NFL History: Late Fritz Shurmur Deserves to Be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

If the NFL is ever going to appropriately honour the contributions of its finest ever assistant coaches, then Fritz Shurmur should be one of the first coordinators enshrined at Canton.

Shurmur began his pro coaching career in 1975 as defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions. He was widely credited with helping develop and refine hands techniques for linemen to utilise.

Shurmur later became defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots where he established his fondness for the 3-4 defense.

During his time in Detroit and New England, Shurmur had a positive impact on the defensive philosophies of future head coaches Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells. Later, as defensive coordinator for the Phoenix cardinals, Shurmur mentored the great Jim Johnson.

His willingness to adapt and flair for designing unique defenses made Shurmur the ideal coordinator. His unusual defensive schemes have stood the test of time.

In 1996, Shurmur's league-leading defense helped propel a powerful Green Bay Packers team to victory in Super Bowl 31. It was the only NFL championship of Shurmur's career.

Looking for a spark with the Los Angeles Rams during the 1989 season and with a defensive line crippled by injuries, Shurmur developed his most famous front.

Shurmur unveiled a five linebacker front known as "Eagle." Shurmur used only two down linemen for his attacking scheme.

Two defensive tackles were positioned as 3-techniques and tasked with simply penetrating upfield on every snap.

The linemen were supplemented by five linebackers. The alignment demonstrated Shurmur's finest quality: his ability to use his personnel in a creative way.

Shurmur positioned one of his linebackers directly over the center. This player was dubbed a "nosebacker." The player could perform as a pass rusher or as an extra man in coverage.

He could drop off the line after the snap or act as a fifth lineman. This multiple threat was key in keeping offenses guessing, something which Shurmur always attached the highest importance to.

The Los Angeles Rams used the scheme to earn a spot in the NFC Championship Game.  They logged 42 sacks and allowed only three 100-yard rushers. 

In the Playoffs the Eagle defense inspired the Rams to two stunning upsets of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

Shurmur would switch the front to five linebackers along the line and six defensive backs packing the zones. 

The use of more athletic linebackers as linemen succeeded in stifling the fleet-footed scrambling of Randall Cunningham. It is a defensive tactic that today's coordinators would be wise to adopt against Michael Vick.

With the Phoenix Cardinals Shurmur again proved that he was at his best when adapting his personnel. When injuries to the linebacking corps wrecked his 3-4 front, Shurmur developed a "Big Nickel" defense. The front featured three safeties, one of whom was referred to as "lurch."

This safety could play close to the line of scrimmage and spearhead the run defense. Shurmur's scheme destroyed the New York Giants' top-ranked ground game and allowed the Cardinals to finish seventh in points allowed.

Today, three safety packages are common in the NFL. The New England Patriots and New York Giants both make heavy use of the Big Nickel front.

When Shurmur joined the Packers he finally had the talent to fully indulge his creative temperament. The highlight of his debut season in Wisconsin was seeing his new unit hold legendary runner Barry Sanders to minus-one yard on 13 carries.

Shurmur's most famous games were two stunning postseason victories at Candlestick Park.  Shurmur baffled the high-powered San Francisco 49ers with a myriad of alignments and schemes.

In both the 1995 and 1997 playoffs Shurmur's defense shut down the high octane 49ers attack.  Shurmur took the unusual step of scripting his defensive plays and presenting the 49ers offense with a different front on almost every play.

These two games were the genesis for much of the hybrid defensive play calling seen in today's game. Mixing personnel and fronts on a play by play basis has become common practice for many of the league's defensive coordinators.

A look at three plays from Super Bowl 31 demonstrates Shurmur's versatile and creative approach to defensive football.

Entering the second quarter the Packers are trailing the New England Patriots 14-10, the Patriots defense has clamped down on Brett Favre and now the prolific New England offense has the ball at their own 42-yard line with the chance to pull away.

On 1st and 10 Shurmur went with a 3-4 front and blitzed both outside linebackers. Reggie White and Wayne Simmons pressured Drew Bledsoe into an incompletion.

The next play Shurmur opted for his Big Nickel defense. The nickel linebacker blitzed off the weak side, while lurch safety LeRoy Butler blanketed Ben Coates. The result was another incomplete pass.

For third down Shurmur presented Bledsoe with a 3-2-6 package. On the weak side the linebacker blitzed through the line while slot cornerback Doug Evans came off the edge. Evans hit Bledsoe, whose errant throw fluttered harmlessly to the ground.

Three plays featured three different looks and pressures, forcing three incompletions and the Patriots had lost their momentum. Shurmur's chameleon like defensive blueprint had worked perfectly in his biggest game.

Fritz Shurmur tragically passed away on August 30, 1999, following a protracted illness. His legacy and impact have grown over the years and his influence can be seen every week. 

So much of defensive football is based on reaction. But Fritz Shurmur was one of the earliest pioneers to introduce genuine fluidity to the art of pro defense.

By engendering defensive play calling with unpredictability and posing constant questions to an offense, Shurmur showed how defense can be the chief instigator of the game.

Hybrid schemes have become all the rage in the NFL during the last five seasons. Shurmur was the first true hybrid defensive coach. He seamlessly melded together read and react and attacking concepts to create pure defensive balance. 

His inventive daring paved the way for the variety of looks and schemes fans now take for granted. Shurmur proved that defense doesn't have to be based on a single philosophy.

It's great to wonder what Shurmur would have come up with to counter the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

For those trying to convince the NFL to relax its stance on honouring its greatest coordinators, Fritz Shumrmur is the prime example of why the league should relent.