To save season, job, Zorn must be bold

After losing to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell kept his usual stiff upper lip.

He said the Redskins will keep working hard because you never know when the game will come that turns around the season.

Oh, yes we do. That game in Detroit turned around the Redskins' season - for the worse.

Losing on the road in the NFL is not the problem.

Losing to a team that had lost 19 straight games, and scoring just 14 points, makes it a much bigger issue. After such games, changes are necessary.

"I will be real with them," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said yesterday. "I don't need to play a psychological game with them."

Oh, yes he does.

Barring a nearly miraculous turnaround, Zorn is done as the Redskins' coach.

This is an odd circumstance for a man who has been head coach for just 19 games. But judgments are made quickly in Washington.

Zorn's first day of judgment came after beating St. Louis, one of the NFL's worst teams, 9-7 at home.

While conducting a postgame interview, Redskins radio analyst Sonny Jurgensen questioned Zorn's play selection, specifically a halfback option pass on third and goal from the 5. The play failed.

This was more than just a veteran announcer and beloved former Redskins quarterback quibbling with the coach. Jurgensen would not have raised the issue unless he thought team owner Dan Snyder thinks the same way.

And if Snyder thinks Zorn is not the man for the job, Zorn needs to make some dramatic changes. This at least will show Zorn is the man who still holds the job.

Todd Collins should take over for Campbell. Campbell has had ample opportunity to produce. The ineffective offense might not be all his fault, but everything starts at quarterback.

Collins is no expert in the West Coast offense, but he is a veteran who understands the importance of making quick decisions in the passing game.

Trade running back Clinton Portis, despite the potential salary-cap hit in 2010. Portis is nearing the end of his career. He gained 42 yards against Detroit, and none came in the first half.

Portis is an entertaining player and interview. But some of his comments over the years have not set well with teammates or Zorn.

The Redskins are 35-36 with Portis in the lineup. They can lose just as well without him.

The Redskins should ask for a third-round draft choice, hope to get a fourth and settle for a fifth for Portis.

Zorn should cut several marginal players to get everyone's attention. Prime candidates are wide receiver Malcolm Kelly, tight end Fred Davis and offensive lineman Mike Williams.

Kelly and Davis, second-round draft choices in 2008, are not developing, and there are no signs they will.

Williams who once weighed more than 400 pounds and now is listed at 370, was viewed as a solution to the Redskins' depth problems at offensive tackle.

Zorn should jettison Williams, who has not played in an NFL game since 2005, to express his displeasure with the level of talent he is being given.

Staying the course will not save the season. Zorn should be bold and daring. He has nothing to lose.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or . Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/World ofWoody