John Niyo: NFL Insider

It's no hoax: Redskins coach Jim Zorn employed -- for now

Falcon Heene probably knows the feeling.

And when the Redskins host the Eagles on Monday, Jim Zorn might as well be up in the attic hiding. He's the NFL's "Balloon Boy" now, the coach at the front of the firing line, waiting for his bubble to officially burst.

There will be other coaches let go at the end of the season, just like there are every winter. Buffalo's Dick Jauron, Carolina's John Fox and Dallas' Wade Phillips are a few of the candidates, with past Super Bowl winners Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden waiting patiently on the golf course and in the broadcast booth.

But Zorn might get axed before Thanksgiving -- or Halloween. And if you watched his weekly news conference Monday, you sort of wished he'd gotten pink-slipped the night before.

Hours after his Redskins were beaten by the previously winless Chiefs, Zorn had his offensive play-calling duties stripped, and it was he who had to explain it the next day. Not Vinny Cerrato, the VP of football operations who "strongly suggested" the switch, and not Daniel Snyder, the meddling owner.

Keep in mind, those two were the ones who hired Zorn only 21 months ago, first as their offensive coordinator and then a few weeks later as Snyder's sixth coach in barely a decade -- a backward sign of things to come.

As for the new play-caller, it's a guy who was calling bingo games at the senior center here in Novi up until a couple weeks ago. Sherm Lewis, who won four Super Bowls as an assistant before retiring from the Lions staff in 2004, was the "fresh set of eyes" Cerrato brought Oct. 6 to work as a consultant.

The conventional wisdom then, and now, is that Lewis' presence allows the Redskins to jettison Zorn without fatally injuring the team, since he's not only the coach but he's also the de facto coordinator and the quarterbacks coach.

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache and secondary coach Jerry Gray appear to be the interim candidates if Zorn gets canned.

But in the meantime, Lewis will be calling the plays for the league's 27th-ranked offense, despite barely knowing the team's terminology or the personnel.

Gone, but not forgotten

Tennessee and Baltimore lost big-name defensive players Albert Haynesworth and Bart Scott to free agency.

But the Titans and Ravens also lost their defensive coordinators, Jim Schwartz (Lions) and Rex Ryan (Jets) to top jobs.

The result?

The teams were second and third in the NFL in scoring defense a year ago, but now rank 32nd and 21st, respectively.

Marinelli gets Adams

Rod Marinelli finally gets his chance to coach Gaines Adams , after the defensive end Detroit coveted as a top-five pick in the 2007 draft was traded from Tampa Bay to Chicago last week.

The hope is Adams will be an immediate contributor in the Bears' rotation up front.

"Athletically, talent-wise and movement-wise, he's special," Marinelli told the team's Web site.

By the numbers

-7 Passing yards for Tennessee in a 59-0 loss at New England

4 Undefeated teams through Week 6, the most since 1970 AFL/NFL merger

$159.65 Average ticket price for Cowboys games, the highest in the NFL

John's top 5

• 1. New Orleans: Every week Brees has a new favorite target.

• 2. Indianapolis: Most of Colts' toughest tests left come at home.

• 3. Minnesota: Defense has 16 sacks, eight takeaways in 4 games.

• 4. Denver: Five of six victories have come against the AFC.

• 5. N.Y. Giants: RB Jacobs still looking for first 100-yard game.

John's bottom 5

• 28. Tennessee: The 59-0 loss to Patriots has to be rock bottom.

• 29. Washington: Last five opponents have combined 4-25 record.

• 30. Cleveland: Outside of WR Cribbs, not much to see here.

• 31. Tampa Bay: Buccaneers gave up 267 rushing yards to Panthers.

• 32. St. Louis: Rams get Colts before their trip to Ford Field.

Out of the gate

Here are the best starts by rookie coaches since 1970:

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