Pat Shurmur: Ranking the HC's Biggest Blunders in 2011

Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur has not succeeded in his first season as an NFL head coach.

Despite his struggles, Browns President Mike Holmgren has stated multiple times Shurmur was not going to be fired and would be around for a "long time."

It’s easy to make excuses for Shurmur's ineptitude, given the amount of adversity piled against him in his rookie season at the helm of the Cleveland Browns.

Shurmur, though, made some very questionable decisions along the way.

Sometimes he looked clueless, lost and downright horrid as his young Browns limped their way through another losing season in Cleveland.

Do you hold Shurmur accountable for the blunders and mistakes of the 2011 Browns season?  Or should he get a pass because he is a first-time head coach and wasn't given a real chance at success due to a multitude of factors stacked against him?

Whatever your opinions of Pat Shurmur are, there are several undeniable and critical mistakes he made in his rookie season.

Take a look in the following slideshow containing his biggest blunders of 2011.

6. Cincinnati Debacle

The Cleveland Browns looked impressive in Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season.  The game was moving in their favor and by all estimates would result in a Cleveland Browns victory.

A blunder by the coaching staff, ultimate responsibility resting on the head coach, led to a wide-open A.J. Green streaking down the right sideline and leading to a go-ahead Cincinnati Bengals touchdown.

There were multiple instances throughout this past season which exhibited the inexperience and lack of discipline by the Browns' coaching staff.  This is all a direct reflection of the inexperience by rookie head coach Pat Shurmur.

5. Concussed Colt McCoy vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Defense

Colt McCoy being placed back into the Cleveland Browns Week 14 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers after sustaining a concussion has taken tons of criticism throughout the NFL.

Browns head coach Pat Shurmur assured the league and reporters the Browns had followed all concussion protocol prior to placing him back into the ball game.

Days later, Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren contradicted Shurmur's statements and stated that McCoy's injury was not treated because the medical staff was unaware McCoy suffered a head injury.

How could a head coach NOT be concerned after the blow to the head McCoy received?

Ultimately, McCoy threw an interception in the end zone after backup quarterback Seneca Wallace positioned the Browns on the Pittsburgh Steelers 5-yard line.  

The Steelers scored a touchdown, making the score 14-3 and putting the game out of reach.

4. Fourth Quarter, Inside 10-Yard Line vs. Rams

The Cleveland Browns snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their Week 10 loss to the St. Louis Rams.

Head coach Pat Shurmur defined conservative as he elected to run the ball three consecutive times after the Browns advanced the ball inside the Rams 10-yard line.

Even if the field goal wouldn't have missed because of a bad snap, the Browns wouldn't have been guaranteed a victory.  By electing to run clock and settle for a field goal, the Browns would have only led 15-13 with approximately two minutes left to play.

Would the Rams have come back and kicked a game-winning field goal afterwards?

You tell me, Browns fans.

How many times have you seen that plot unfold?

3. Not Retaining Special Teams Coach Brad Seely

Pat Shurmur's failure to retain special teams coach Brad Seely as the Cleveland Browns coordinator has proven to be a horrible move.  Shurmur retained several other coaching staff members but let loose the most talented of the bunch.

The San Francisco 49ers, under Seely's tutelage and coaching, has vastly improved to one of the best special teams units in the NFL.  They improved to first in the NFL in yards per return on kickoffs and fifth in the league in punt return yards for attempt.

Statistics aren't all that Seely brought with him to San Francisco.

Under his coaching, the Cleveland Browns special teams unit looked polished and much more disciplined than they have this season.  Special teams trickery accounted for the sole factor in the Week 6 defeat by the Oakland Raiders.

A punt return touchdown by the Seattle Seahawks would have been the deciding factor, but it was called back due to a holding penalty.  

During the Browns' Week 10 home loss to the St. Louis Rams, Phil Dawson shanked a 22-yard field goal after a botched snap by former Pro Bowl long-snapper (now released) Ryan Pontbriand.

The struggles on special teams go on and on.

2. Not Hiring an Offensive Coordinator

It's a good thing Pat Shurmur announced he planned to hire an offensive coordinator in wake of the terrible play-calling Cleveland Browns fans were forced to experience in 2011.

The Browns ranked 30th in points per game and 29th in total yards per game.

Although it's the easy outlet, I don't lay all of the blame on Shurmur.  A lot was stacked against him succeeding in Cleveland this season.  The play-calling and offensive performance, though, lacked imagination and was very predictable.

An NFL.com analyst even wrote about the epic predictability of the Cleveland Browns West Coast Offense in 2011.

"

I sit in my office in Mt Laurel, N.J., put the Browns' attack on my screen and call a friend who was a coach in the league, but is now in between successes.

I tell my friend the personnel group, the formation, where the ball is located on the field and what hash mark and describe the motion (if there is any) and ask him to tell me the exact play that will be run.

He is correct about 95 percent of the time. No lie. The Browns are so integrated into the West Coast system that their predictability is becoming legendary around the league.

"

That about sums it up, Browns fans.

Let's hope Browns President Mike Holmgren and Shurmur can attract a fresh offensive mind who can shape their philosophy and game-plan more effectively on Sundays.

1. Peyton Hillis Up the Middle as Time Expires

Pat Shurmur's game management was questionable at best in 2011.  However, the first year head coach topped himself in the Cleveland Browns' Week 16 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.

The Browns had the ball in striking distance as the end of the half approached.  For some reason or another, Shurmur burned his remaining timeout with 57 seconds left on the clock.  

After the Browns failed to get out of bounds on a completed pass, Shurmur dialed up some trickery.  

Seneca Wallace took the snap, with time expiring, and handed the ball off to Peyton Hillis from the 3-yard line.  Hillis was stuffed for no gain.

The clock expired.

The Browns scored no points.

Ultimately, the Browns lost the game by a score of 20-14 in favor of the Ravens.

Did Shurmur lose track of his time-outs?  Was there a malfunction with the microphone equipment as Shurmur stated?

More than likely the former.

Does it get any worse than this, Cleveland fans?

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