By Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer
Berea -- As he makes plans for his second season, Pat Shurmur's next decision might shape his future as Browns coach. 
Shurmur said he will launch a search for an offensive coordinator, a position he chose not to fill in his first season.
Doubling as his own coordinator in his rookie season as a head coach, Shurmur's offense finished 29th in yards and 30th in scoring, and suffered some in-game brownouts that were explained as "communication" problems.
These included a fumbled handoff to tight end Alex Smith, who was rushed into the huddle as a replacement for fullback Owen Marecic at a critical point in a 6-3 loss to St. Louis, and botched clock management that cost the Browns at least a short field goal try at the end of the first half in a 20-14 loss in Baltimore.
Shurmur said he intended all along to hire a coordinator in his second season when he failed to find "the right guy" a year ago.
"We're going to work quickly, but I'm not going to be hasty," he said of the search. "I want to get the right guy. That's a relationship that's very, very important."
Shurmur seems more inclined to give the right candidate play-calling responsibilities -- something he would not do last year. He said, "That's one of the details we'll get worked out as we go through the process."
A year ago, Shurmur interviewed at least three candidates for coordinator. Two took jobs elsewhere -- Bill Musgrave with the Vikings and Mike McCoy re-signed with Denver under new coach John Fox. The third reported interviewee was Mark Whipple, who joined Shurmur's staff as quarterbacks coach.
Shurmur said Tuesday the new coordinator "may come from the staff," which points to Whipple as a contender.
Whipple was offensive coordinator at the University of Miami in 2009 and '10. He previously worked one season in Philadelphia with Shurmur on Andy Reid's staff and was quarterbacks coach for the Steelers from 2004 to '06.
Other potential candidates could include Brad Childress, who worked with Shurmur in Philadelphia for six years, the last four as Reid's offensive coordinator; and Mike Sherman, who was a Mike Holmgren assistant coach in Green Bay and his offensive coordinator one year in Seattle before returning to Green Bay as head coach. Sherman was fired as Texas A&M head coach last month and reportedly will receive NFL head coach interviews.
Shurmur said he would not identify candidates for the job. He said of Childress: "I know Brad very well. He and I worked together for a long time. I think he's a terrific coach."
Asked if the candidate has to have experience in the West Coast offense, Shurmur said: "I'm trying to find the best guy, so a guy who speaks our language . . . I think might have a little bit of a leg up.
"The coordinator role is like having another decision-maker amongst your staff that has the title of being able to say we're going to do this or do that. I think it's important that I get the right guy. His final role . . . there's a lot of different models. There's eight or nine teams where the head coach calls the plays, and they have a coordinator. And then there's other teams that have a different [setup].
"The offensive coordinator is responsible for the offensive coaches. He's mainly responsible for putting the plan together, directing the offense and doing a lot of things that I did as a head coach.
"The game-day thing, calling plays, that's a fun thing for all of us to do. I want the best guy I can get. If he's outstanding at calling plays . . . listen, I want to win games, so I'm going to get the guy that helps us win."
The hire comes at a critical time in the franchise's endless search for respectability. In their expansion era, the Browns have ranked 23rd or worst in offense in 12 of 13 seasons. They were eighth in 2007 under coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who is being mentioned as a head coach candidate in Jacksonville.
The Browns are contemplating a thorough upgrade on offense, which could include a new quarterback, new receivers and possibly a new running back.
Shurmur declined Tuesday to speculate on the future of quarterback Colt McCoy and again refused to say he wanted potential free agent Peyton Hillis to return as the feature running back.
As for any other changes to his coaching staff, Shurmur said he didn't plan any "at this point." He left open the door, pending coaches being made available by other teams.
The Browns had several breakdowns on special teams -- yielding two kick returns for touchdowns and a touchdown on a fake punt, having two field goals blocked and having two critical long snaps go awry. But Shurmur defended special teams coordinator Chris Tabor.
"I think as players and coaches, we all need to improve. And I did see some improvement in areas that make me think we're going to get better," Shurmur said of the special teams.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/01/cleveland_browns_coach_pay_shu.html
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