FanHouse Jim Mora Jr.

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

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NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

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The reactions were swift and, well, reactionary following the Redskins' uninspired performance against the Giants on Thursday night. As always, the expectations are high, even with Joe Gibbs now doing the Lord's work, and his successor, Jim Zorn, never having even coordinated an offense much less coached up an entire team.

Still, with owner Dan Snyder's history of throwing around money for big-name players like he's Elliot Spitzer patronizing the services of the Emperors Club VIP, expectations are bound to be artificially inflated.

It's probably unfair to think quarterback Jason Campbell would have fully grasped Zorn's West Coast scheme in just a few months, but even the most measured observer had to be taken aback at what passed for offense against New York.

The Washington Post's Jason La Canfora writes that Zorn, who was able to sit through an entire film review without puking his guts out, had some thoughts on how to improve things going forward:

The Falcons unofficially began their descent into awfulness when they fired Jim Mora Jr. following the 2006 season. At the time, it seemed like a perfectly rational move -- Mora had underachieved for two years after making it to the NFC Championship game in 2004 -- but in retrospect, it was the first crack in the proverbial dike.

Puppy murder and Bobby Petrino would follow, and next thing you know the Falcons are 4-12 and have the third-overall pick in the '08 draft. Atlanta would use the pick on Boston College's Matt Ryan, and most of us just assumed he would sit and learn for a year before the new coaching staff threw him to the wolves.

Most us would assume wrong, apparently.

Rookie Matt Ryan will open the regular season as the Falcons' starting quarterback. The decision was made over the weekend and will be announced by coach Mike Smith after today's practice. ...

Clarity arrived after three preseason games in which Ryan, who took the majority of snaps, completed 32-of-52 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He made his first start Friday against Tennessee and completed 15-of-21 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Ryan has been praised by teammates for his leadership, diligence and huddle presence as well as his ability to make plays.