Sherm, Stump, and my man the Z-Man

(Go ahead and press up those t-shirts now).
Who says Dan Snyder couldn't find any great coaching names? The offensive committee the Z-Man is gearing up for 2008's glorious season is shaping up to be magnificient. Newest offensive coordinator Sherm, the former running backs coach from the Titans, seems Rain Man peppy (and likely a kick-ass Kelli Johnson Tuesday interview, unlike Al Saunders, who usually found 10,000 excuses for some of those heinous fake quadruple-reverses). Check out this quote:

"Anyone would . . . look forward to working with my man Z-man and the staff he's
putting together. I've talked to a lot of people I trust, and they've told me
this sounds like a good move for me at this time in my career."

Guess working for the Redskins ain't the soul-crushing death knell the whole league is avoiding in droves, huh, Sally? Quotes like these get the DCO excited, as Sherm seems to beam an effervescent spirit that likely aided his prodigious ability to turn seemingly hopeless prospects like Lendell White into thousand-yard forces of playoffitude. And, as if hiring this run-first o-coordinator wasn't enough, the skins went and signed on another big-time back burgeoner in Stump Mitchell. Stump had been festering over there in Seattle along with the Z-Man, just waiting for the time they could abandon Shawn Alexander's diminishing returns and instead join a historic running team already having a solid foundation. A focus on the running game ought to be paramount for this team, with a top-five running back and a perfectly adequate backup already locked in. Want more awesome quotage?

"You don't win football games because of plays, you win football games because
of players executing and making plays."

The DCO loves this quote as well. Why? Well it dispells some of the myths that many of the Redskins faithfuls are wrestling with right now. Sure a Hall of Fame coach has left the building for good, and the guy all the players wanted to be hired wasn't hired, but damn if the skins still don't have a pretty darn solid core of players, beginning with their offensive line, which will finally be healthy in 2008. Players make plays, not brainy coordinators. The Redskins lost many players last year (including one we will never get back), and yet the still made the playoffs. A new-ish (don't forget Greg Blache is back coaching the D) coaching staff isn't going to plunge the team deep into the abyss of crappyiness just because the replacement coach hasn't already been featured on a Wheaties box for his crafting of the 7-10 split option 48 blue-green shank flip. Get a couple of blue collar motivators (all of whom are former NFL players, including the Z Man -- a key to earning locker room respect according to former 'skin lineman Ross Tucker) that don't tote some bally-hooed system with them, and have the players respond with their talents.

One must feel further confidence in the Z-Man for his hiring of Sherm and Stump, in addition to the addition of offensive detail mongerer Chris Meindt (sorry, no cool nickname for you yet, bro), giving the Z-Man ample time to work with still-QB of the future Jason Campbell (remember him?). We have a feeling that this internal promotion just might pay off.