The Sky Is the Limit for the New and Improved Pat Shurmur

by Cleveland Frowns on July 31, 2012

Last week, Browns head coach Pat Shurmur made the local media rounds, giving rise to an explosion of commentary about how the second-year Browns head coach is a different man this season, a new guy with a new attitude. This was all clear by last Friday, the day before veterans reported to training camp.

Which, of course, is a huge bummer, because if Shurmur really is a different man this season, it means we’ll have lost the old “calm and professional, unruffled” Pat Shurmur of last pre-season; the one “[without a] glimpse of anxiety or doubt on his face,” the “born leader” who’s “self-deprecating and authoritative at the same time,” and who “has that ‘it,’” that “swag to him, just like a really good coach.”

And with that Shurmur gone, there’s no telling what might happen to the Browns offense from last pre-season; The offense that was “in a word, coordinated,” with “a sense of purpose in what they tried to do and a tempo that was faster than we’ve seen here for a while,” with “the timing and rhythm” all “com[ing] together.”

No football practice for the Browns today which leaves us twisting in the wind on all of this for now, but thank heavens football practice will be starting up again tomorrow.

—————

In other news, Barack Obama points out that you didn’t make Planet Earth, and Mitt Romney is mad as hell. Also, god likes Jews better than Palestinians.

And the quote of the day is of course from Pat Shurmur, on rookie WR Josh Gordon:

“Joe came back and said, ‘Wow, this is a big sucker,’”

Which is all for today. Hope everyone is having a decent one.

  • ClevelandFrowns

    Traveling to motherland for extremely important family business so posts will be at more irregular times than usual and commenting responsibilities will be more important than usual until the end of next week.

    • actovegin1armstrong

      Frownie,
      Have fun in Akron.

  • BigDigg

    There’s cliched bs sports journalism, and then there’s PD cliched bs sports journalism. It’s just on a whole different level.

  • Hopwin

    Your two links about BO vs MR are contradictory. Frum makes a compelling case that MR is not using the quote out of context whereas Politifact states he is.

    • http://twitter.com/DavidAArnott David A. Arnott

      I’m not sure Frum is arguing that Romney is quoting Obama out of context. Rather, Frum is assuming that both you and Romney understand the statement in context and then making an argument about why Romney and his supporters are so pissed off about it.

    • ChuckKoz

      speaking of “out of contex”, mitt is continuing to embarrass himself by blaming the media and saying his gaffe in israel (among many others) was out of context.

      evidence: he wrote a book and said the same thing. http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/07/31/romney_made_same_argument_about_palestinians_in_book.html

      mitt romney is everything that we were told john kerry was. and just like kerry lost to a vulnerable incumbent, so will romney. no doubt.

      • BIKI024

        if Obama loses to Mitt the Twit, he and his staff might be one of the most incompetent administrations in US history

  • clay

    USWNT !! Kicking ass. Even if you don’t like soccer, try watching them.

    • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

      completely rooting against them. hope solo is a d-bag.

      • clay

        Agree on Hope, but I don’t think any the rest of em act like that. I chalk it up to most great teams usually have at least one asshole. Also, I think she’s hot so I cut her some slack.

      • Kamov

        You’d root against the entire team just because of that? Abby Wambach is everything in terms of a sportswoman that Solo isn’t, and the rest of the team seems pretty down to earth also. It’s just hard for me to believe that Solo behaving like a brat is worth disowning the rest.

        • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

          let’s review: hope solo engages in childish public tirade against broadcaster. her complaint was that the broadcaster said that the USA defender needed to maintain control of the ball. IOW.. this petty thing is as wrong as it can be.

          coach’s response: “I don’t punish people,” Sundhage said. “And I don’t know what’s right and wrong.”

          um ok.

          and what has hope solo learned? wisdom? contrition? humility? proper roles/responsibilities of soccer broadcaster/analysts?

          err.. that be no…
          “discipline? Ha! For what! Never even a topic! We talked about our team deserving the best!”

          so we have a person who thinks the rules of society dont apply to her because she’s on a winning soccer team. thus, i want very much for her soccer to lose.

          yep. first time i’ve rooted for north korea in anything. thanks USWNT.

          • nj0

            “discipline? Ha! etc etc”

            I assumed that was an unfair characterization of what she said.

            Nope, exact quote.

            How did people make fools of themselves before twitter?

          • ClevelandFrowns

            The old fashioned way.

