Here's our chance for Jeff Fisher

Zorn was an odd chance to take. A 55 year old with no play calling experience. Meanwhile Kyle Shanahan is 29 years old and has been calling plays for a couple of years now

SFREDSKINS, here's an argument you can use against Fisher that might work better...

Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher wears Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning jersey at charity event - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4581777)

No, this works better. How many SB's has Jeff Fisher won? NONE. In how many years of coaching? 16 seasons

How many head coaches have there been the last 16 years? And how many of those have won Super Bowls

I like Jeff Fisher. Great coach, better person. But that doesn't mean I want him here. I don't understand why we keep complaining that Snyder just goes after the big names...and then just talk about bringing in big names.

What we should do is find the next great coach (and it's not Zorn it seems). Maybe it's Brian Schottenheimer, maybe it's Jeremy Bates, maybe it's Kyle Shanahan, maybe it's Pete Carmichael, maybe it's Darell Bevell, maybe it's Rob Ryan...and so on

The danger of course is that it could backfire completely, but at this point why not take that chance?

I definitely agree that if one is really serious about building a winning franchise for the future...which means its winning ways is built on continuity, then hiring an up and coming coach who has had experience with either being a playcalling OC or DC and is young is definitely the way to go. Joe Gibbs wasn't a head coach prior to being hired by the Redskins. All of the "big name" coaches had to start somewhere.

GM first, coach second. If we hire a Coach before a GM, then we are back to square 1.

Spot on.

Fisher no SB win
Shanahan 2 SB w/ Elway
Gruden 1 SB 1st year in TB (Dungy built that team)
Shottenheimer couldn't even win (ok, maybe ine) a playoff game

It doesn't make sense to qualify Shanahan's Super Bowl victories on the basis of John Elway's starting QB role without similarly qualifying Tony Dungy's Super Bowl victory on the basis of Peyton Manning's starting QB role.

It's like in sports, what have you done for me lately mentality. Most fans in this forum have no patience and want things turned around overnite and think this guys are saviors. I rather take my chance with a young/hungry proven coordinator (not QB coach) than this retreads who have had their chances.

Remember, Belicheck was also a retread. Dungy didn't win a SB with "the team he built" in TBay. He had to be a "retread" in Indy to get it. Retread J. Gruden won his SB against the team he built in Oakland. Retread T. Coughlin won a SB after being run out on a rail from Jacksonville. Retread D. Vermeil got a SB with the Rams and got damn close with KCity.

None of these coaches were successful in their first stints. You're right - patience is required but there may be something to be said for hiring a coach who knows how to manage a game and build a team. Even if he doesn't bring championships, maybe as Dungy did in TBay, they can set the stage for further success.

BUT - for the record - I am with the "First GM, then HC" crowd. I just think a new GM should not discount those with HC exp. just b/c they didn't win a gazillion SB's in their first stint.

I don't understand the original post and the reference to Cowher -- and spoecifically the statement about what's he done in 14 years at Pittsburgh. A lot, actually. He's had great teams, won a SB, and not with big name, flashy guys, but blue collar workhorses (kind of like the old Redskins teams). Pittsburgh never goes crazy in free agency, they seem to have managed the cap well, and he's done with while grooming a group of excellent young coaches (Tomlin, Whisenhunt, Grimm) -- and it takes good coaching all around to win. Most of the great head coaches had great assistants, and Cowher knows how to develop them. Plus, I wouldn't mind a head coach with some fire.

Having said all of that, he's probably looking at the Redskins franchise right now and thinking to himself that there are 1000 things he'd rather do that get bogged down with this mess.

And he has also gone from:

13-3 to 7-9

12-4 to 5-11

13-3 to 0-6 so far this year.

He's like a rollercoaster.

Fischer is a proven guy and is very well respected around the league. He's working for the cheapest owner in the NFL. If he's fired he'd be my 1st choice.

I like Jeff Fisher. Great coach, better person. But that doesn't mean I want him here. I don't understand why we keep complaining that Snyder just goes after the big names...and then just talk about bringing in big names.

What we should do is find the next great coach (and it's not Zorn it seems). Maybe it's Brian Schottenheimer, maybe it's Jeremy Bates, maybe it's Kyle Shanahan, maybe it's Pete Carmichael, maybe it's Darell Bevell, maybe it's Rob Ryan...and so on

The danger of course is that it could backfire completely, but at this point why not take that chance?

Oh I totally agree, let's do some big time due diligence here. Jeff Fisher is a big time quality coach too and i think you have to look his way as well. He's 51 so he's got some good years in front of him too. I think there is major quality behind the big name. With that being said there's nothing I'd like more than to find the next great head coach. Maybe it's B Schott, or K Shanahan. Hopefully our FO will do some major work and make the right choice.