Published: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 2:09 PM     Updated: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 2:15 PM

It looks like LeBron James is not the only former sports person from Cleveland that took his talents to South Beach.

Former Browns assistant coach Bryan Cox is now the pass rush coach for the Miami Dolphins. That’s right. The pass rush coach.

This is the second fromer Browns coach (under Eric Mangini) to get hired by the Dolphins.

SunSentinel.com reporter Mike Beradino writes how offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was the other. And like Cox, Daboll was with Mangini in Cleveland and with the New York Jets.

And it looks like Beradino is not too happy about the hiring of Cox at his new position.

What next? The “set-the-edge” coach? The “tackle-to-the-ground” coach? Or maybe a “stiff-arm in the second level” coach?
Here’s an idea. Why don’t the Dolphins hire Chris Carter as the NFL’s first-ever touchdown coach?
 

CLEVELAND (AP) — Pat Shurmur quickly turned rookie quarterback Sam Bradford into a rising NFL star. Shurmur’s next project will be tougher.

The Cleveland Browns are no easy fix.

Shurmur, St. Louis’ offensive coordinator the past two years, was hired by the Browns on Thursday, ending a search for their fifth coach since 1999 that began when team president Mike Holmgren fired Eric Mangini on Jan. 3 after his second straight 11-loss season.

Shurmur isn’t a big-name hire, and his addition won’t trigger a celebration by Browns fans or a rush of season-ticket requests.

But to Holmgren, the 45-year-old’s last name means success.

Shurmur’s late uncle, Fritz, was Holmgren’s defensive coordinator in Green Bay when the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1996. And in hiring a candidate with no head coaching experience, Holmgren is following the same path he took in getting to the top of his profession.

Like Shurmur, Holmgren was a quarterbacks coach and an offensive coordinator before getting the Packers’ job in 1992. When Shurmur, who was the first of three known candidates to be interviewed, sat across the desk from Holmgren, Cleveland’s top football executive may have seen a younger version of himself.

“Pat is a bright, young man who grew up in football and around the coaching profession,” Holmgren said. “I came away from our interview very impressed with him as a person, his extensive knowledge of the game and his track record of success as an assistant coach in this league.

“Most importantly, I feel as though he possesses the necessary qualities which make him the right man to lead our football team.”

The Browns have a been a mess for far too long. In a league where quick turnarounds are common, they’ve been an exception to the rule. Cleveland has made the AFC playoffs just once and had nine double-digit loss seasons in 13 years. Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel and Mangini each failed in trying to build a consistent winner in Cleveland’s expansion era. Continued…

Now, it’s Shurmur’s turn.

The Browns will introduce him as their 13th full-time coach Friday in a news conference at their Berea, Ohio, headquarters.

Shurmur’s development of Bradford, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, was one of the main reasons the Browns nabbed him. They’re hoping he can have similar success with Colt McCoy, who showed poise and promise after being thrown into a starting role because of injuries.

Under Shurmur, Bradford lived up to his hype and set rookie league records for completions and attempts. He also led St. Louis to a 7-9 record — the Rams were 1-15 a year earlier — while throwing for 3,512 yards, second-most ever for a rookie behind Peyton Manning’s 3,739 in 1998.

“This is a great opportunity for Coach Shurmur,” Bradford said. “I really enjoyed working with him last season and he truly helped my transition from college to the NFL game. I think he will be a really good head coach.”

The Rams scored 114 more points this season than they did in 2009, and Stephen Jackson had his second straight 1,000-yard season in Shurmur’s offense.

“I knew it would not be long before coach Shurmur got a head coaching job in this league,” Jackson said.

“He was a good coordinator for the Rams and on Sundays, he got the most out of his players and always had us in a position to win the game.”

(See Shurmur, Page 3B)

(Continued from Page 1B) Continued…

It wasn’t all rosy in St. Louis, though. Shurmur’s offense was criticized for being too conservative. Many of Bradford’s completions were short dump-offs. Shurmur was ripped following the Rams’ 16-6 season-ending loss to Seattle, which cost them a playoff spot. In that game, Jackson had just 11 carries — four in the second half — and Bradford couldn’t get things going.

