Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:10 pm EDT
Steve
Largent is a lot of things. He's one of the best receivers in NFL history, he's
a former U.S. congressman, and he's now the CEO of some lobbyist group. His most
challenging role, though, might be providing emotional support for his BFF, Jim
Zorn.
Here's what Largent told KJR Radio in Seattle, in an interview that sounded more like a eulogy for Jim Zorn than a sports talk radio show (you can hear the audio here). According to Largent, Zorn very nearly quit after they gave playcalling duties to Sherm Lewis.
"Yes, he did consider [quitting], and no, he did not want to give up those responsibilities, but they went to the point of pulling out his contract and saying, 'You have got to do whatever the owner tells you to do.' So his choice was either to resign or to continue on in the current scenario."
"But in my opinion, and this is just totally my opinion -- Jim has never said this, never implied this -- I think what Dan Snyder was trying to do was to force Jim to resign so he was not liable for his contract any longer. And Jim just isn't going to do that."
Given the situation he's in, and how absolutely miserable he seems, I absolutely believe that Zorn considered resigning, but he'd be giving up a lot of money to do so. Before last season, he signed a contract worth $15 million over five years. If he quits, he gives up the $9 million that Snyder will still owe him after this year. The next coach I see who walks away from $9 million will be the first one.
Oh, and then Largent blasted Dan Snyder. Hard.
"I don't know what a 'Dan Snyder coach' looks like, and I don't think Dan Snyder knows what a 'Dan Snyder coach' looks like. And that's fairly obvious now that he's been through about six head coaches in 10 years." [...]
"The formula that the Redskin owner and the Redskin general manager have for producing a winner on the field is not a winning formula, meaning that they can't make all the decisions on the coaches and on the personnel and then just hire some guy from off the street to be the head coach and win with what they put on the field. Because it doesn't work, and that's been proven for 10 years in a row."
I would think that a friend of the head coach lambasting the owner so publicly and so harshly might accelerate the firing process, and again, I don't think that's something to which Jim Zorn would be opposed.
Gracias, The Huddle.
Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Matthew J. Darnell. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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68 Comments
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You tell him Steve.
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You tell him Steve.
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SNYDER SELL THE TEAM!!!
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I hope for Zorn's sake that he does get fired and PAID.
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Thanks Steve Largent for saying exactly what all of us in Washington have been thinking and saying ourselves the last 10 years. This a$$hole Snyder thinks he is so smart and slick that he can run the team like he runs his regular businesses and he has failed miserably. The Redskins are a Cornerstone franchise of the NFL and deserve so much better than this little Caeser can give us and that is an owner that will hire the best minds in football to find the talent, sign the talent, find the coaches and basically run the team in a football fashion. This is NOT wall street Danny boy. you are killing a once GREAT team!! Please either turn the decisions over to a proffessional football GM and take your horrible style of control and management off of the team or just sell the Redskins to someone that truly wants to win and will care about the oranization for more than being a cash cow which is all it is to you 'lil Danny. Please, just go away!! We need a great owner, We sorely miss Jack Kent Cooke here in Washington. He must be spinning in his grave over this situation. God help us!!
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The truth hurts right? Markus, why do you think what Largent said prompted you to be so profane? Coz, there is no explanation to this truth? Or you are dilusional! Seek help my friend.... my best wishes to you. Hope they cure you!
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