Colt is Not the Problem (and neither is Shurmur)

Don’t be shocked by my posting two days in a row or it’ll dilute the message I’m trying to get across. As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, I’ve decided to delve a little further into my opinions on the Cleveland Browns.

First, and foremost, Colt McCoy is not the problem. I repeat, Colt McCoy is not the problem. Is Colt McCoy the long-term quarterback solution for the Browns? The answer is: maybe. Maybe Colt is our QB for years to come, but it’s too soon to make that call.

Colt McCoy has shown he can compete in the NFL. He’s a great young QB who deserves a chance no other Browns QB in the past dozen years has gotten. A chance to have a team built around him … A chance to play with all the tools necessary.

Colt is not a terrible quarterback. He’s barely played a full season, but he’s shown tremendous promise in the games in which he has played. Sure, he’s made some mistakes typical of a young QB learning a new system, but he’s also shown his competitive nature and the sparks of talent that made him a standout Texas high school QB and the winningest college QB at Texas.

To throw in the towel on Colt and start over with a new QB would be a huge mistake. I would hope the Browns have learned this lesson (since they’ve made that mistake before) and will give Colt a chance. There are plenty of other holes that need to be filled on offense … QB is NOT one of them.

That brings me to Pat Shurmur. If there’s one thing the Browns like to do almost as much as change quarterbacks, it’s change head coaches. I thought Eric Mangini was making strides last season, but I understood Mike Holmgren’s decision to let him go.

While Shurmur might not have been my first choice, he’s our coach. I don’t care what league it is or even what sport it is, you cannot fairly judge a coach’s performance after one season. Period.

Regardless of everything Shurmur had going against him when the season started, he’s done an adequate job of picking up the pieces. As I mentioned yesterday, the Browns are only one win behind last year’s record with still one game to play (and won’t that be a sweet win). All things considered, that’s more than what should have been expected from him this season.

Getting rid of Shurmur already would be a mistake, and I’m pretty sure Holmgren isn’t ready to do that quite yet anyway. That said, I do believe an offensive coordinator is needed.

As for the rest of the offense, I think it’s fairly obvious what’s needed. First, we need a serious wide receiver threat. Greg Little has potential (and so does Mohammed Massaquoi when healthy), but we still need that playmaker defenses will fear.

The offensive line still needs improvement. From day one in 1999, this has been a problem area for the Browns. Joe Thomas is solid at left tackle (another Pro Bowl for him), but we need someone like him on the right side.

As far as running back goes, I do hope the Browns re-sign Peyton Hillis. Call it the Madden Curse if you want, but Hillis didn’t have a great season. Strep throat and nagging hamstring injury aside, he’s still an intimidating runner. He’s shown it the past few weeks. When Montario Hardesty is healthy, the two make a great one-two punch in the backfield.

Leave the backfield alone and concentrate on the wide receivers and the offensive line.

Defense is another story … and another post

Go Browns!

Rocco the Blawg Pound Mascot says:

"I think McCoy would have better success in the shotgun."