Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
ASHBURN, Va. -- If you've watched Redskins head coach Jim Zorn in enough news conferences, you know that he's not exactly the fire and brimstone type. In my 45-minute visit with him Tuesday morning, he came across as a cerebral guy who stops and analyzes almost every sentence that comes out of his mouth.
But at the end of Tuesday morning's practice, he sensed a teaching moment for his team. We couldn't hear it from our end zone section almost 50 yards away, but apparently a defensive player took exception to something defensive coordinator Greg Blache said and squared off with him in a verbal exchange.
Zorn didn't say anything at the time, but after practice, he called the team over and talked to them at length about what it means to show proper respect. He knew his speech was resonating because several veterans were heard saying, "That's right" as he talked.
Later, Zorn did something that I've never seen another head coach do. When Blache came walking by, he said to him, "Did I handle that OK?"
Blache appeared to be startled by the question at first, but then he said, "Yeah, I think it was perfect."
It's apparently the Zorn way. Unlike many head coaches I've spent time with, he likes to empower other people on his staff. It's not like I've been around him long enough to make any judgments, but in that moment, he was pretty impressive.
The only thing I'm worried about is him spending too much time with the media. He must've stuck around and talked to reporters for an hour and a half after practice. Of course, you'll find no complaints here.
So much more to come. I'm taking a little break because the fire alarm in my hotel has been going off for 15 minutes. Guess I should at least confirm that it's a false alarm.
Mosley, an award-winning writer for The Dallas Morning News for seven years, joined ESPN.com in January 2007. Mosley, a Baylor graduate, writes columns, features and blogs for ESPN.com.
