3 Reasons Broncos Should Take Away Play-Calling from OC Pat Shurmur
Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, the Denver Broncos rushed the ball a total of 16 times, four of which came in the second half. More than half of those rush attempts came on the first four drives, and the Broncos successfully ran the ball.
After that, however, there is no doubt Denver ended up going away from the run, which drew the ire of media and fans alike as they questioned the play calling.
Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur listened to the complaints and stuck by the run in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the entirety of the first half, until the two-minute offense, the Broncos would rush on first down, rush on second down, and then a pass on third down. Rinse, repeat.
It was predictable, but hey, Shurmur stuck with the run this time.
This has been an issue with Shurmur for years. He fancies himself the smartest man in the room and doesn't seem to care if his hubris hurts the team. Denver's offense couldn't run the ball, but he stuck with it, revealing the many issues he has as a play-caller.
There are a few issues with that. Allow me to break it down and explain why the play-calling needs to be given to another offensive coach.
Predictability
The first deals with the Broncos' lack of success. While the problems on the offensive line, Denver's rushing attack became a shot in the opposing defense's arm with just how predictable it was. Shurmur set up the offense for early failure, which led to a completely botched drive.
Playing to Opponent's Strength
That leads to the second issue for the Broncos' offense. Again, the biggest strength of the Steelers' defense is their pass rush, which set them up to tee off against the Broncos' pass blockers and Teddy Bridgewater.
This put Bridgewater and the O-line at risk without giving them slightly more manageable downs to try and convert to help the offense navigate its highest-yards-to-go on third down this year.
Hubris
The final issue comes with Shurmur's stubbornness. If you want to prove yourself right as much as Shurmur seemingly wants to, and it can only hurt the team, which means you shouldn't be in that position.
It isn't Shurmur's job to be correct; it is his responsibility to call plays to the best of his ability while being aware of the performance of the unit — and adjust from there.
Bottom Line
Shurmur went away from the run when it was working against the Ravens. He then stuck by the run when it wasn't working and to a predictable cadence and pattern with his play calls.
Vic Fangio will stick by him but that will likely prove to be a mistake that could cost more than just Shurmur his job. GM George Paton and Fangio need to take a considered, long look at firing Shurmur for his inability to do his job, or as the head coach put it on Monday, his lack of results.
Consider giving the play-calling duties to Mike Shula or even Mike Munchak.
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