Is new Broncos OC Pat Shurmur Really a 'QB Whisperer'? His Resume Doesn't Lie
The Denver Broncos changed offensive coordinators mid-stream, firing Rich Scangarello after just one year and replacing him with Pat Shurmur. The reason Denver was so willing to rip the Scangarello band-aid off and wrench Drew Lock out of his comfort zone boiled down to one thing.
After wandering the quarterback wilderness for so many seasons post-Super Bowl 50, the Broncos realized that instead of maximizing Lock’s upside and potential, the team was actually minimizing it by teaming him up with an OC who was still quite evidently in the middle of a learning curve. Enter Shurmur.
Shurmur’s NFL resume dates all the way back to 1999 and he began working directly with quarterbacks in 2002. The Broncos saw an opportunity to team Lock up with a proven Xs and Os guy whose schematic philosophies aligned with the team’s, while also bringing some bona-fides to the table as a 'QB Whisperer' and developer of talent.
As fans get to know Shurmur, it’s can be illuminating to study a new coaching hire’s resume. Specifically, since he was brought in to mind-meld with Lock and maximize the young gunslinger’s potential, I thought it would be edifying for fans to scrutinize Shurmur’s QB resume.
So, without further ado, join me as I break down the scale in which Shurmur impacted the different quarterbacks he’s worked with since he began directly coaching the position either as a QBs Coach, OC, or even head coach. Let us first dial back the clock to Philadelphia circa 2002.
Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles | 2002-08
Notable Accolades: 3-time Pro Bowler with Shurmur.
If any single quarterback has benefited the most from Andy Reid's Midas touch, it’s probably McNabb, followed by Alex Smith. Don’t get me wrong; McNabb was an excellent QB. There was a reason he went No. 2 overall in the 1999 draft.
McNabb had some very productive seasons in Philadelphia and went to six total Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl. Still, it’s hard to argue against the notion that McNabb’s production was more a result of the Reid scheme than his natural ability.
In other words, unlike QBs like Peyton Manning elevating an OC’s profile like Tom Moore in Indianapolis or Mike McCoy/Adam Gase in Denver by virtue of his own wherewithal, McNabb was the primary beneficiary under Reid's scheme and Shurmur's coaching.
Under Shurmur, McNabb eventually began to distance himself from the dual-threat reputation he initially established in the NFL and became a great pocket passer. However, Shurmur's belief that a QB has to possess the athleticism to move likely originates from his working partnership with McNabb.
With Shurmur, McNabb went to three consecutive NFC Championship games, finally winning the last one to advance to the Super Bowl, where the Eagles fell to the New England Patriots. All-in, McNabb appeared in four consecutive NFC title games, as the Eagles made it also in 2001 before Shurmur became QBs Coach and was coaching O-Line and tight ends.
McNabb’s best season as a pro came under Shurmur in 2004, where he completed 64% of his passes, throwing for 3,875 yards and 31 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. It was a remarkably efficient, but productive, performance by McNabb, which served as the impetus for the Eagles finally getting over the hump in the NFCCG.
McNabb would have one other season where he passed for more yards than he did in 2004, but from a total body-of-work perspective, it was the best year of his career and it came under Shurmur. As you’ll see, that becomes a trend for Shurmur — getting the career-high production out of his QB proteges.
Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams | 2010 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2015 | Minnesota Vikings | 2016-17
Notable Accolades: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
This was the beginning of the Bradford-Shurmur football partnership, as the Rams selected the former Heisman Trophy winner No. 1 overall with Shurmur as the OC. The two would hit it off in 2010, with the Rams bouncing back from their 1-15 finish the year before to go 7-9. Although it was second-best in the NFC West, it wasn’t quite good enough to make the playoffs.
Bradford passed for 3,512 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions as a rookie. Shurmur would leave the next season to take the Cleveland Browns head-coaching job, and while Bradford would go on to have a solid 2012 campaign, his career in St. Louis, as well as everywhere else, was marred by injuries.
The QB/OC duo reunited in Philadephia in 2015 under Chip Kelly’s banner. Although Bradford missed two games, it was one of his ‘healthiest’ — as it were — seasons. Under Shurmur as OC and eventual interim head coach after Kelly was fired, Bradford had the second-best statistical season of his career, though it didn’t pan out in the standings for the Eagles.
Bradford completed 65% of his passes for 3,725 yards and 19 touchdowns with 14 interceptions in 2015. If he stays healthy for the year, he would have eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing mark for the only time in his career but the distinction eluded him. Still, a solid and efficient campaign for Bradford while Shurmur juggled multiple tasks.
The Eagles almost hired Shurmur to succeed Kelly as head coach in Philly but ended up going with a different Reid acolyte — Doug Pederson. So, Shurmur took a lesser job in Minnesota initially coaching tight ends but Bradford would soon follow, after the Vikings traded with the Eagles to acquire him literally on the doorstep of the 2016 season.
Working under then-Vikings’ OC Norv Turner, with the familiar Shurmur always near coaching tight ends, Bradford posted the best statistical season of his career. The QB had career highs in completion percentage (71.6), passing yards (3,877) and touchdowns (20).
Again, despite some individual success, Bradford’s Vikings failed to make the postseason in a forgettable year. The next season, Bradford would suffer a knee injury which gave rise to Case Keenum, whom we’ll discuss later. 2016 would also see Turner surprisingly step down as Vikings’ OC mid-season, vaulting Shurmur to interim OC, which is why we can attribute Bradford's success that year to Shurmur. Shurmur would maximize that opportunity to lock down his second head-coaching gig in the offseason.
Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns | 2011-12
Notable Accomplishments: Career-high season in 2011 under Shurmur.
The year prior, the Browns had selected McCoy in the third round of the draft. When Shurmur arrived as head coach, he and GM Tom Heckert decided to focus mostly on the defensive side of the ball in the draft, releasing veteran Jake Delhomme as training camp started. The decision was to let McCoy compete with Seneca Wallace and Thad Lewis for the starting job.
McCoy won the gig and would go on to post the best statistical season of his career. Have you noticed the theme so far with Shurmur’s QBs having career-highs under his coaching? McCoy started 13 games, with 2,733 passing yards and 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Paltry numbers, yes, but still the best of McCoy’s career.
It was the only year of McCoy’s career where he started more than eight games. Despite the solid-if-unspectacular production of the second-year QB, the Browns simply had too many roster holes and finished 4-12.
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns | 2012
Notable Accomplishments: Career-high season in 2012 under Shurmur.
With Mike Holmgren as the Browns’ top football exec, the team decided to dip into the QB well again in the 2012 draft, taking Weeden out of Oklahoma State late in the first round. If you scrutinize Shurmur’s QB resume, the rookie season he mined out of Weeden has to be one of his most impressive coaching accomplishments on an individual basis.
Weeden did not blow the doors down — far from it — and would post a lopsided TD-to-INT ratio but Shurmur still found a way to get production out of a young player who was clearly not a starting-caliber NFL QB. Weeden would start all but one game as a rookie in 2012, passing for 3,385 yards and 14 touchdowns, while throwing 17 interceptions.
You might scoff at the notion of Weeden’s rookie campaign being a success on Shurmur’s coaching resume but it was when you realize how bad the Browns were and how ill-prepared Weeden was to start. Still, the Browns improved over their previous season’s win total by one game. Finishing 5-11, Holmgren was dismissed following the 2012 season, as was Heckert and Shurmur. Heckert would land in the Broncos’ front office while Shurmur took the OC job in Philly.
Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings | 2017
Notable Accomplishments: Led Vikings to NFCCG appearance under Shurmur.
After taking over as interim OC the year prior, the Vikings officially made Shurmur the OC ahead of the 2017 season. The plan was supposed to be Bradford but he suffered a knee injury in the Vikings’ impressive win over the Saints in the season-opener.
Enter Keenum. Keenum would go on to start 14 games for the Vikings in relief of Bradford, leading the team deep into the playoffs, though he was never officially named the permanent starting quarterback. Keenum finished the regular season with a career-high 67.6 completion percentage, while passing for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
Shurmur and Keenum’s crowning achievement was the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ in the Divisional Round of the playoffs vs. New Orleans, in which Keenum hit Stefon Diggs for a 61-yard touchdown pass with only 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, completing the victory and advancing to the NFC title game. The Vikings would get man-handled by the Eagles in that game and then Keenum hit free agency.
The Vikings didn’t make an effort to re-sign Keenum, instead pursuing Kirk Cousins, which probably should have meant more to John Elway. After writing a book based on his miraculous achievement in the playoffs, Keenum would sign a two-year, $36 million contract with the Broncos.
Again, even though Keenum would pass for more yards the next season as a Bronco, his best year as a pro came in 2017 under Shurmur. The coach simply has a way with quarterbacks and a knack for finding what the player does best and maximizing his skill-set.
Eli Manning, New York Giants | 2018-19
Notable Accomplishment: Career-high completion percentage.
The job Shurmur did in Minnesota landed him the Giants’ head-coaching job and his first order of business was seeing if he could resuscitate the career of Manning. On paper, Manning would go on to have a very good year and one of the most efficient of his storied career.
Manning completed a career-high 66.0% of his passes while throwing for 4,299 yards and 21 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. It was a very productive year and Manning worked well in Shurmur’s West Coast Offense variant but it wasn’t enough to preclude the Giants from thinking about finding his eventual successor.
Manning’s 2018 campaign under Shurmur, from an individual perspective, was impressive and he proved to be a solid fit in the WCO but once again, it didn’t translate to the team success as the Giants finished 5-11 and dead-last in the NFC East.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants | 2019
Notable Accomplishment: One of the most prolific statistical rookie seasons all-time.
Long story short, the Giants scouted the 2019 QB class heavily, spending time on all of the top signal-callers. Knowing that Kyler Murray would likely go No. 1 overall to Arizona, the Giants focused mostly on the trio of Jones, Drew Lock and Dwayne Haskins.
The pick was Jones at No. 6 overall and the original plan was for him to be Manning’s under-study for at least one year. It didn’t work out that way, however, as the Giants lost their first two games of the season. Shurmur made the stunning decision to bench Manning in Week 3, announcing Jones as the starter.
Jones would start the next 10 games before suffering an injury that would sideline him for two contests. Manning received those two starts. All-in, the start-share went 12 to Jones and four to Manning. Even though the Giants would only win four games all year, Jones’ rookie campaign was a statistical achievement.
He set multiple rookie passing records and won NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 3) and NFC Offensive Rookie of the Week (Week 16). Jones had three different games with at least four passing touchdowns, which was mind-blowing. He finished his rookie campaign with 3,027 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
The all-time rookie passing touchdown record was broken by Baker Mayfield the year prior with 27, which eclipsed the marks set by Peyton Manning in 1998 and Russell Wilson in 2012 (26) by one. With 24 passing scores, Jones likely would have shattered Mayfield’s new mark had he started all 16 games. Still, it was one of the best rookie performances for a QB all-time. The only fly in the ointment for the Giants when it comes to Jones' rookie production were the 18 fumbles he had, 11 of which were lost.
Alas, it didn’t translate to team success, which is a troubling theme for Shurmur-coached squads. The quarterbacks thrive but for whatever reason, especially as a head coach, the team struggled.
The Takeaway
Fortunately for the Broncos, Shurmur’s purview will be strictly the offense, leaving head coach Vic Fangio to manage the defense and other aspects of the team. That should be comforting to fans, knowing that the Broncos now boast a true coaching powerhouse on both sides of the ball.
Because of Fangio’s savant-level expertise on the defensive side of the ball and the talent the Broncos have there, the team is set up to attack the 2020 season with a balanced coaching roster. Once the Broncos finalize their deal with Mike Shula to take over as QBs Coach, and the team decides what to do at OLBs Coach after Brandon Staley took the L.A. Rams’ DC position, this team will be loaded for bear on this hunt.
Again, the Shurmur hire is all about Lock. And analyzing Shurmur’s track record with QBs, we’ve seen him have stunning success with young, inexperienced players at multiple NFL stops. It bodes well for Lock.
It might have been a bit of a shock for Lock to see his OC and QBs Coach from his rookie year get fired so unceremoniously but once he gets on the field with Shurmur and Shula, it shouldn’t take long for him to realize that the Broncos significantly upgraded his coaching resources.
Only time will tell whether the Broncos can turn the ship around in 2020 and compete for the playoffs. Much will be determined by how the team attacks free agency and the draft.
The one thing I’m not worried about, though, is Lock’s progression and development. Don’t be surprised to see him take a quantum leap forward in year two and become one of the NFL’s best young QBs.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
