Catching Everyone Off Guard

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Week 5: Redskins 23, Eagles 17

The Redskins overcome an early two-touchdown deficit to extend their winning streak to four games, rallying for a 23-17 win over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

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He resembled a naive figurehead at his introductory news conference, and it was easy almost to feel sorry for Zorn, taking over for a Washington icon like Gibbs, less than three months after Sean Taylor was slain in his Miami home, and barely after the abrupt dismissal of Gregg Williams -- everybody but Snyder and Cerrato's choice to be the next coach who went from the No. 1 candidate to handing out his résumé -- subsided.

Nine months later, hold the pity.

Zorn is not the new superintendent entrusted with the impossible task of fixing a crumbling and dilapidated school district. He's the coach of an offense helping to send a rejuvenated Clinton Portis back to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2002, who's giving Jason Campbell (now 2-0 as a starter here in the city of Bountiful Venom) the tools and trust to ascend to that elite level of quarterbacking Zorn experienced as a player with the Seahawks, who is secure enough to let Greg Blache, Joe Bugel and his other trusted assistants coach the elements of the game Zorn cannot.

When asked how he compared the memory of a Seattle teammate who was stung by a pellet fired from a pellet gun in the old Veteran Stadium stands to yesterday, out came the Zen of Zorn.

"Gosh, that was 1976," Zorn said. "I can't really say or compare to that today, which was awesome. I'm in the present moment. I'm in the now."

Mindful coaching. Conscious play-calling. Or, the spirit of the franchise's times, which now should be referred to as, "Zorngeist."

Approachable, likable, open and quotable, he's the anti-Belichick. His only drawback may be his unfiltered approach, the worry by management Zorn actually may diagram a play for the NFL Network before he uses it that weekend.

But so what? They won't know when yesterday's option pass from Antwaan Randle El to Chris Cooley for a touchdown is coming, just as they will have no idea when Portis looks as if he's ready to drop back in pass protection a second before Campbell tucks the ball into his stomach for a three-yard gain to send almost 70,000 people in green home angry and distraught.

"I'm not so sure he always knows what's coming -- and I'm not saying that to be insubordinate," said veteran guard Pete Kendall, who actually suggested a bootleg play to Zorn a few weeks ago his coach used. "He's definitely unpredictable right now. We've used a lot of different things to get us over the hump. Hey, he's a new play-caller. It's five games. At some point the computer algorithms are going to find some trend."

Meantime, hope and possibility grows for the legions of Washington fans worried sick about their team on opening night five weeks ago.

Snyder, who has to feel his risk of promoting an under-the-radar assistant such as Zorn has paid dividends, bellowed loudly as he came off the field before his team yesterday.

"Yeah, four and one!" the owner yelled, like the young fan he once was. "In Philly! In Dallas! Yeah Redskins!"

He slapped guys on the tush as they came through the doors of the locker room as if he were Gene Hackman about to take the floor for the finals of the Indiana state high school basketball championship -- albeit with black-tinted shades and a little more expensive suit.

The Eagles had earlier propped up Mark Wahlberg in a luxury box, hoping the actor who played Philly's own Invincible Eagle Vince Papale would channel the grit and perseverance needed to spark victory.

But, really, the only sappy sports movie that came to mind yesterday was "The Natural," when Robert Redford's character was asked what took him so long to reach the big leagues.

In hindsight, Jim Zorn, the 55-year-old rookie head coach who walked off the field victorious again, had a lot more Roy Hobbs in him than we figured.