Before joining the Rams, Shurmur spent 10 seasons in Philadelphia. He coached the club’s tight ends for three years and then their quarterbacks, turning a raw Donovan McNabb into one of the game’s best all-around quarterbacks.

Although he promised a “wide” coaching search, Holmgren only met with Shurmur, Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Interviews with potential candidates Jon Gruden and John Fox never got past an exploratory phone call, and an expected meeting with Philadelphia offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg — another Holmgren protege — never happened.

Shurmur emerged as the front-runner in recent days and no one caught him.

His deep connections with Cleveland’s front office certainly helped Shurmur’s chances. He spent eight years working with Browns general manager Tom Heckert in Philadelphia. Shurmur never worked directly with Holmgren, but he learned the West Coast offense Holmgren prefers under Eagles coach Andy Reid, one of the Cleveland president’s closest friends.

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Holmgren and Tom Heckert, and I am impressed with the direction in which they have this franchise going,” Shurmur said. “I have known Tom for most of my pro coaching career, and while we were in Philadelphia, he and I developed an outstanding relationship.

“I am looking forward to this challenge and can’t wait to get started in helping to build the Browns back to one of the elite teams in the NFL.”

Shurmur’s agent, Bob LaMonte, who also represents Holmgren and Heckert, arrived Thursday to finalize a contract and the sides only needed a few hours to work out details. Terms of Shurmur’s deal were not immediately available, but it was expected to be a four-year package.

Holmgren began his first coaching search promising that head coaching experience would not be a requirement for Mangini’s successor. He kept his word.

Shurmur’s arrival was greeted with mostly a collective yawn by Browns fans, who have grown weary of change. Now, they have to trust Holmgren’s keen eye for coaching talent. Holmgren, after all, is the one who hired an up-and-coming Gruden and Reid. He’s also had seven other current or former NFL coaches on his staff, including Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci and Dick Jauron. Continued…

CLEVELAND (AP) — Pat Shurmur quickly turned rookie quarterback Sam Bradford into a rising NFL star. Shurmur’s next project will be tougher.

The Cleveland Browns are no easy fix.

Shurmur, St. Louis’ offensive coordinator the past two years, was hired by the Browns on Thursday, ending a search for their fifth coach since 1999 that began when team president Mike Holmgren fired Eric Mangini on Jan. 3 after his second straight 11-loss season.

Shurmur isn’t a big-name hire, and his addition won’t trigger a celebration by Browns fans or a rush of season-ticket requests.

But to Holmgren, the 45-year-old’s last name means success.

Shurmur’s late uncle, Fritz, was Holmgren’s defensive coordinator in Green Bay when the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1996. And in hiring a candidate with no head coaching experience, Holmgren is following the same path he took in getting to the top of his profession.

Like Shurmur, Holmgren was a quarterbacks coach and an offensive coordinator before getting the Packers’ job in 1992. When Shurmur, who was the first of three known candidates to be interviewed, sat across the desk from Holmgren, Cleveland’s top football executive may have seen a younger version of himself.

“Pat is a bright, young man who grew up in football and around the coaching profession,” Holmgren said. “I came away from our interview very impressed with him as a person, his extensive knowledge of the game and his track record of success as an assistant coach in this league.

“Most importantly, I feel as though he possesses the necessary qualities which make him the right man to lead our football team.”

The Browns have a been a mess for far too long. In a league where quick turnarounds are common, they’ve been an exception to the rule. Cleveland has made the AFC playoffs just once and had nine double-digit loss seasons in 13 years. Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel and Mangini each failed in trying to build a consistent winner in Cleveland’s expansion era.

Now, it’s Shurmur’s turn.

The Browns will introduce him as their 13th full-time coach Friday in a news conference at their Berea, Ohio, headquarters.

Shurmur’s development of Bradford, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, was one of the main reasons the Browns nabbed him. They’re hoping he can have similar success with Colt McCoy, who showed poise and promise after being thrown into a starting role because of injuries.

Under Shurmur, Bradford lived up to his hype and set rookie league records for completions and attempts. He also led St. Louis to a 7-9 record — the Rams were 1-15 a year earlier — while throwing for 3,512 yards, second-most ever for a rookie behind Peyton Manning’s 3,739 in 1998.

