Zorn Hired

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Chiefs | Jim Zorn hired
Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:39:56 -0800

The Kansas City Chiefs have hired Jim Zorn as their quarterbacks coach, the team announced Tuesday, Feb. 15.

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Read more: http://www.kffl.com/hotw/nfl#ixzz1E3AYba00

I do like this hire. Not a huge deal, but a good hire.

Awesome.

Every QB hes worked with has had career numbers under him.

Fantastic! Is this a Haley or Pioli hire?

Its a great hire either way. Makes you feel a lot better about the Muir hire, because hes going to have a lot of input on the passing offense...

Jim Zorn Named Chiefs Quarterbacks Coach
By Josh Looney

Posted 11 minutes ago

Zorn brings quarterback expertise with him to Kansas City


Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley left the door open for further staff additions during offensive coordinator Bill Muir's introductory teleconference 12 days ago. That possibility became a reality when Jim Zorn flew to Kansas City this morning and inked a contract to become the Chiefs next quarterbacks coach.

The addition of Zorn gives the Chiefs a tenured quarterbacks coach with unequivocal responsibility for the continued development Matt Cassel.

A former NFL signal caller and 23-year coaching veteran, Zorn has worked with quarterbacks his entire professional career and received positive reviews from each of the quarterbacks that he's tutored along the way.

Last season, Zorn served as quarterbacks coach in Baltimore and guided QB Joe Flacco to the best season of his three-year NFL career. Flacco passed for a career-high 3,622 yards and tossed 25 TDs. He also posted a 103.4 quarterback rating over Baltimore's final 14 games to rank as the NFL's second-best passer over that timeframe.

It wasn't any coincidence that the Ravens posted an 11-3 record in those final 14 contests.

Flacco's breakout season completed a three-franchise sweep for Zorn. In each of his three NFL coaching stops (Seattle, Washington and Baltimore) Zorn has guided a starting quarterback to a career season.

In 2007, Zorn tutored Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck to a franchise-record 3,966 passing yards and left Hasselbeck as that franchise's most-efficient passer. Hasselbeck is the only Seahawks quarterback to pass for 3,000-plus yards in three consecutive seasons since Zorn did so as a player from 1978-80. Hasselbeck also set single-season marks for completions (352), touchdowns (28) and passer rating (91.4) in 2007.

In addition to his specialty in directing quarterback play, Zorn also adds more head coaching experience to Kansas City's staff, having served as Washington's head coach from 2008-09.

During Zorn's time in Washington, QB Jason Campbell posted the two best seasons of his five-year NFL career, throwing for a career-high 3,618 yards and a career-best 20 TDs in 2009.

Unlike many of the Kansas City's previous staff additions, Zorn and Haley have no previous ties to one another. But while the two have never coached on the same sideline, the pair does seem to carry the same vision when it comes to directing effective quarterback play.

Throughout his tenure in Washington, Zorn described his coaching approach as "constant and consistent." Zorn's head coaching philosophy centered on his teams playing smart, steady, mistake-free football. Each of those aspects has been a point of emphasis under Haley in Kansas City.

Zorn's hiring signals a shift in staff structure as Zorn is the first Kansas City assistant to carry a "quarterbacks" title since Haley took over as head coach in 2009.

Throughout Haley's head coaching tenure, the primary responsibility for directing quarterback play has fallen on the shoulders of the offensive coordinator. Chan Gailey, Charlie Weis and Haley himself have all had previous success working with quarterbacks at the NFL level.

Those duties shifted this off-season with the promotion of Muir to offensive coordinator.

With Muir's expertise coming in offensive line play, the need for a proven and experienced quarterbacks coach became a priority. Zorn clearly fills that void.

As a player, Zorn made 106 starts over an 11-year playing career (1976-84) completing 1,669 passes for 21,115 yards with 111 TDs. Nine of those seasons came in Seattle (1976-84) where Zorn entered the league undrafted.

The Jim Zorn File

2011: Kansas City Chiefs – Quarterbacks

2010: Baltimore Ravens - Quarterbacks

2008-09: Washington Redskins – Head Coach

2000-07: Seattle Seahawks – Quarterbacks

1998-00: Detroit Lions – Quarterbacks

1997: Seattle Seahawks – Offensive Assistant

1995-96: University of Minnesota – Quarterbacks

1992-94: Utah State – Offensive Coordinator

1989-91: Boise State – Quarterbacks (1989-90); Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers (1991)

1976-87: NFL Quarterback (Seattle, 1976-84; Green Bay, 1985; Tampa Bay, 1987)

Charlie who?

I like this! Alot!!!

this should help cassel out alot if he flops under zorn there is no hope for him

He wont flop under Zorn. I like Cassel and I like him even more now that Zorn will be coaching him. Good shit Pioli and Haley.

