Does Endorsement Of Zorn Change Anything For Redskins?

There was a report from anonymous Redskins in The Washington Post earlier this week in which the players said they just wanted management to voice public support of Jim Zorn so the speculation could end. Today, they got that from Vinny Cerrato. But does it really change anything?

The Post’s Skins beat writer Jason Reid doesn’t seem to think so:

Some in the organization hoped Snyder would have just fired Zorn, so everyone could begin to move on. The feeling among some in the organization is that there’s nothing Zorn could do to persuade Snyder to give him a third year as coach, league sources said, so the Redskins will play out the string with a coach who has been stripped of much of his authority.

The discomfort for Zorn, his assistants and the players, however, won’t end. The speculation about the future among media and fans won’t diminish because the behind-the-scenes work to hire a successor for Zorn — and possibly for Cerrato — likely will continue.

Meantime, Zorn must try to maintain appearances because he can’t risk saying or doing anything that could be considered cause for firing. So long as he’s not fired for any reason other than performance, Zorn is guaranteed to be paid his salary for the rest of this season and next season.

Essentially, all Cerrato’s endorsement does is solidify Jim Zorn as the coach for maybe the next few weeks. The questions will stop temporarily. But if the team loses a couple more games in a row, it’s hard to believe Cerrato and Snyder won’t once again start to contemplate firing Zorn mid-season. Regardless, he’s gone after this season, so — as Reid wrote — it will continue to be an uncomfortable situation for Zorn.