Tag: Pat Shurmur

Pat Shurmur to join Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado

Former New York Giants HC Pat Shurmur is joining the Colorado staff under Deion Sanders as an analyst.

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NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is shaking up the college football landscape these days with his unconventional style.

The Colorado Buffaloes head coach is reportedly adding an NFL-level offensive mind to his coaching staff – former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur.

From CBSSports.com:

Veteran NFL coach Pat Shurmur is expected to join Deion Sanders’ Colorado football staff as an analyst, 247Sports Carl Reed reports. Reed notes that Shurmur has been on campus in Boulder all week, spending time around the football program.

“Colorado will be looking for him to add to the culture they are establishing offensively,” Reed wrote on Twitter. “And to give the players another resource in their pursuit of reaching the NFL.”

Shermer would bring more than 20 years of NFL experience to the staff. He most recently served as the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator from 2020-21. Before that, he was the head coach of the New York Giants, amassing a 9-23 record in two years.

Shurmur was hired as the Giants’ head coach in 2018, replacing Ben McAdoo. after being named the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year as the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2017.

Unfortunately, Shurmur was shown the door after two dismal seasons but did leave behind one bright spot. He coached up rookie quarterback Daniel Jones in 2019 to a 3,029 yards passing-24 touchdown season in just 12 starts. The 24 touchdowns (versus 12 interceptions) are still the most in a season by Jones.

Eric Bieniemy to meet with Commanders on Thursday

Eric Bieniemy will finally meet with the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders have waited weeks to speak with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy about their OC vacancy. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, that meeting will occur on Thursday.

Bieniemy is the presumed top candidate. Head coach Ron Rivera spoke at the Super Bowl’s Radio Row last week about Bieniemy, saying that Bieniemy wanted to work with a defensive-minded coach, which Rivera is. And that Rivera wanted to speak with Bieniemy before making a decision.

Washington has been without an offensive coordinator since Jan. 10, when it fired Scott Turner. Turner has since landed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a pass game coordinator.

The Commanders interviewed former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Tuesday, which apparently went well. It would appear that Bieniemy and Roman are the top candidates, but quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur are also firmly in the mix.

Rivera hopes to have a decision by the end of the week. Bieniemy will be the eighth person to interview with Rivera for the position.

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Ranking Commanders’ top offensive coordinator options

Ranking the current options for Washington’s next offensive coordinator.

The dust appears to have settled on the Washington Commanders and their search for an offensive coordinator. Head coach Ron Rivera made his rounds at Radio Row during Super Bowl week last week and envisioned his search for an offensive coordinator wrapping up soon.

The Commanders fired Scott Turner on Jan. 10 and have interviewed seven known candidates since that time. Washington waited until after the Super Bowl to interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, something Rivera openly acknowledged. While Washington has reached out for an interview with Bieniemy, it’s unknown when that interview will take place.

One of the candidates, Charles London, took a new job with the Titans. Two of the other candidates, Eric Studesville and Thomas Brown, don’t appear to be top contenders. That leaves us with four remaining options.

We rank each of those options for Washington. We consider cost, style of offense and fan reaction in our rankings.

Commanders, Rivera, new offensive coordinator NEED to win next year

Ron Rivera needs to hire the offensive coordinator who can help him win — not necessarily who he is most comfortable with.

Ron Rivera and the Commanders are searching for their next offensive coordinator, and one name has yet to generate much discussion.

The reason might be play-calling experience. Or it might be something as simple as why would an offensive coordinator leave Patrick Mahomes for another OC job.

Calling the plays in the NFL? Don’t all offensive coordinators do this today? Not if the head coach wants to be calling the plays. Eric Bienemy has been in Kansas City now for ten years. For the first five, he coached running backs, and for the last five, he has been the offensive coordinator, but it remains Reid who calls the plays.

Apparently, the play calling of OC Scott Turner was upsetting enough to Coach Ron that Turner was sent packing after his three years under Rivera.

Play-calling is the most criticized aspect of NFL coaching.
Every fan knows the coordinator should not have called that play that didn’t work well. Actually, what most of us confuse is play-calling with execution.

The Commanders run it up the middle on 4th & 1, “Everyone knew they were going to run it up the middle! They should have out-smarted the defense and pitched it wide!”

