Zorn's the coach, but Skins remain Snyder's show

I don't know whether to congratulate Jim Zorn or send him a sympathy card.

After all, one way of looking at the screwy process that resulted in Zorn's hiring by the Redskins is that it constituted a dismissal of Joe Gibbs and everything he'd brought back to the franchise.

If owner Dan Snyder can so quickly show this kind of disloyalty to a Hall of Fame coach he claims to revere, what chance does Zorn have to be his own man and to put his mark on the team?

After going on and on about how much Gibbs' four years at the helm had taught him, Snyder revealed his appreciation - and true nature - by tearing out most of the wiring Gibbs had installed.

Gone is defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Fired was offensive coordinator Al Saunders. Snyder reversed fields on everything an owner should value - continuity, stability and Gibbs' legacy.

Snyder's desire to leave his fingerprints on everything was less obvious with Gibbs on the scene. But with Joe back at the NASCAR track, Snyder has once again assumed the role of the franchise's ultimate authority on football matters.

This should frighten Redskins fans, especially after the semi-comical 32-day saga that led to the hiring of a man who hadn't risen above the rank of position coach.

There's a reason why the Redskins, for all their ability to make and spend money, are portrayed as a sketchy organization. It starts at the top. The instincts of Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the hottest candidate in the field, were correct. He chose to stay with his current team - and accept a big raise - rather than risk becoming another exhibit in Snyder's zoo.

Does this mean Zorn is doomed to fail? Not at all.

But if his future becomes a bright one, it will be a major blow struck for dumb luck. The way Snyder went about finding a coach, it's as if Gibbs' measured, mature presence made no impression on him whatsoever.

The Redskins are careful to point out that Andy Reid was only a position coach when the Eagles hired him to lead their team. But Reid works for an organization with an infrastructure capable of implementing a consistent plan. Zorn works for an upper management that once thought hiring Steve Spurrier was a brilliant idea.

I'm willing to cut Snyder some slack: when it came to serious coaching candidates, there weren't many to choose from once Bill Cowher and Pete Carroll elected to sit tight. And while the search was about as nutty as you can get - nobody can remember a team hiring an offensive coordinator, only to name him head coach before a game is played - elevating low-profile assistants has recently gained more popularity.

The Ravens just did it by plucking John Harbaugh from the obscurity of the Eagles' nest, while the Packers reached the NFC title game under Mike McCarthy, a virtual unknown when hired from the lowly 49ers.

As for the predictable media and Internet obsession - what the Redskins players think, how Zorn's hiring is being received by fans - who cares?

Need anyone be reminded of what happened to one well-known coach who not long ago was reviled by fans, tormented by media and disliked by his players?

His name is Tom Coughlin of the Super Bowl champion Giants.

Giants management, more balanced and deliberate on its worst day than Snyder ever is, stuck with Coughlin through hard times, bringing him back this season after the whole world had him fired. Everybody else was wrong about Coughlin.

How will the Redskins' owner react to pressure if Zorn, who is learning on the job, travels some rough road?

After what we've just seen, that's anybody's guess. I've got a hunch, though, that subconsciously, Snyder is less infatuated with Zorn than he is with his own power to confound and amaze.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com