          • technivore

            I don’t get this. I agree that Hope Solo is acting like a brat on twitter. But so what? It’s not like it’s rare for an elite athlete to also be a complete a-hole, in some cases that a-hole edge is probably what keeps them competing at a high level. If Solo needs to concoct some story to keep that chip on her shoulder and “play mad”, then so be it.

            Did you root for the Indians to lose when Chris Perez did the same thing? (which, if you did, mission accomplished I guess.)

            Basically I just think it’s senseless to root against the entire team because one player writes some bratty tweets.

          • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

            actually fouty, hamm, et al managed to win world cups and gold medals without becoming self-absorbed jerks.

            solo’s thing seems more ‘off’ than other incidents in that is it so utterly misguided… and yet she’s in the USWNT ‘bubble’ they talk about and no seems to be able to tell that.. ‘um, hope.. stfu. mmK?’

            as for the rest of the team — i didnt think rapinoe’s born in the usa ‘thing’ (or her tendency to have a ‘thing’ ready at all times) was/is cool. and i dont like abby wambach’s gatorade commercial. (spaeth or joiner had a funny tweet on this but cant find it, damn.)

            but at the heart of it,,, i root for underdogs.* i will face a dilemma when the browns become three time defending SB champs.

            as for perez, i think his jerkiness makes him a better closer. but i wouldve traded him now because his value wont get higher and he really lacks perspective.

            ok back to another all-time first: GO TUNISIA!!

            ___
            *honduras over spain has been the highlight of the games for me thus far.

          • Kamov

            Those old USWNTs never played against competition as good as the current one faces (and regularly hammered overmatched opponents by scores more appropriate to the production of the Brown’s offense). Heck, the US just lost the last World Cup to Japan and had to win an epic match against Brazil just to get there. Rooting for underdogs cannot be the heart of it.

            I don’t know how it’s fair to judge Wambach by a Gatorade commercial (or any commercial unless it’s something egregious, like promoting racism or something). These ladies aren’t making the sort of money that even MLS players make, much less raking in endorsements like Kobe and LeBron.

            Finally, Solo isn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done thousands of times before by male athletes – Stick up for a teamate against a broadcaster. Chastain *was* dishing it out, can probably take it, and if she was Solo’s teamate and the one being defended, she’d probably say nothing or say she was fine with it.

          • ClevelandFrowns

            “Did you root for the Indians to lose when Chris Perez did the same thing? (which, if you did, mission accomplished I guess.)

            It’s these small victories that keep us afloat.

          • clay

            This instance, unlike in the past, wasn’t about her. She was sticking up for a teammate, albeit in very poor fashion. I wouldn’t toss the whole team under the bus for that. Also, my brain just can’t compute rooting against Alex Morgan wearing a USA jersey.

          • NeedsFoodBadly

            I always root for North Korea. Those people got grit.

      • actovegin1armstrong

        Hope Solo is beautiful, brash and outspoken.
        It does not get any sexier than that.
        Though women are the only acceptable partners.

        • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

          we could replace solo with the goalkeeper for LSU; upgrade sex-appeal and like-ability; and still win gold.

  • wiseoldredbeard

    Worth noting that year two of Mangini’s reign began with a similar article about change… http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/sports/football/07mangini.html?pagewanted=all Huh…

    • ClevelandFrowns

      The point is just as much about last year’s articles about Shurmur as it is about this year’s articles. Anyway, yes, it is left to the reader to decide which reports of “change” have substance and which don’t. A real challenge, I know.

  • nj0

    If you haven’t seen it, Romney from 2002 speaking to some Olympians – “You Olympians, however, know you didn’t get here solely on your own power. For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them.”

  • BIKI024

    it’s not so much that he has “changed” but that as with any coach in their 2nd year, particularly after one that didn’t allow the usual breaking-in and “getting to know the players” period that most rookie coaches get, there is now a comfort level that he has with the players and fellow coaches.

    not to mention that it seems to be a bit more loose since they don’t need to cram the playbook installation in a short period of time, along with the addition of 2 very experienced offensive coaches, he definitely has more time to float around and spend time with the players/coaches, etc.

    it’s only natural for a coach or player for that matter to feel more comfortable in their surroundings in their 2nd year, but I guess that’s unacceptable and unfathomable for some people around here to appreciate.