Yet, when Washington pitched wide on a 4th & 1 early against Cleveland, “What are you doing, pitching wide when you need only one yard!? You should have sent Brian Robinson up the middle to pick up the one yard!”

Of course, those fans were completely forgetting that the interior line had trouble getting a surge in the previous game in San Francisco, missing on three plays needing a single yard.

Pat Shurmur?
Ken Zampese?
Charles London?
Eric Studesville?
Thomas Brown?
Greg Roman?

Who knows?

I certainly don’t.

One thing we do know. Coach Ron has won 7, 7 and 8 games in his three seasons in Washington. He is well aware he NEEDS to win next year.

Consequently, won’t Rivera thus hire whom he feels will best help him get over the hump and into the playoffs in 2023?

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Commanders’ OC tracker: Check here for the latest news in the offensive coordinator search

Tracking each candidate in Washington’s search for an offensive coordinator.

The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner two days after the 2022 regular season ended after three seasons with the team.

The writing was on the wall for Turner after a Washington Post story late in the season featured at least 10 Washington players unhappy with the offense. Some players felt Turner would often overthink things and had issues with play-calling.

The criticism of Turner was fair. However, what’s also important to note is that Washington started eight quarterbacks in Turner’s three years as offensive coordinator. It was certainly time for a change, but not everything was Turner’s fault.

Who replaces Turner?

Washington’s search will feature plenty of veteran coaches with an emphasis on running the football. Remember general manager Martin Mayhew’s odd comments after the season about wanting a run/pass ratio of two-to-one?

Here’s our offensive coordinator tracker, with news and/or notes on each confirmed or rumored candidate.

Where does the Commanders’ offensive coordinator opening rank?

How appealing is Washington’s vacant offensive coordinator position compared to other openings?

Someone is always to blame when a team’s season doesn’t go as expected. For fans, most of the blame goes to the offensive coordinator — right or wrong.

The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner after the 2022 season. Turner’s firing was justified by Washington’s offensive performance late in the season. However, not everything was Turner’s fault. It wasn’t Turner’s fault Washington didn’t adequately address the quarterback position, nor was it his fault that head coach Ron Rivera didn’t upgrade the offensive line after trading for quarterback Carson Wentz.

Turner wasn’t blameless, though. His play-calling was a major reason Washington lost to the New York Giants in that critical Week 15 game.

Regardless of who you blame, the Commanders still need an offensive coordinator. Last week, Washington interviewed Pat Shurmur, Ken Zampese and Charles London. This week, the Commanders plan to interview Eric Studesville and Thomas Brown, among other candidates.

The problem for Washington is seven other teams need an offensive coordinator. This isn’t counting the teams with head-coaching vacancies. How does the Commanders’ offensive coordinator opening stack up against the other openings?

Mike Jones of The Athletic recently ranked each of the current eight openings. The other teams looking for an offensive coordinator are the Jets, Buccaneers, Patriots, Rams, Titans, Ravens and Chargers. The first thing you look at when examining that list is who has a franchise quarterback.

The Chargers [Justin Herbert] and Ravens [Lamar Jackson] do. Of course, there is some uncertainty regarding Jackson’s future with Baltimore. The Rams are an enticing option because you’d work for Sean McVay but likely would not call plays.

Where is Washington ranked?

Jones has the Commanders ranked No. 5 behind the Chargers, Rams, Buccaneers and Ravens.

If we’re just going off personnel, then this is a pretty intriguing job. The offensive coordinator inherits three talented wideouts (Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson), a solid tight end in Logan Thomas and a promising running back in Brian Robinson Jr. Despite instability at quarterback, Washington still flirted with a playoff berth. But, the uncertainty engulfing the franchise makes this job less attractive. There are questions about the next quarterback. Is it Sam Howell or an established veteran currently on another roster? Ron Rivera is entering Year 4, but with a sale expected soon, there’s no telling if the next offensive coordinator is signing up for a one-and-done job. A new owner could possibly clean house if a 2023 campaign proves unsatisfactory.

Everything Jones said is true and something we’ve been saying for weeks. The uncertainty of Rivera’s future, due to the pending sale and his need to win in 2023, will turn off some candidates.

With another week of interviews set for this week, it will be interesting to see what type of coordinator Rivera eventually chooses. Will he choose someone he’s comfortable with [Shurmur], or go outside the box with a young candidate like Brown?

