The day has finally come for all XFL Seattle fans, the suspense has come to an end. Today at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, former Seahawk QB and Red Skins Coach, Jim Zorn was announced to be the first Head Coach/GM of the XFL Seattle franchise.
Zorn is a former player and coach in the National Football League. He was a left-handed quarterback, and is best known as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for their first eight seasons. He was the quarterbacks coach for the Seahawks from 2001 until the 2007 season, before being hired by the Washington Redskins to be their head coach starting in the 2008 season.
Shortly after being fired following the 2009 season, Zorn was hired as quarterbacks coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Zorn was released as quarterbacks coach of the Ravens on January 27, 2011, and then joined the Kansas City Chiefs as their new quarterbacks coach for the 2011 season.
The official Twitter account of the XFL confirmed Zorn as the latest hire with the following Tweet:
#XFL commissioner Oliver Luck announces the hiring of Jim Zorn as the head coach and general manager of @XFLSeattle. https://t.co/OuvaFYRZQ5
— XFL (@xfl2020) February 25, 2019
XFL CEO and Commissioner came out and gave a brief update on the XFL, basically saying what the same things he touched on last week in DC, mentioning locations, venues, financial-backing among others.
On Zorn, Luck said he is exactly what you think of when you hear Quarterback. He knew when they were choosing Seattle, Zorn was the only phone call he needed to make. Luck mentioned that Zorn is the last person that needs to be introduced to the people of Seattle (due to his years as QB of the Seahawks). “I watched Jim Zorn play for the Seahawks, an expansion franchise, and I was totally captivated with his style of play. He was innovative. He was creative. He did all those things as a player that we want to do as a league.”, said Luck.
Jim Zorn then came out and thanked Oliver Luck and the crowd. He joked that he took the job because Oliver promised him first shot at Andrew Luck. Zorn spoke about his thoughts on Vince McMahon, and after his initial shock he was excited by McMahon’s vision. He’s excited to think through the new techniques that will be utilized because of the rule changes.
He likes that the league is creating more opportunities for the younger players and more experienced coaches and staff to show that they’re made of. He praised the new XFL for the people that they’ve hire so far, and is happy to be apart of this team.
Zorn again joked that XFL Seattle already has eight season ticket holders, which drew laughs from the crowd. Also mentioning that he was the third player ever to be signed by the Seahawks and is glad to be back in Seattle.
Zorn hopes to hire people that can build a franchise quickly, and competitively. He’s excited to get to work and he again thanks everyone for their support.
Honestly, one of the better press conferences due to Zorn’s added humor, you can watch the full thing below:
