Pat Shurmur expected to join Chip Kelly’s staff in Philadelphia

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Former Browns head coach Pat Shurmur is expected to join new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly’s coaching staff.

Shurmur is likely to become the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Shurmur and Kelly have very different offensive backgrounds, and questions could be raised about whether their two approaches to coaching offense can mesh. But it’s also to Kelly’s credit that he wants to bring in an experienced NFL coach who does things differently than he does. Kelly has said that he wouldn’t necessarily run the same kind of spread offense in the NFL that he ran at Oregon, and hiring Shurmur as offensive coordinator would be a strong indication that he wants to employ a more conventional approach in the pros.

Most of Shurmur’s NFL coaching career has been spent working for Andy Reid in Philadelphia. Shurmur was the Eagles’ tight ends coach from 1999 to 2001 and the quarterbacks coach from 2002 to 2008.

60 responses to “Pat Shurmur expected to join Chip Kelly’s staff in Philadelphia

  1. Good hire, IMO. Eagles needed someone with NFL experience. I think people are assuming too much that Chip Kelly will run same offense as he did in Oregon. I don’t think so.

  2. As a Browns fan, I have to admit that I am shocked by this. Kelly is known for being innovative and fresh. Shurmer is anything but. He runs the West Coast offense from the 80s that you would teach to middle school kids nowadays. No way Kelly let’s Shurmer call plays. He was horrible at it in Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how this works out. Can’t imagine that Eagle fans are excited about this.

  3. Uh Oh, as a cowboys fan I did everything I could to convince myself Chip Kelly was going to be a bust (even though I wanted him as OC for cowboys) but they’re assembling quite a staff there and with top 5 pick they could pick up some good pieces for that team.

    Why the heck is dallas even in the NFC east!? Philidelphia, New York, Washington D.C, all within like 50 miles of each other on East Coast then jump like 800 miles east and there’s dallas.

  4. Shurmer runs a conservitive dink and dunk West Coast style offense. How does this mesh with Chip’s wide open style? These are polar oppisite styles how in the hell will they mesh? Don’t see it happening.

  5. I think he will be the QB coach, and someone to be a soundboard for Chip to bounce stuff off of. More of a mentor type. Has the personality for it. He wont get in the way.

  6. This is a joke right? Pat Shurmur’s offense was a joke. He runs a WC offense, totally different than that of Kelly’s! His offensive play calling with Cleveland was putrid!

  7. As a Browns fan, I have to admit that I am shocked by this. Kelly is known for being innovative and fresh. Shurmer is anything but. He runs the West Coast offense from the 80s that you would teach to middle school kids nowadays. No way Kelly let’s Shurmer call plays. He was horrible at it in Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how this works out. Can’t imagine that Eagle fans are excited about this.

    —————————————————————-

    Desean Jackson is definitely capable of stretching the field more than any receiver the Browns had. The difference between the Eagles and Browns is the Eagles have more talent and speed at offensive skill positions. Can’t really judge Shurmur based off of Greg Little dropping the ball all day.

  8. Voice of reason with proven NFL seasoning who also knows that landscape in Philadelphia. Wise move on Chip Kelly’s behalf further strengthening his approval rating as he embarks on his NFL career. Fly EAGLES Fly!

  9. Ram fan here..Shurmur was offensive coordinator Bradford’s rookie year. Talk about lame play calling, and not really a good coordinator.

    Bad move imo.

  10. After all this talk about Chip Kelly bringing his offensive system to the NFL has me wondering why not just hire him as an OC first? The guy has no NFL experience to begin with and there’s a lot on his plate. By week 3 the fans will have ‘Kelly Fatigue’.

  11. Offense isnt going to be the issue in my opinion. The line will be back, just need a guard. It’s the D that Im concerned about, and if getting NFL experienced guys is the plan then let’s push for Lovie. No matter who we get, the fact that we have “soft” players isn’t going to change until personnel moves are made. Im tired of DEs who are 250lbs, LBs who are 5th rd picks, and Divas at the DB position who can’t back it up. Somewhere in the first 2 rounds there needs to be a D player who is going to be the future leader of this squad and perhaps bring in a veteran to bridge the gap.

  12. This has nothing to do with who calls the plays and everything to do with bringing in someone with NFL experience to help Kelly adjust, Chip Kelly will be calling the plays on offense!

  13. If I were an Eagles fan I would be very, very concerned about this decision. Pat Shurmur was an absolute disaster in Cleveland. His play calling was so bad that he became something of a national joke. As other posters have mentioned, he ran a generic version of the west coast offense that was slow, inefficient, and maddeningly predictable.

    As a Browns fan, I prayed for the day Cleveland would fire Shurmur. It wasn’t just that he was a horrible head coach; he was perhaps the most inept play caller in Cleveland Browns history. Think about that for a moment. Pat Shurmur was the WORST coach – assistants included – that the Browns have had since they came back as an expansion team in 1999.

