And You Thought The Dolans Were Bad….
November 14, 2012While We’re Waiting… Very Valuable Varejao
November 15, 2012Pat Shurmur spoke to the media following the team’s practice on Wednesday and spoke about rookie QB Brandon Weeden-
(On one aspect of Brandon Weeden’s game that has to improve over the rest of the season)- “Don’t throw interceptions. Done, end of story. I want to be right to the point.”
(On if he worries about Weeden being more tentative after hearing he needs to throw less interceptions)- “Nope because I think the essence of a quarterback is you have to be a good decision maker. You have to decide when it’s important to try to be aggressive with a throw and then it’s also important to then of course, be smart with the football. I’ve looked at all those interceptions and there are times where he could have made better decisions. There are of course things that happen where a ball bounces off a guy’s chest so you look at all those things. You don’t want to play anxious football, but you also have to be smart. I think that is something we all have to come to grips with.”
(On what kind of quarterback he would project Weeden being as he grows)- “I think he’s got a chance to be an outstanding player. I don’t think there’s any question about it.”
Shurmur also addressed rookie RB Trent Richardson’s condition-
(On if Trent Richardson is healthier coming off the bye)- “He says he is. I haven’t like punched him in the ribs or anything (joking), but he’s going to be out there practicing. He said he feels good.”
[Related: Haslam meant what he said in regards to changes]
14 Comments
So you’re saying there’s a chance
http://assets.inarkansas.com/31844/so-youre-telling-me-theres-a-chance.jpg
Wrong. You don’t tell QB not to throw interceptions. They will happen. You tell him he needs to be smart, and make good decisions, and that his TD to Int ratio goal needs to be at least 2 to 1.
I dont believe in making changes in the middle of the season. But Im getting tired of reading and listening to this guy. Now he is telling Brandon to quit throwing INT’s. No Sh*t Shurmur!!! This is not the guy that is going to bring a young QB along. He may be doing more harm than good at this point.
Really? It’s not like he’s going around offering unsolicited comments about his QB, calling up reporters in the dead of night to foist his opinion on anyone. He was asked a pointed question: “What aspect of Weeden’s game does he need to improve over the rest of the season?”
What would you say? I’d say Weeden needs to throw fewer interceptions.
Moreover, what do you think Weeden would say? I’d venture a guess that he’d say he needs to throw fewer interceptions.
Do you think this is a conversation and agreement that Shurmur and Weeden haven’t already had in private?
I suppose the coach could have said “no comment,” but then everyone would be hammering him for being such a jerk to the media.
How could Shurmur have won this in your mind?
That’s exactly what Shurmur said. That’s the whole point of the follow-up question and answer.
How about saying he is young and he needs to work on his descision making but our staff is doing everything it can to put him in the right situation for him to succeed. Tell a rookie QB to quit throwing INT’s and he is going to play passive and check down to his RB when there is a wide open crossing route just like he did all day against the Ravens. There is a fine line between confidence and self doubt. The QB is an extention of the HC. And when your HC has no clue how to handle tight spots in a game how do you think the QB will do? I was a backer of this guy for the outside chance that he might be good given time to learn how to be a HC but that time has passed. I want a coach who is in total control of the game and his surroundings. Sorry to say it but Pat Shurmur is not in total control of anything.
I don’t think he needs to say that he needs to throw fewer interceptions. He needs to say that he needs to do a better job of going through his progressions, reading the defense, not spending too much time on one reciever, and putting the ball in a position that would be hard for the defense to get to. You see good QBs make throws that are low, or not always on the numbers for a reason.
By simply saying throw less interceptions does not solve the problem of why the interceptions are happening (staring down recievers). It may have worked in college because you can stare at Blackmon and throw we he beats his defenders, but in the pros, it is more of a chess match(or should be).
Overall, I think that Shurmur is continuing to get more frustrated and it is showing in the media. He needs to relax. Sparring with reporters is not going to help you keep your job, but it is the job of reporters to create controversy so that they have something to write about.
But that’s exactly what Shurmur said in the follow-up question. Also, this is not Shurmur talking to Weeden. This is Shurmur talking to reporters. I guarantee that this is something that the two of them have spoke about at length.
In fact, here’s Weeden’s response, again on a direct question from reporters:
“That’s kind of been my priority since I played pee-wee football. We never want to throw interceptions. My aggressive manor and mindset sometimes gets me in trouble, and you guys know that. I’m not going to take that away from myself. I agree, I have to take care of the football. I have to cut down on them. I think guys that are aggressive like that, sometimes that’s one category they unfortunately may have a couple more than they’d like. It’s not good, but we’re just being aggressive. Sometimes, making that aggressive throw, sometimes it catapults you and gets you momentum. You get a big throw and kind of spark a drive or something. I agree with what he’s [Shurmur] saying.”
He also said “I’ve got to play better. I know that. I’m not a moron.”
Nothing that Shurmur said took Weeden by surprise, nor is it anything that’s going to hurt him.
I guess I just don’t see what you guys are seeing in this. I don’t for a minute get the picture that Shurmur is sparring with reporters here, nor do I see a guy that’s necessarily uptight. Indeed, I get just the opposite. I see a coach answering direct questions with direct answers – probably because he knows, like we all do, that he’s most likely done after the season and nothing he says will change that.
Nothing that Shurmur said to these reporters is news to Weeden or anyone else. It is also neither distracting or destructive. Weeden is second to last in the NFL in interceptions. What part of fixing this is controversial?
Im sure they have talked about it. At least I would hope so. Weeden knows he needs to play better. I myself think Weeden has a chance to be an outstanding player.
Nothing Pat said in this interview caught Weeden off gaurd but obviously the 4th down call from their own 28 did. Weedens response when asked about the play call, “I just call whats in the headset.”
I genuinely hope that in these past two weeks Pat Shurmur has figured out a way to start winning football games. I hope the team rallies around him in an effort to save the season and their coach. But if history is any indicator he will look confused and make the wrong call when the game is on the line.
Dear Decent Coach Who May be Offered the Browns Job:
Please disregard this comment thread. Not all Cleve fans will demand your immediate mid-season firing based on the parsing of every word you utter, or your choice of word order, or your failure to use their favorite synonyms.
Just some of them
‘Don’t throw interceptions.’
In other news, he also told the WR’s to catch the ball, the LB’s to tackle, and Phil Dawson to ‘Just keep Kicking”.
I must establish first that I’m generally horrified weekly by Shurmur’s seeming ineptitude.
In this case, I like Shurmur’s answer. Everything you described, Natedawg86, are step to achieve a goal, and are likely valid steps at that. Most important for Weeden though, like any employee, is to have a clear goal and a simple metric to evaluate his progress. “Throw fewer interceptions” is just that. The best way to achieve the goal is fluid, the goal is not. This is important because it leaves Weeden latitude to figure out the best steps for him to achieve the established goal (guys like Jim Furyk and R.A. Dickey come to mind; even Bernie Kosar and his crazy sidearm pass).
I know I’m going to get flamed for this, but here goes anyway: it sounds like something Belichek or Lombardi would say. (equipping my flame suit now…)