Tennessean editor Mark Silverman visited the office recently to discuss the new direction the paper is in the process of taking. I was pleased to see that Silverman did not arrive ready to run through the same powerpoint presentation as I’d already seen from Senior Editor Deborah Fisher late last month.

Silverman instead came armed with what he called his “analog powerpoint,” a reporter’s notepad, and proceeded to begin a candid discussion about The Tennessean and where he’d like to see the organization go in the future. Yes, he returned to the same Gannett talking points that Fisher did on occasion (”The info the audience wants in the form they want when they want,” “information center” for newsroom, etc.), but his remarks rarely sounded like mere recitation. I was left with the impression that Silverman is excited about the changes the Web is demanding from the old-guard in the newspaper industry.

I’ll share more about Silverman’s comments regarding The Tennessean in a moment, but in the meantime let me point out that he came across as blunt and honest, yet warmly self-effacing, too. When I asked if I cheered for the Predators or the Red Wings, Silverman — who spent nearly a decade with The Detroit News — hesitated with a meek “The Predators” before weighing in loudly that he was really a Red Wings fan. “They won three Stanley Cups in eight years, and we sold a million more copies of the paper each time they did.” I can’t cheer alongside him, but I can respect anyone who doesn’t change allegiances when he changes ZIP codes.

Silverman also claimed to have submitted the “single stupidest [NCAA tournament] bracket picks ever seen” at The Tennessean and said that he picked Georgetown, Vanderbilt’s next opponent, to win it all. After watching a few games this weekend, that doesn’t sound too stupid after all.