When Sherman Lewis addressed the media, one day after his arrival as an offensive consultant, he made it clear. He was not here to take anyone’s job.
Two weeks later, he has Jim Zorn’s job as a play-caller. The Redskins will have Lewis call the plays 22 games into Zorn’s tenure.
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Zorn said no other assistant was considered for the job when executive vice president Vinny Cerrato made the “suggestion” after Sunday’s 14-6 loss to Kansas City.
Lewis called plays in Minnesota under coach Dennis Green as well as in Green Bay, in 1999, and Detroit, for a handful of games. When he was in Detroit, one NFL source said he was “nothing more than a figurehead.”
Another NFL source said Lewis was considered a good assistant in Green Bay, but termed his days as a play-caller as a “failure” even though they ranked 10th in scoring. Lewis will sit in the press box and relay plays to Zorn, who will then tell them to the quarterback. Zorn will have final say on fourth-down calls, but said he would not veto any plays Lewis calls on other downs.
“It is a little weird,” Redskins receiver Antwaan Randle El said. “Some of the guys weren’t even sure who he was. But it comes back to trying to shake things up. We have to roll with the punches and get going as players.”
Lewis is well-versed in the West Coast offense, having coached in the system for 22 years in the NFL. But each version has its own nuances. There are other obstacles.
“He doesn’t know the personnel very well,” Redskins quarterback Todd Collins said. “I don’t know if it’s exactly the same offense he’s used to running.
“It’s not an ideal situation. Generally, you have some play-callers work with the quarterback for years and years. This will be a quick change for us. It seems pretty drastic measures are called for when we haven’t played well on offense.”
Receiver Santana Moss said, “All you can do is be positive about the situation because right now it doesn’t seem like anything positive comes out of our play.”
