Shurmur No Sure thing

It seems Mike Holmgren’s hand-picked head coach is having a hard time landing top assistants.  Shurmur’s insistence on calling the offensive plays is limiting the interest of potential offensive coordinator candidates. Former Falcons quarterback coach Bill Musgrave passed on the Browns to call plays for the Vikings. The Browns may be stuck with turning to a young coach looking to work up the NFL coaching ladder- someone willing to be groomed by Holmgren and Shurmur.  I think Browns fans would agree there is a need for a veteran coordinator, given Shurmur’s lack of experience (none) as a head coach.

"There is a defense?"
Shurmur’s ‘joke’ at is introductory press conference was about as funny as a John Elway last minute drive.  What happened to “Defense wins championships?”  While Shurmur comes in as the offensive guru, there’s no question a stout defense is a necessity in the AFC North. Maybe coming from the NFC, Shurmur is not familiar with the Steelers and Ravens. The Browns have interviewed Dick Jauron, Dave Wannstedt and Bill Davis for the defensive coordinator job. Jauron and Wannstedt have experience and decent resumes. Davis was just fired by the Arizona Cardinals.  Again, no one seems to be jumping to the front of the line for this job.  I fear we’ll be at midseason talking about the Browns losing games 35-28 instead of 17-10.

> Find Cleveland Browns hats & Merchandise online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

Upgrade?
Whatever you think about Eric Mangini, he had a solid support staff. Brad Seeley is one of the most respected special teams coaches in the game. Now he’s headed to join Jim Harbaugh with the 49ers.
Rob Ryan had his ups and downs, but the Browns defense did improve over a year ago. The Dallas Cowboys wasted no time hiring Ryan to revamp their D.
Before you start ripping Brian Daboll, consider the inconsistency he dealt with at quarterback. Remember Colt McCoy was a rookie, even though he didn’t always play like one.  If Daboll was as bad as the Cleveland media would have you believe, then why did the Dolphins scoop him up to call plays in South Beach?
It will be worth watching to see how the Dolphins fare under his guidance.
Holmgren has the big name. Shurmur is his man.  But will either succeed without a quality support staff?  It will be interesting to see if the growing pains on the field are mirrored on the sidelines in 2011.

By Scott Wludyga
ProFootball-Fans.com Guest Writer