Zorn's Play-Calling Style Has Substance

"When we hit game days, no one's guessing," offensive assistant Chris Meidt said. "It's really well organized. It's not up to chance."

Typically, between possessions, Zorn will consult with his assistant coaches. Smith is in charge of the running game, and he sits in the press box, available to Zorn over the headset that runs through a box clipped to Zorn's belt. Zorn, on the sideline, will flip the switch that allows him to toggle between the offensive and defensive coaches. "Can I get some runs?" he'll ask Smith, and the coach will come up with his three best running plays as possibilities for the next possession. Zorn will file them away. Meidt, who works with Zorn in the passing game, might chime in as well. Zorn is left to look at his card, to consult with Campbell, to figure it out.

"You don't want to be talking to him all the time," Smith said. "That could mess things up. We give him input when he wants it. But you know, we got it down on paper, so a lot of it is just, 'Hey, there it is right there.' "

There are plenty of times when the play that's right there isn't one that works. So Zorn said that as he considers the flow of the drive, he first thinks about what happens if his call backfires, or if the players don't execute.

"It's the worst-case scenario," he said. "That's the play I'm really working on."

Thus, his mind contains divergent paths. What if this doesn't work? What if it does?

It's easier, Zorn said, if the play is executed perfectly, because then the offense flows, the defense is backing up, and the man with the microphone and the box attached to his belt can stand on the sideline calmly and do what he likes to do best, dictate to the opponent.

"I'll have a track that I want to go if it does work," he said. "I already know. I've already got four or five plays in that drive in my brain. I've talked it through. I know where I'm headed. I know where I'm going."

Unconventional Approach

Events, though, won't always follow. Last week against Philadelphia, the Redskins trailed 14-3 in the second quarter and had a first down on their 38-yard line. Zorn called a play-action pass. "But I couldn't predict that they were going to blitz," Zorn said, "and I couldn't predict that it would be from that side."

A crush of Eagles, led by safety Brian Dawkins, flew in. Campbell was sacked easily, a nine-yard loss. Yet, Zorn reached for the box on his hip and pressed the "QB Mash" button, which pipes his voice directly into a speaker in Campbell's helmet. "Great job," he said. Zorn's play blew up, but Campbell secured the ball. It's a message Campbell heard in minicamp, in training camp, throughout the preseason. "I got a play," Zorn said he would tell Campbell. "I already know what I'm going to call, so just give me another chance."

"A lot of coaches, they harp on you, they fuss at you not to take a sack when there's nothing you can do about it," Campbell said. "He's the opposite."

Given another chance against Philadelphia, Zorn called a pass to tight end Chris Cooley, followed by another that ended up in the arms of wide receiver Devin Thomas. Second and 19 turned into a first down. The Redskins were off on a drive that ended in a field goal.