Confession time, since I'm told Jim Zorn's mini explosion was generating some buzz: I was the eye roller.

The end of the story first: After Jim's press conference, he talked to myself and Times columnist Dan Daly about the sequence we/I was trying to ask about and chalked it up to a misunderstanding.

Some background: Dan first brought it up and I agreed -- the Lions helped the Redskins get the late first-half field goal by calling timeout with 36 seconds remaining. Zorn had just called a Clinton Portis draw play on second-and-27 from the Redskins' 9-yard line. Translation (we thought): The Redskins are running out the clock and will go to halftime down 10-3. But the Lions wouldn't allow that and called timeout. The Redskins subsequently marched down to get a field goal to make it 10-6. I thought that was a semi turning point. After a penalty-filled first half, the Redskins at least cut into the lead.

I haven't listed to the tape of the Zorn exchange or watched the video. And I won't. I tried to ask about the momentum gained by getting the three on the board and whether Detroit helped the Redskins out and whether Zorn was going to run the clock out.

Zorn thought the subject was about the previous drive (which ended with a Shaun Suisham missed field goal) and his use of timeouts. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about.

Anyway, I tried to re-phase it more clearly but to no avail. Another reporter asked it more bluntly and Zorn answered.

And I rolled my eyes out of frustration that it took 3-4 questions for us to figure out what sequence he was talking about.

Zorn didn't like this -- obviously. I told him we could chat afterward and that was that. We chatted, looked at the play by play sheet and got on the same page. That entire conversation was off the record so it didn't appear in the Times' coverage.

What I believe: Zorn was frustrated that he couldn't answer my question. And I was frustrated that I couldn't get him to understand my point.

Again, no big deal. I'll be directly to his left, next to the Coke machine, Monday at 12:25 for his presser, for which I'll have updates.

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