As a Reid Disciple, Pat Shurmur Hatching a Plan for Broncos to Dethrone the Chiefs

Last week’s introductory press conference at Dove Valley provided Denver Broncos fans some valuable insights into the mind and future plans of new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.

Shurmur's authoritative command of the room was impressive which left few that tuned in with any doubt that the veteran coach will provide a huge upgrade over the previous offensive play-caller.

Shurmur arrives in the Mile High City with the mandate to juice up the sputtering offense and showcase the emerging skill-set displayed late in the season by young starting quarterback Drew Lock. While this provides the starting point, the bigger long-term goal in mind for Shurmur is to chase down the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs and take back control of the AFC West.

Head coach Vic Fangio was quick to make the move to hire the veteran Shurmur with the hopes that it could ultimately play out to be a classic case of the 'poacher turning gamekeeper'. The Broncos' new OC is a spring off the Andy Reid coaching tree, which makes him an expert on the ways and methods that juts led to a World Championship.

Shurmur worked under Reid in Philadelphia back in the early 2000s, which makes him equipped with a lot of valuable inside information. Imitation would be flattery should Shurmur simply attempt to duplicate the Chiefs' ultra-successful offense from top to bottom, so the new OC was honest when paying respect to where his coaching DNA stems from.

However, Shurmur was also keen to stress the importance of putting his own tailored systems in place that will play to the unique skill-sets and strengths of his own players.

"I worked recently with Andy Reid and really that’s where I got my start and appreciation for the importance of throwing the ball and how you score points and doing it in a way that’s efficient and explosive," Shurmur said last Thursday. "We’re just going to do what’s best for our offense and hopefully we’ll put together an offense that can help us win games."

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Core to such grounded thinking is knuckling down and concentrating on the job at hand without setting unrealistic goals for his young QB and the Broncos' offense. Avoiding the trap of entering into an arms race with the talented Chiefs far too early would be shrewd for both Shurmur and company.

That’s because many more vital pieces need to be put in place, and Shurmur's scheme installed and fully assimilated by the Broncos before they can truly stand toe-to-toe with the current Super Bowl Champs.

An older, experienced figure pulling back on the reins is no bad thing for the young emerging Broncos. Grounding them in the offensive basics might be a better option, even if it takes a longer road back to the top. For now, at least Shurmur is talking about more simplistic and grounded coaching philosophies in order to get things back on a firm footing.

“I think it’s important for us that number one, we’re efficient," Shurmur said. "We need to move the ball and score points. I think that’s how we’re all evaluated and score enough points to help us win games. Then how you do that – balance can be defined differently. There are going to be some games where we’re going to need to throw and it’s going to be smart to throw more than we run it."

It will all be music to the ears of many in Broncos Country, who grew frustrated with the muddled offensive play-calling of Shurmur's predecessor. As long as the Broncos proceed with caution and build with measured precision, catching up to the Chiefs can happen, just even if it's not overnight.

Armed with 12 picks in the 2020 draft, for now, we can leave the big ambitious moves to the GM John Elway.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.

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