Cleveland's first-year coach Pat Shurmur confirmed that the Browns will operate without an offensive coordinator, according to *The Plain Dealer* on Thursday.
Shurmur told the newspaper that he will act as both head coach and coordinator, something only Bill Belichick's New England Patriots did in 2010. The Arizona Cardinals split duties between their running- and passing-game coordinators.
"I feel like we've hired a terrific staff and everybody on this staff has roles and issues of the day," Shurmur said at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards on Thursday, where he was a presenter. "I feel really good about how we've structured things and I think it's going to work well."
Shurmur reiterated to The Plain Dealer that second-year quarterback Colt McCoy will remain the starter.
"It would be a logical assumption," he said.
Shurmur, hired in January to replace Eric Mangini, served as the St. Louis Rams' offensive coordinator the past two seasons, and stated in his initial press conference in January that he would call games.
Shurmur hired former University of Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple as his quarterbacks coach and told the newspaper his assistants will all have a say in developing game plans.
"I think that's the key piece," Shurmur said Thursday. "As you go through the week, you put the plan together and everybody in the room has input."
