Despite challenges, Shurmur likes growth
On-the-fly adjustments part of spring scene
Throughout the spring, firstyear Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has had to adjust quite a bit.
A month ago, Shurmur spoke about not only installing the offense but finding ways to utilize the strengths of certain players on the roster.
As the spring has gone along, however, that roster has changed. He had speedy and talented running back Dylan Edwards for much of the spring, a player that Shurmur said can be “very dynamic.” On Tuesday, Edwards left the team and went into the transfer portal.
Running back Alton Mccaskill IV and tight end Chamon Metayer were also participants early in spring before going into the portal.
A veteran coach who has seen just about everything in his career, Shurmur hasn’t flinched.
“The way I looked at it and we’ve always done is, you’ve got to fight with the army you have,” Shurmur said Thursday after the 14th of CU’S 15 spring practices. “So all of a sudden you don’t have those pieces as you plan the next practice. So what we try to do then is, OK, we look every morning or every evening and say, OK, what’s available tomorrow?”
On Tuesday, he said, the Buffs had one healthy running back for practice.
“So I said, ‘OK, that’s fine, let’s go 10, with a fifth wideout and then you run plays,’” Shurmur said. “That’s really cool how that works, right? Because it could happen in the game. We could be counting on a guy, he runs down on the first kickoff and has an injury and, OK, now we’ve got to change gears.”
With players leaving and several key players still yet to arrive, there are certainly challenges to installing an offense and preparing for next season, but Shurmur has been pleased with how the Buffs have handled the day-today changes.
“It’s a way to train your brain to kind of move and get to the next thing,” he said.
Fortunately for Shurmur and the Buffs, many of the key pieces to the offense — quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the offensive line, veterans receivers such as Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Lajohntay Wester — have been at practice all spring and that’s led to some growth among the offense.
“For the most part, we’re training the dudes that are going to be here in the fall,” he said.
Despite some of the challenges, Shurmur has felt good about CU’S work on offense this spring. In addition to Sanders and other key players learning the offense, the other assistants have now had a full spring to pick up Shurmur’s scheme.
“What the new (players) will have coming in now is cut-ups of the things we’ve done,” he said. “Our coaches are familiar with what we’re doing so they’ll be able to pick it up quickly.
“And now in college football, there’s so much being done in the month of June and the first part of July that I feel instead of getting the whole group ready, we’re just getting pieces ready around the group that’s continuing to develop.”
The development, even with a few departures, has been good, Shurmur said, as the Buffs prepare for Saturday’s spring game.
“I sort of felt like we had 13 really, really good outings,” Shurmur said. “Today I’d call it a little bit mid on offense. I thought the defense did a good job
challenging us. It’s a great opportunity for us on offense to be reminded that you have to come to the field every day with the right mindset to throw and catch; you’ve got run the ball and get on the right people. And when you get in the red zone you gotta put the ball in the end zone.
“Generally speaking, we’ve done a really good job of getting our system in place, getting the players better individually, and then I think as an offensive unit working together collectively. So that’s where we’re at.”