    Even if Chip Kelly is planning on retaining play calling duties (and Eagle fans should be on their knees praying that this is the case) this hire shows a complete lack of judgement. I wonder if this was Chip Kelly’s call or if it came down from Roseman?

    I would be very worried about where this is going if I were an Eagles fan.

  14. Lovie would be great but he is not going to take a pay cut to be d coordinator when he is already guaranteed hc money for this year. Shurmer will not be calling the plays simply easing Chip Kelly into the NFL which again having coached in Philly as an assistant for years is a wise move.

  15. I’m with those saying he’s QB coach.
    His play calling and system could not be any worse.
    He is a cheap insurance policy for Lurie since the Browns will be paying the bulk of his his salary this year

  16. @jakec4,

    Didn’t the Browns rookie Josh Gordon have more yards last year and Td’s than Desean Jackson? With a rookie QB throwing to him!

  17. “Redfield11: Why the heck is dallas even in the NFC east!? Philidelphia, New York, Washington D.C, all within like 50 miles of each other on East Coast then jump like 800 miles east and there’s dallas.”

    I think you need to buy a map for yourself. This is all kinds of wrong..smh

  18. “Lovie would be great but he is not going to take a pay cut to be d coordinator when he is already guaranteed hc money for this year. ”

    —————————————————
    Lovie wouldn’t have to take a pay cut. The way it works: He gets signed to a ‘reasonable’ DC’s salary, and the Bears make up the difference (up to the money they owe him per year on his old HC contract).

  19. More of a QB coach than anything here. And Chip needs someone to hold up those big wacky sideline playcards anyway….

  20. As an Eagles fan I am not concerned about this. Chip Kelly is going to call the plays. Shurmur is there because he has NFL experience. End of story.

  21. This is very close to Andy’s/Marty’s offense. Still a WCO style. You all killed the WCO last season & now are embracing another WCO offensive coordinator??

    Sad to say but most of my fellow Eagle fans here have no clue what they are seeing & what they are talking about.

  22. Love how everyone jumps to conclusions…..wait and see is the approach I take. The rest is bs out ppl mouths. Offensively they’ll be fine, it’s the D that needs help. And for those screaming he stunk in Cleveland so he’ll stink in Philly….Cleveland has no weapons compared to Philly.

  23. Good addition because someone Mike Patton could help him in a place that he also is familiar with in Philadelphia. Times get tough in that city and when you are new at the job it is always good to have someone who is familiar with the situation.

  24. If we were talking about ice cream, Kelly would be chocolate chip cookie dough, and Shurmur is nonfat vanilla yogurt. Nothing about this hire makes sense. Shurmur is a good man, no question. But it doesn’t make sense to have him as Kelly’s OC. Maybe a QB’s coach,……

  25. 25cuts says:

    ” And for those screaming he stunk in Cleveland so he’ll stink in Philly….Cleveland has no weapons compared to Philly.”

    Seriously? Still think you’ve got the “Dream Team”?

    The Browns, bad as they were/are, had Josh Gordon, who was maybe the top rookie WR in the NFL in 2012, as well as Greg Little, Travis Benjamin, and Trent Richardson. Not the 1999 Rams, but still a pretty solid lineup of offensive skill players.

    And if you put Pat Shurmur at the helm of the 1999 Rams, he would fail. You might want to take the word of those of us who watched every single play Pat Shurmur called for the last 32 games over you’re own fantasies about your “dream team.”

  26. Shurmur knows his WCO offense is garbage and this is a great opportunity for him to learn new schemes from Kelly. If this works out he might actually get another head coaching gig.

  27. redfield11 says:Jan 20, 2013 10:49 AM

    Why the heck is dallas even in the NFC east!? Philidelphia, New York, Washington D.C, all within like 50 miles of each other on East Coast then jump like 800 miles east and there’s dallas.

    So, according to you Dallas is located somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Thanks for the geography lesson

  28. ballboy48 says: Jan 20, 2013 11:35 AM

    @jakec4,

    Didn’t the Browns rookie Josh Gordon have more yards last year and Td’s than Desean Jackson? With a rookie QB throwing to him!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You do realize that Desean Jackson played 5 less games, as was only behind by about 100 yards right? As for the article, it’s a sound move, a veteran guy who knows the NFL. There is no way they are going to have Shurmar calling the plays, but more or less just tutoring Foles, much like he did for McNabb.

  29. Kinda odd hire, considering Shurmers inept playcalling and use of talent. Even if he is hired as QB caoch he didn’t do anything for Sam Bradford, Colt Mccoy or Weeden to make them better pros. As a browns fan I was a little upset when Kelly turned down the browns to go to philly, thinking we ended up with 2nd rate coach in Chud, but since Turner and Horton were hired I think the Browns ended up with the best coaching staff put together in the NFL. Kelly’s staff so far is pretty unimpressive, guess we’ll all wait and see by the end of next season.