Whatever decision Rivera makes, it’s a critical hire for the Commanders heading into a make-or-break season for the current coaching staff.

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5 thoughts one week into Commanders’ offensive coordinator search

Five thoughts one week into Washington’s offensive coordinator search.

The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner last week after three seasons with the team. We speculated on potential replacements after Turner’s dismissal, focusing on anyone with a prior connection to head coach Ron Rivera or perhaps taking a chance on a young up-and-coming offensive mind.

One week into the search, we’ve heard of several names the Commanders are interested in for the position. Former NFL head coaches Pat Shurmur and Jim Caldwell, two Dolphins assistants in Darrell Bevell and Eric Studesville, Falcons QB coach Charles London and Washington’s QB coach Ken Zampese.

Caldwell declined Washington’s request, as he was focusing only on head coaching vacancies. Shurmur interviewed with the Commanders Tuesday, while Washington has sought permission to interview Bevell, Studesville and London. It’s unclear if Bevell will interview with Washington.

There will likely be more names in the coming days. We discuss what we’ve learned one week into Washington’s search for an offensive coordinator.

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Commanders looking to interview Eric Studesville for offensive coordinator

Studesville is currently running backs coach/associate head coach with the Miami Dolphins.

You can’t say the Washington Commanders aren’t casting a wide net in search of their next offensive coordinator. We’ve heard the names of former NFL head coaches Jim Caldwell and Pat Shurmur, longtime offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London named as candidates.

Another name in contention is Miami Dolphins running backs coach and assistant head coach Eric Studesville, according to John Keim of ESPN.

Studesville is probably most famous for his stint as Broncos interim coach back in 2010 after Denver fired Josh McDaniels. However, he has an impressive track record in the NFL that began in 1997 as a quality control coach for the Chicago Bears.

Over the years, Studesville has spent time with the Bears, Giants, Bills, Broncos and Dolphins.

He’s been with the Dolphins since 2017.

 

Commanders seek to interview Falcons QB coach Charles London for offensive coordinator

London has coached quarterbacks with the Falcons for the last two seasons.

The Washington Commanders need an offensive coordinator after firing Scott Turner last week.

Veteran coach Pat Shurmur is the only known person to interview thus far. Washington quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese is also a candidate for the position.

On Monday, it was reported that the Commanders were interested in Dolphins QB coach/pass game coordinator Darrell Bevell.

Now, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, we’ve learned another name. The Commanders want to interview Falcons quarterback coach Charles London for the vacancy.

London has been with the Falcons for the last two seasons as QB coach. Before Atlanta, London was with the Chicago Bears for three seasons as running backs coach. Before Chicago, London was with the Houston Texans for four seasons, where he coached running backs.

The Tennessee Titans also plan to speak with London for their offensive coordinator position.

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Commanders seek permission to interview Dolphins QB coach Darrell Bevell for OC

Darrell Bevell has been an NFL offensive coordinator four times.

The Washington Commanders continue their search for an offensive coordinator by looking at veteran candidates. Over the weekend, it was reported that Washington had an interest in former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, who politely declined due to being interested in only head coaching vacancies.

The Commanders are also interested in former Browns and Giants head coach Pat Shurmur. Shurmur is interviewing with the Commanders on Tuesday.

Washington is interested in another veteran offensive coordinator, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. The Commanders requested permission to interview Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Darrell Bevell.

It’s Bevell’s first year with Miami, where he coached Tua Tagovailoa in his breakout season. With Tagovailoa’s injuries, Bevell was also responsible for getting seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson ready. Thompson would start three games in 2022, including almost leading the Dolphins to an upset over the Bills in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs.

Bevell coached Brett Favre for six seasons with the Green Bay Packers before landing his first offensive coordinator job with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006.

Bevell’s greatest success came in convincing the Seattle Seahawks to draft quarterback Russell Wilson in the 2012 NFL draft. Bevell coached Wilson for six seasons. He has also spent time as an offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In addition to coaching quarterbacks and being a four-time offensive coordinator, Bevell has also been an interim head coach twice — with the Lions in 2020 and the Jaguars in 2021.

The New York Jets are also interested in Bevell for their vacancy at offensive coordinator.

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