The People Have Spoken

Broncos Twitter is dangerously mad at OC Pat Shurmur

October 22, 2021
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AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

The Broncos started out the season 3-0, with convincing wins over some very bad teams (Giants, Jaguars, Jets, combined record 3-14), and there was cautious optimism out west. Since then? It hasn't gone well for our mile-high brethren. They've dropped four straight, and last night's 17-14 loss to the injury-decimated Browns was dismal enough to fit right in with the usual Thursday-night NFL fare. With 187 yards passing and 41 yards rushing, the Broncos barely had an offense to speak of, and when they finally managed to score in the second half, the drives took way too long for a team trying to come back from a 10-point deficit; the last drive took a full eight minutes and allowed the Browns to run out the clock on their next possession. They're now last in the AFC West, with the fewest points scored in the division before the other three teams have even played their seventh game, and the prospects for the rest of the season are looking especially grim.

Naturally, the proud Broncos fan base is pissed off. They're not happy with anybody, including head coach Vic Fangio, but they're saving their best ire for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Seriously, they do not like this dude and I'm starting to fear for him. Get a load of this vitriol:

That's 16 tweets—two more than the number of points Shurmur's offense scored—and believe me when I tell you it's merely the tip of the iceberg. (If you find this alarming, don't read Reddit.) After the game, a "Fire Shurmur!" chant even broke out, and he apparently had to walk the gauntlet a few minutes later:

At this point, I'm starting to think the Broncos should fire Pat Shurmur not for his incompetence—which might be reason enough—but to keep the man safe. If this guy is at the helm much longer, I truly shudder to think what Denver fans might do next. I personally don't care what happens to the Broncos, but I'll join the chorus:

Fire Pat Shurmur ... for his own good.