Former Vikings OC Gets a Gig with a Legendary Corner’s College Program
K. Joudry
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Will Vikings fans will be inclined to see what the former Vikings OC can do in his new job? The wizardry that Pat Shurmur pulled off in 2017 is remembered fondly in Minnesota.
After losing Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook in the opening weeks of the season, Mike Zimmer had a pretty strong excuse for why his team would stumble to a lacklustre record. What occurred, though, was anything but lacklustre. Behind a fantastic defense and surprisingly strong offense, the Vikings won the NFC North with their 13-3 record.
Shurmur has since had different opportunities in the NFL, but he’s now going to work with Deion Sanders at the University of Colorado.
The Former Vikings OC and the College Chance
The folks at Pro Football Talk relay the word that Shurmur is hopping over to college football. Carl Reed Jr. of 247Sports was on the news first.
Some Vikings fans will think of Mike Zimmer, who has similarly done some work alongside Sanders, the All-Pro corner who has morphed into a coach. Zimmer was at Jackson State with Sanders and then in January the news emerged that the crusty coach would also help in Colorado.
While leading the charge in Minnesota, Zimmer went through a pile of offensive coordinators. Maybe the best fit was with Shurmur (though Kevin Stefanski did some great work). Zimmer and Shurmur complemented each other perfectly by getting their sides of the ball to play a style that allowed the team as a whole to thrive.
Earlier in the day, Janik Eckardt of Vikings Territory discussed the news, spending some time unpacking what made that 2017 season so special:
His best work came undoubtedly in 2017 as OC in Zimmer’s staff. He was the engineer of the offense that helped the organization make its first trip to the NFC Championship game since 2009. Shurmur made the unexpected happen when quarterback Sam Bradford went down with a knee injury after the season opener and rookie running back Dalvin Cook also suffered a significant knee injury in Week 4.
It was veteran journeyman Case Keenum and the combination of Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon who kept the offense going behind an excellent offensive play caller. Shurmur formed a plan that included a balanced attack of running and passing attacks (and a brilliant screen game). He proved his feel for the game by mostly calling the right plays at the right time.
In 2017, the Minnesota Vikings finished with the league’s 10th-best offense, averaging a very respectable 23.9 points per game. Partnering that point output while only allowing an average of 15.8 points per game was a recipe for success.
Unfortunately, things haven’t always gone particularly well for Shurmur when he has gotten the chance to be a head coach. Collectively, the former Vikings OC has gone 19-46 as a head coach, receiving chances in Cleveland, Philadelphia, and New York. However, it should be noted that his time in Philadelphia was on an interim basis.
Shurmur has been coaching in the NFL since 1999. Previously, he coached college football, doing work at Michigan State and Stanford.
More recently, the Minnesota offense has been led by Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips. O’Connell will look to lead his team to consecutive division titles in 2023, a feat Zimmer wasn’t able to accomplish.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
