Zorn just happy to get win
SEATTLE — To heck with all the emotional stuff.
Jim Zorn just needed a victory. It happened to be in Seattle, where he was the town’s first pro football hero. And it happened to be against the Seahawks, with whom he spent 16 seasons as a player and coach.
The main thing for him is that it happened, one way or another.
“It was the two losses that motivated us coming into this game, and it was the commitment that I think our team has to continue to go,” Zorn said after Washington defeated Seattle 20-17 in an NFL game Sunday at Qwest Field to break a two-game losing streak and improve to 7-4.
Zorn’s rookie head coach honeymoon got off to a sizzling start as Washington opened up 4-1. But the passion cooled considerably the past five weeks as Washington went 2-3.
“You all put the pressure on. We just react to it,” Washington cornerback Fred Smoot said to reporters. “We didn’t feel like it was a must-win game, but we wanted to win this game.”
That being said, there is no doubt there were a lot of angles to this game for Washington, not the least of which was that the team’s past two visits here resulted in playoff losses, in 2005 and 2007.
“We haven’t had a lot of luck here,” Smoot said. “It was our coach’s homecoming, plus we just don’t like Seattle, so we had a lot of reasons to win this game.”
Washington has three coaches and four players who used to be Seahawks, including 2005 MVP Shaun Alexander and former first-round draft choice Shawn Springs. Alexander, a running back, didn’t play Sunday, but Springs, a defensive back, sealed the victory with an interception with 1:20 left in the game.
Even though he spent seven seasons here himself, Springs was more excited about winning one for Zorn, who was the first starting quarterback in Seahawks history in 1976 and spent nine seasons here as a player.
Zorn’s name is on the team’s Ring of Honor as the third person inducted.
“I know what it means for him,” Springs said of Zorn.
Zorn didn’t deny it, especially in light of defeating Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who was a mentor for him while he was on Seattle’s coaching staff.
“I wanted to not worry about all the nuances of what a special game it was. Now, I can reflect back and say that I got a win over Mike Holmgren,” Zorn said. “That’s something. That’s not just split pea soup. That’s a pretty good deal, so I’m excited about that.”