“This is a great opportunity for Coach Shurmur,” Bradford said. “I really enjoyed working with him last season and he truly helped my transition from college to the NFL game. I think he will be a really good head coach.”

The Rams scored 114 more points this season than they did in 2009, and Stephen Jackson had his second straight 1,000-yard season in Shurmur’s offense.

“I knew it would not be long before coach Shurmur got a head coaching job in this league,” Jackson said.

“He was a good coordinator for the Rams and on Sundays, he got the most out of his players and always had us in a position to win the game.”

(See Shurmur, Page 3B)

(Continued from Page 1B)

It wasn’t all rosy in St. Louis, though. Shurmur’s offense was criticized for being too conservative. Many of Bradford’s completions were short dump-offs. Shurmur was ripped following the Rams’ 16-6 season-ending loss to Seattle, which cost them a playoff spot. In that game, Jackson had just 11 carries — four in the second half — and Bradford couldn’t get things going.

Before joining the Rams, Shurmur spent 10 seasons in Philadelphia. He coached the club’s tight ends for three years and then their quarterbacks, turning a raw Donovan McNabb into one of the game’s best all-around quarterbacks.

Although he promised a “wide” coaching search, Holmgren only met with Shurmur, Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Interviews with potential candidates Jon Gruden and John Fox never got past an exploratory phone call, and an expected meeting with Philadelphia offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg — another Holmgren protege — never happened.

Shurmur emerged as the front-runner in recent days and no one caught him.

His deep connections with Cleveland’s front office certainly helped Shurmur’s chances. He spent eight years working with Browns general manager Tom Heckert in Philadelphia. Shurmur never worked directly with Holmgren, but he learned the West Coast offense Holmgren prefers under Eagles coach Andy Reid, one of the Cleveland president’s closest friends.

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Holmgren and Tom Heckert, and I am impressed with the direction in which they have this franchise going,” Shurmur said. “I have known Tom for most of my pro coaching career, and while we were in Philadelphia, he and I developed an outstanding relationship.

“I am looking forward to this challenge and can’t wait to get started in helping to build the Browns back to one of the elite teams in the NFL.”

Shurmur’s agent, Bob LaMonte, who also represents Holmgren and Heckert, arrived Thursday to finalize a contract and the sides only needed a few hours to work out details. Terms of Shurmur’s deal were not immediately available, but it was expected to be a four-year package.

Holmgren began his first coaching search promising that head coaching experience would not be a requirement for Mangini’s successor. He kept his word.

Shurmur’s arrival was greeted with mostly a collective yawn by Browns fans, who have grown weary of change. Now, they have to trust Holmgren’s keen eye for coaching talent. Holmgren, after all, is the one who hired an up-and-coming Gruden and Reid. He’s also had seven other current or former NFL coaches on his staff, including Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci and Dick Jauron.

Holmgren’s taking a chance with the unproven Shurmur, but he’s seen it work before.

CLEVELAND – Pat Shurmur’s first head coaching gig is a big one.

The Cleveland Browns hired St. Louis’ offensive coordinator on Thursday, ending a search for their fifth coach since 1999 that began when Eric Mangini was fired on Jan. 3. Shurmur was the first candidate interviewed by Browns president Mike Holmgren.

Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel and Mangini each failed in trying to build a consistent winner in Cleveland’s expansion era. Now it’s Shurmur’s turn. The 45-year-old, whose uncle, Fritz, worked under Holmgren in Green Bay, will take over a team that has made just one playoff appearance in 13 years.

Mangini was fired after his second 5-11 season.

The Browns will introduce Shurmur as their 13th coach Friday in a news conference at their Berea, Ohio, headquarters.

Although he promised a “wide” coaching search, Holmgren is only known to have met with Shurmur, Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Interviews with potential candidates Jon Gruden and John Fox never got past an exploratory phone call.

Shurmur emerged as the front-runner in recent days and no one caught him.

He has deep connections with Cleveland’s front office. He spent eight years working with Browns general manager Tom Heckert. Shurmur never worked directly with Holmgren, but he learned the West Coast offense under Andy Reid, one of Holmgren’s closest friends.

