Haley Hires Zorn As QB Coach
For the first time in franchise history, the Chiefs have a quarterback coach that was actually a starting quarterback in the NFL.
On Tuesday, the team announced that head coach Todd Haley had hired Jim Zorn as QB coach, finalizing his coaching staff for the 2011 season.
“As a former head coach with more than two decades of experience playing and coaching the quarterback position in the NFL. Jim has a tremendous working knowledge of the game and will play a big role in the continued development of our team,” Haley said in a release from the team.
Zorn was fired earlier this month by the Baltimore Ravens where he was the team’s QB coach. Before that, he spent two seasons as head coach of the Washington Redskins, where he had a 12-20 record.
The California native had an 11-season playing career in the NFL, with nine of those seasons playing for the Seattle Seahawks (1976-84). Zorn appeared in 140 games with 106 starts.
The first time the Chiefs had an assistant coach labeled as working with the quarterbacks was in 1980 with Kay Dalton holding that job on Marv Levy’s staff. Since then, there have been 12 men who had the spot of coaching the quarterback. Only Tom Clements actually played in the NFL. Clements appeared in one game for the Chiefs in 1980 and was the team’s special teams coach in 2000.
Zorn began his coaching career in 1989 at Boise State and then moved on to Utah State and Minnesota before he landed back with the Seahawks in 1997 as an offensive assistant.
He spent three seasons as QB coach with Detroit (1998-00), then seven seasons back with Seattle (2001-07), before he joined the Redskins in 2008 as the replacement for Joe Gibbs.
I dont know what everyone else thinks, but I like the hire
With Zorn having tremendous success as a QB coach and Muir specializing in the O-line and Carthon producing great results with RB’s and finally Haley specializing in WR’s you have a killer combo. Also, Zorn, Haley and Muir have all been OC’s giving the Chiefs three separate perspectives on the game planning. Finally, Ravens Flacco was miffed when Ravens let Zorn go and for good reason…Zorn is really good. How can you not like this!
This should help develop Cassel. Hope he and Haley can coexist.
I think Jim Zorn will give great guidance and leadership to Matt Cassell. Zorn’s a great teacher and will help Casell develope into a solid quarterback.
Excellent hire.
Go Chiefs.
I’ve talk to a couple of informed Raven’s fans and they wanted Zorn to be their OC and let Cam go. Cam seems to ignore Rice and make slow possession receivers run go routes all day. Zorn helped Flacco to his best statistical year of his career. Gotta love this hire.
Love the hire just made sense. Move also prove Haley not a stubborn guy he’s about getting it right. And this was right move reason I say that was because he had no ties to Zorn yet he chose someone who was best fit for the job this will pay off big time in the development of Matt Cassel.
Just the guy that Matt Cassel needs to take him to the next level and maximize his potential. Great hire!
EXCELLENT hire! Between Haley, Muir and Zorn, offense in great hands.
I agree, great hire! And now you have Zorn in the war room helping to find that qb we can draft in the middle to late rounds!
I agree with Napahank, it gives great balance to the offense with so much experieince in gameplanning and play calling.
I think ZOrn will prove to be a great hire and perhaps a steadying influence on Haley and Cassel.