This was a good hire, but lets not get carried away. I'm sure Baltimore fans were thinking the same thing. Flacco went for 3613-21-12 in 09 without Zorn.....3625-25-10 with him. They also added Boldin in 10 too. He isnt the god we needed to send Cassel to the Brady/Manning/ Brees stratosphere. If the Chiefs win it wont be because of Cassel. If Haley had a lot of faith in Cassel he wouldnt be talking going to smashmouth football.

He is talking about being a smashmouth team because that is what we are built for. We arent finesse. Finesse is for those panzy ass teams. I would love to see us play more like the steelers. Using the short stuff underneath to guys like McCluster and handing the ball off to JC then stretching the field with some playaction passes to Bowe. Cassel in playaction is very good and that is what we will be. Having Zorn is only going to help him. Zorn has coached allot of great QBs he knows what he is doing with them. Cassel is still young and could still be a great QB have some fuckin faith because he aint goin anywhere.

LOL. JC is one of my fav players but he isnt built for smashmouth football in the NFL. We cant play like the steelers because Big Ben actually tries to get away from defenders or fight them off. Cassel likes to hold on to the ball and fold.

JC is definitely not built for smash mouth football. Haley was just being wishful saying we are built for it. I'm sure he wants to be a power team, but so do 25 other teams.

And you're right Chiefs09, we can't be the Steelers because Big Ben is not our QB. Just like we can't be the Steelers because we're located in Kansas City, not Pittsburgh. or because Eric Berry's hair is not as cool as Polamalu's.

The Chiefs can play like the Steelers though buy controlling the clock and playing great defense. Zorn will be a huge influence in mistake free football. If Cassel manages to win a few games making big plays late, then the Chiefs can expect success for years to come.

LOL. I did not say JC was built for power football. WTF. I said we should play more like the Steelers. Like FatThucker said control the clock and play bruising defense. Helping Cassel meaning by not making the mistakes he made against teams like the Ravens. I say once again though Cassel was not the only guy on the field against the ravens we just got our asses kicked all around.

Smashmouth football requires a power running game. dinkin and dunkin isnt smashmouth football. its finesse. its controlling the clock with finesse. You said we were built for smashmouth football. JC is our feature back. 2+2=4.

Yeah I don't see us as a smash mouth team. He might have meant running, but we are more of a finease running team.. If we are going smashmouth we need to draft a big talented RB decently high, and some bigger linemen.

I know what smashmouth football means. LOL I am saying that we should have an offensive game plan like the steelers. They like to just control the clock, take there shots downfield here and there and play awesome defense.

Then they need a whole new D-line.

chiefbravebull wrote:

LOL. I did not say JC was built for power football. WTF. I said we should play more like the Steelers. Like FatThucker said control the clock and play bruising defense. Helping Cassel meaning by not making the mistakes he made against teams like the Ravens. I say once again though Cassel was not the only guy on the field against the ravens we just got our asses kicked all around.

ALL OUT OF BUBBLE GUM

I was there 14 rows from the field. I saw the ass kickin first hand. In order to be a decent QB, you need a great LT and MORE than one WR. Brady would be holding onto the ball too if he only had one legit receiver to throw to. The routes need to be shorter and we need to get Moeki MORE involved. Cassel is NOT a game changer, he's built more to manage the game. We'll see if he takes off under Zorn, but in the meantime PLEASE give the freaking ball to JC and let him run his avg 6yds. All he needs is a "little" crease and the dude is gone. I've been watching him since college and was so happy to see he went to the Chiefs. LOL. A couple years ago they called him the "poor man's Chris Johnson". Didn't he beat CJ in rushing? That's what I thought.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

You know, it would also help our defense if they were playin' musical frickin' chairs. ROFL. As soon as they sit down, they get back up! They played a helluva game against the Ravens until the 4th qtr. By then they were all tired. To think our offense held the ball in the 4th less than 2 minutes? ARE YOU SERIOUS? CHARLEY WHO?

WE DON'T NEED TO PLAY LIKE ANYONE BUT THE CHIEFS OF OLD. THE DERRICK THOMAS, NEIL SMITH, DERON CHERRY DAYS! As far as running the ball, we do need a legit LT. Pouncey would be a great pickup for the OL in the draft. We'll see what Pioli and Haley do after all this lock out crap.

Too bad Pouncy isn't as good as his brother.

Pouncy would be a great second rounder though

He won't be there for our second pick if anyones.

Yeah I don't think that he would fall that far.. but if he did I would be all for it.

RustShack wrote:

Too bad Pouncy isn't as good as his brother.

Ya I know. I was all excited till i watched his footage. Decent pass blocker but nothing else. That doesn't fit our offense very well.