It’s been all over the papers and on the tongues of many Washingtonians: who’s going to replace Joe Gibbs as head coach of the Redskins? Although only a few weeks long, the saga seemed to stretch on forever. And in the end, the ‘Skins surprised everybody, something Dan Snyder seems to enjoy: They picked the man who had just been hired to be the team’s offensive coordinator, Jim Zorn. Who?

James Arthur Zorn is not exactly the best known coach out there. He was an NFL quarterback from 1976 to 1987, having most of his success in Seattle, passing to Hall of Famer Steve Largent before Dave Krieg took over. He also played a bit in Green Bay, the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, then back in the NFL (sort of) with the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he ended his career — the ‘Skins won the Super Bowl that year, interestingly enough.

Zorn then joined the college coaching ranks as QB boss at Boise State, offensive coordinator at Utah State, then quarterbacks coach at Minnesota. After the 1996 season with the Golden Gophers, Zorn rejoined the Seahawks as an offensive assistant, spent a few years with Detroit, then came back to the Starbucks City as quarterbacks coach, holding that position until right now. And he did pretty well there, helping Matt Hasselbeck go from sixth round draft choice to three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl starter. Maybe that’s why Zorn, somebody who was never a pro offensive coordinator, let alone head coach, is here: to groom Jason Campbell (or some other QB) to success in the league. It’s not a bad gamble.