Ravens hire Zorn as QB coach
Ex-Redskins head coach, former NFL QB will continue Flacco’s education
The Ravens named Jim Zorn as their quarterbacks coach Saturday, the most intriguing and high-profile hire by coach John Harbaugh.
Zorn, 56, was fired by the Washington Redskins on Jan. 4 after a disastrous second season as their head coach. The Ravens, though, were overwhelmed by his experience: 11 seasons as an NFL quarterback, 11 seasons as a respected NFL quarterbacks coach and a familiarity with their offense.
“That’s a great resume for us,” Harbaugh said.
Zorn’s primary goal is to continue the development of Joe Flacco into an elite, franchise quarterback. Zorn becomes only the second quarterbacks coach for Flacco, replacing Hue Jackson (who joined the Oakland Raiders as their offensive coordinator Tuesday).
“Joe Flacco is a really good young QB, so I’m definitely excited about working with him,” Zorn told The Washington Post. “Whether it’s a perfect fit, well, that’ll be a good question to answer as I go along here. I hope it is. I believe it’s going to be a great situation.”
Zorn added: “But I’m not going to presume that I’m going to come in and all of a sudden Joe Flacco is just going to fall all over himself and say, ‘Oh, this is great,’ ” Zorn said Saturday. “I’ve got to earn the right to speak into his life, to speak into his game, after I just see what’s there.”
Although he took heavy criticism as the Redskins’ head coach, Zorn is a highly regarded mentor for young quarterbacks.
BaltimoreSun.com
1/31/10
Magnolia Tribune
