contract Saturday, ending a month-long coaching search in which he was originally supposed to be an interesting sidebar.

The Redskins hired him as an offensive coordinator two weeks ago, luring him away from the Seattle Seahawks, then decided late last week to interview him for the head coaching job after New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo withdrew from consideration.

Snyder also interviewed Jim Mora, Jim Fassel, Steve Mariucci, Ron Meeks, Pete Carroll, Jim Schwartz, Redskins assistant Gregg Williams and others. Some had pulled out of the running, and, rather than choose from the rest, Snyder decided to give Zorn a shot because the owner said he had been impressed during Zorn’s interview for the offensive coordinator position.

Zorn, called away from Redskins Park to Snyder’s house for lunch Thursday, said he gasped when the owner asked him if he was interested in the head coaching job.

“I was a bit taken back, if you will,” Zorn said.

Zorn, the sixth Redskins coach since Snyder bought the team in 1999, realizes he suddenly has a lot of work to do. He needs to put together an offs

eason calendar. He needs to get to know his coaches — most of the assistants are already in place — as well as the players.

He said he plans to hire an offensive coordinator but will work hands-on with the quarterbacks and could still end up calling the plays in what will be a version of the West Coast offense. He tried to put to rest any doubts about quarterback Jason Campbell: “He’s the starter,” Zorn said.