  30. I’m a little confused by this. His play calling might be too conservative but I have to wonder if the talent he’s had on offense don’t have something to do w it. He’s worked w two rookie QBs that’s had nowhere to throw the ball! There’s obviously QB questions in Philly but if the O Line improves there’s a lot of talented players to get the ball to… Gonna wait this one out

  31. thesportsguru7 says:

    You do realize that Desean Jackson played 5 less games, as was only behind by about 100 yards right? As for the article, it’s a sound move, a veteran guy who knows the NFL. There is no way they are going to have Shurmar calling the plays, but more or less just tutoring Foles, much like he did for McNabb.

    You do realize that Josh Gordon didn’t crack the starting lineup until after week five when he scored twice against the giants right? He rarely played up until that point.
     

  32. He’s probably the most high profile guy that wouldn’t need playcalling duties is my guess. He’s not a good Qb coach or coordinator. He doesn’t seem to be able to keep up with the game. Any adjustments made are done at half-time. He completely abandons the run, if he’s down 7 or up 7, and there’s 2min left in the 1st half, he’ll run a draw. He also fumbles timeouts like never seen before. So, hope he’s not in charge of anything significant. He’s definitely not the type of guy that would try to muscle a new head coach, so there is that. What’s confusing is that Chip Kelly runs something so incredibly different to what Pat does. It’s really an odd couple of sorts.

  33. I truly enjoyed reading all of this optimism lol. This guy was here for two years and was a complete joke but because he’s in Philly with rookie HC chip can’t make up his mind Kelly all of a sudden he’s a great hire LMFAO. This guy is horrible he adds nothing to this team at all. Jackson and Maclin r hurt EVERY year. That’s why Jackson played 5 less games. The O Line is pitiful and now u have an RBBC to boot. U have no QB to run this offense. Good luck guys thinking this guy is gonna help this team. I cannot wait until next year so I can hear all of the bitching coming from Philly. Lol

  34. Mr. Indecisive teams up with Mr. Clueless. I doubt this less than dynamic duo more than one season.

  35. Sure are a lot of Browns fans following what the eagles do. Thought you brown fans didn’t care we signed Kelly? What does it matter if we sign Shurmur? Seems like browns fans are a little disturbed we are signing these coaches.

    I know I as a eagles fan could care less what the browns are doing. So why don’t you browns fans take your comments to your own posts.

    Fly Eagles Fly

  36. eagleearl –

    The point a lot of us are making is that Shurmur is an incompetent coach and playcaller. That’s all. Unlike most Eagles fans, you are pretty naive and thin-skinned.

    As a Browns fan, I read every comment I could from Eagles fans about Tom Heckert and Joe Banner when those guys came to town. Why? Because only an idiot would petulantly ignore feedback from those who know what they are talking about simply because he might read something he doesn’t like.

  37. This pick makes no sense mainly because Shurmer HATES mobile QB’s. In St. Louis he had Stafford and in Cleveland he alienated Colt McCoy for Weeden. This almost screams complete rebuild because there is no way Shurmur is calling plays for Vick. He completely elimated Josh Cribbs from Clevelands offense so consider Vick done if this happens.

  38. hbdbrowns33 says: Jan 20, 2013 2:11 PM

    thesportsguru7 says:

    You do realize that Desean Jackson played 5 less games, as was only behind by about 100 yards right? As for the article, it’s a sound move, a veteran guy who knows the NFL. There is no way they are going to have Shurmar calling the plays, but more or less just tutoring Foles, much like he did for McNabb.

    You do realize that Josh Gordon didn’t crack the starting lineup until after week five when he scored twice against the giants right? He rarely played up until that point.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    So what you’re saying is he wasn’t good enough to crack the starting lineup on the Browns until week 5, and almost half of his touchdowns came in 1 game, when teams didn’t game plan for him…You’re delirious if you think Gordon is on par with Jackson at this point in his career. Maybe down the road he could be, but at this point you’re crazy to compare the 2. Teams take away Desean Jackson and he still puts up numbers. Gordon disappeared against good teams at the end of the season. Compare the averages of what the two of them put up and tell me who the better receiver is.

  39. No, what he was saying is that he had a coach (Shurmer) who didnt realize his talent and wouldn’t play him and then wouldn’t throw downfield where he is most affective. You obviously didnt watch the Browns this year (why would you?) and are just grasping instead of listening to people who did. Gordon is a good and eventual top WR in the league. That has nothing to do with Jackson.

  40. Me thinks the Chipster needs to dial up the last two years of BR and pay close attention to the Head Coaches activities.

  41. Eagle fans concern shouldn’t be with Shurmer’s ineptitude at running an offense. It should be that Shurmer did NOT allow his QB’s to change the play at the line.
    He is a nice guy, I’m sure he has good intentions, but no matter how blindly I follow a team I would still be let down having Shurmer on my team’s staff.

  42. Browns fans disturbed by the eagles signing Shurmur lol that’s a good one. As for this being an “eagles” post. It’s not. This was under the Browns tab as well in BR. People can post on what they want. Good luck going winning 3 games next year. I do wish we were playing these clowns this year. We have ABSOLUTELY upgraded at our coaching positions. Can’t wait to c what talent and coaching can do. Because we had no coaching last year.

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