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Holmgren and Tom Heckert, and I am impressed with the direction in which they have this franchise going,” Shurmur said. “I have known Tom for most of my pro coaching career, and while we were in Philadelphia, he and I developed an outstanding relationship.

“I am looking forward to this challenge and can’t wait to get started in helping to build the Browns back to one of the elite teams in the NFL.”

Shurmur’s agent, Bob LaMonte, who also represents Holmgren and Heckert, arrived Thursday to complete a contract, and the sides only needed a few hours to work out details.

When Holmgren began his first coaching search as an NFL executive, he promised head coaching experience would not be a requirement for Mangini’s successor. He kept his word.

“Pat is a bright, young man who grew up in football and around the coaching profession,” Holmgren said. “I came away from our interview very impressed with him as a person, his extensive knowledge of the game and his track record of success as an assistant coach in this league.

“Most importantly, I feel as though he possesses the necessary qualities which make him the right man to lead our football team.”

Shurmur’s hiring won’t trigger any wild celebration or a rush to the box office by Browns fans, who have to trust Holmgren’s keen eye for coaching talent. Holmgren, after all, was the one who hired an up-and-coming Gruden and Reid.

Shurmur has a knack for developing young quarterbacks, and the Browns have a promising one in Colt McCoy.

This season, Shurmur helped Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford live up to being the No. 1 overall draft pick. Bradford set rookie records for completions and attempts. He also led St. Louis to a 7-9 record – they were 1-15 a year earlier – while throwing for 3,512 yards.

Before joining the Rams, Shurmur spent 10 seasons in Philadelphia, eight of them working with Heckert. Shurmur coached the club’s tight ends and then their quarterbacks, turning a raw Donovan McNabb into one of the game’s best all-around quarterbacks.

One of Holmgren’s goals was to find a coach who could help groom McCoy, who showed great promise after being thrown into the starter’s role last season.

CLEVELAND — Perry Fewell’s first shot as an NFL coach was temporary. He’d like to make his next one a little more permanent.

Fewell, the New York Giants defensive coordinator who served as Buffalo’s interim coach for seven games last season, interviewed on Tuesday with the Cleveland Browns, the third known candidate to formally meet with team president Mike Holmgren.

Fewell followed St. Louis offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who met with the Browns last week. It’s not yet known if the club has scheduled any more interviews or follow-ups. It’s also unclear if owner Randy Lerner has had any role in the process.

However, Cleveland’s search to replace Eric Mangini does seem to be narrowing.

The Browns, who have kept their pursuit of a new coach cloaked in secrecy, were expected to speak with Philadelphia offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg because of his personal and professional connections with Holmgren. However, that meeting has not been set up.

Also, former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden appears to be out of the Browns’ mix.

Following Monday night’s BCS title game, Gruden said on a radio broadcast that he will not coach in 2011. Gruden grew up in Ohio rooting for the Browns, and it was assumed he would be contacted by Holmgren, who gave Gruden his start in the NFL as an assistant in San Francisco.

Gruden was asked by announcer Mike Tirico if he would get back into coaching.

“No,” Gruden said. “I’ll be back with you.”

On Monday, a network spokesman told the Associated Press that Gruden “remains committed to ESPN and to Monday Night Football.”

Former Carolina coach John Fox may still be on Holmgren’s list, but he’ll interview on Wednesday with Denver.

The only definitive coaching news related to the Browns was that wide receivers coach George McDonald has left Cleveland for the same position with the University of Miami. Holmgren has not yet met with the rest of Mangini’s staff still under contract.

Fewell, 48, came to Cleveland hoping to convince Holmgren that he’s the best candidate to take over a franchise that has had eight double-digit loss seasons and one playoff appearance since 1999. Fewell also interviewed with Denver and Carolina.

The high-energy Fewell is popular with Giants players, who appreciate the way he allows them to think independently on the field. He urged them to take advantage of any opportunities and they did as New York led the league with 39 takeaways this season.

Fewell’s visit means the Browns have complied with the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirement that they interview at least one minority candidate.

Holmgren would prefer to hire a more offensive-minded coach than Mangini, whose run-heavy philosophy and questionable in-game decisions led to his firing after two 5-11 seasons.

POSTED: 5:45 pm EST January 4, 2011