    • Petefranklin

      It is acceptable(being comfortable) in year 2, what is not is coming in, in year 1 totally unprepared. Harbaugh came in from Stanford, without being broken in in the NFL, nor with any chance to get to know his players. Guess maybe one guy has what it takes and the other, well, good luck. If they would have shown any signs of being coached up last year, I’d be pretty damn optimistic this season. BTW the 4.5 is gone along with the 6 on the Browns season win totals, so our line is exactly where the market placed it…for now.

      • BIKI024

        completely different situations. SF’s talent level is significantly higher than the Browns, particularly on offense which had a lot continuity. you give the Browns Frank Gore and that offensive line and it makes things a heck of a lot easier.

        • Petefranklin

          I would hope that we are on track to be better than last years version of SF’s offense this year. 49er D is elite though, so I guess he preached ball control. I doubt our d is good enough, despite the good #’s, to plan the same way the 49ers do, we have to score this year which will expose the true Shurmer, good or bad.

  • Bryan

    I listened to all of Shurmur’s interviews, and the one thing I really appreciated was the obvious disdain he had for the stupid questions the Cleveland media asked him. This gave me hope that the man can be saved.

    • ClevelandFrowns

      This calls to mind the fundamental rule of life that one may generally get away with being rude or stupid at any given time, but never really both.

      • http://www.autismspeaks.org/ PML

        What the hell are you doing up at 4:00 your time? I just got done saving the world (once again) on Call of Duty and was about ready to call it a night.

        • ClevelandFrowns

          I said I was traveling back to the motherland. It’s morning here in civilization.

          • http://www.autismspeaks.org/ PML

            Duh – that must have been the Stone IPA talking.

  • rodofdisaster

    If we can’t be optimistic when everyone is 0-0 then we need to stop watching. As that sentiment relates to Pat Shurmur, I think we have to be willing to see what he does and keep an open mind. Does that mean that we forget how he got quick-snapped by the Bengals or how he couldn’t manage the final 30 seconds of the half against the Ravens? I don’t think we can forget those things. For myself, at least, he still will have to prove something. I didn’t like a lot of the logic and decision-making by Pat. I thought he was in well over his head. St. Louis fans were glad to see him leave and considering that they weren’t some juggernaut, I think that says a lot.

    • BIKI024

      he wasn’t the first or the last coach to be quick-snapped, and there is plenty others to blame on that as well, including veterans like Fujita and Dqwell, not to mention Jauron. of course the buck stops with him, but even Tom Coughlin teams make brain farts, or even the great NE Patriots in this past Super Bowl with all the mental errors and penalties they had as a team. but when you go 4-12 all these mistakes get magnified since we’ve had 2 winning seasons in 20 years and we forget that teams with talent can still win, even in sloppy games. but obviously our margin for error last year was razor slim and his mistakes made fans want to slit his wrists, even though the problems of the team were much larger than Pat Shurmur, and mostly due to an offensive roster that lacked talent and depth.

      it clearly was a mistake by all involved to not get him an OC, but it seems like they wanted Chilly last year but he needed a year off so they decided to wing it as is and wait a year for him. now with B.Chill and Cromwell on the staff, and a full offseason, and even with nearly half the offensive starters being rookies, the talent is much better than it was last year, so i think it’s reasonable to expect some improvements from him and the team performance overall.

    • manc

      The jury’s out (really out, sequestered, arguing in the jury room, asking the judge for instructions, fighting over what to order for lunch etc) on Shurmur; I have no idea if he has what it takes to develop into a competent NFL head coach.

      I’m totally buying into all the rookies because they’re all massive upgrades at their respective positions, which is pathetic but true.

      • Beeej

        It looks like we will actually have a whole offensive line this year. If that isn’t encouraging, I don’t know what is.

  • Petefranklin

    I expect improvement also, a rookie QB and a murderers row schedule means were back to 5 wins. If we can actually pass the ball this year we might get 7.

    • bossman09

      The 2011 schedule wasn’t that much easier. http://www.rogerspoll.com/nfl_2011_sos_final.html We played 11 games against teams with 8 wins or more.

      • Petefranklin

        You can spin that any way you want but out of our division we had #’s 4,9,11 and 20 and below for the rest. Thats 7 games with the bottom third of the league, a schedule to salivate over. Until we can figure out how to win 3 games in the division, I guess it doesn’t matter.

  • CleveLandThatILove

    Obama off prompter and Bernie Kosar on Twitter are two of my greatest joys.

    Breathalyzer. So funny.

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