Strike 2: The name Pat Shurmur doesn’t beckon much confidence among local football fans. However, unlike his two-year stint with the Denver Broncos, Shurmur is probably the right man to hold the title of offensive coordinator for this season’s Colorado Buffaloes.
Because also unlike his time with the Broncos, he won’t actually be running the CU offense. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be. Meanwhile, Shurmur can fill the role of figurehead and be a nice “Yes Man” during sideline conversations.
Make no mistake. Shedeur isn’t just the Buffs Heisman-hopeful QB going into this season, he’s their OC too. No plays will be run by the Buffs offense that Shedeur hasn’t called and isn’t 100% on board with.
The new “coach-to-QB” electronic communication devices the college football is now using? Won’t be necessary at CU.
Unprecedented? Not at all. Not long ago, there was a similar situation in Denver. Remember when Adam Gase held the title of OC for the Broncos and Peyton Manning was the QB? Who was really orchestrating that record breaking offense? It wasn’t Gase – it wasn’t even head coach John Fox. It was Manning’s offense, soup to nuts, as they say. If you have any doubts, go look at Gase’s record as a head coach after he and Manning parted ways.
It’s the same deal now with Shedeur. Shurmur holds the title, Shedeur has the authority.
A year ago at this point, Buffs fans were super pumped about the exciting new offense that then-OC Sean Lewis was bringing to Boulder, remember? Lewis was leaving a head coaching gig behind at Kent State – where his offense was fast paced and prolific, even being called “a juggernaut” – to become a coordinator under Deion Sanders. It was a head scratcher for sure, but CU boosters were elated that this meeting of the minds was happening under the Flatirons and certain that the combo was going to kick tail in the Pac-12.
It didn’t work, and the reason was simple: You can’t have two guys in charge of the same offense.
It all came to a head against UCLA last fall when the Buffs suffered another frustrating loss and Shedeur was sacked seven times. Afterwards, Lewis relinquished his play calling duties voluntarily.
Lewis, the young, up-and-coming former head coach, wanted a face-paced, get the ball out quick passing game to complement a solid rushing attack. He grew frustrated with Shedeur (and his personal QB coach) and the QB’s reluctance to take an incompletion when a play wasn’t going to work like it was drawn up. Given that the pair were on two different pages, Lewis gave up his play calling duties – he was not demoted – and eventually left for the head coaching gig at San Diego State at the end of the season.
There shouldn’t be too much concern about Shurmur feeling or acting the same way. The former NFL head coach and long time veteran assistant isn’t an up and comer in the coaching ranks, and according to reports is just fine with his current spot in the pecking order. It’s fair to speculate that he has the job because he’s willing to defer to his quarterback’s desires more than his own.
All this means that all the success – or struggles – of the CU offense this season is on Shedeur’s shoulders. He made it known he wants to be called the best quarterback in the country going into this season, even after his team won just four times a year ago. He says the Buffs’ new bolstered, err sorry, “improved” offensive line is to his liking. No more excuses there.
Shedeur wants it to be known that he expects to be the top pick in next April’s NFL Draft. He’s invited all the scrutiny and all the pressure that comes with announcing to the world that he believes himself worthy and capable of reaching those kinds of heights. So it’s not too surprising he doesn’t want anyone, including his father/coach or anyone else, telling him how to do it. It’s his show now.
