Colorado’s brutal 7-53 loss to Utah stirred up a storm in Boulder. The Buffaloes gave up 422 rushing yards and barely hit 140 total. That led to everyone questioning the offensive playcalling. Social media turned into a roasting pit, with fans relentlessly grilling Deion Sanders to fire his $1.6m burden. Quarterback Kaidon Salter completed only 9 of 22 passes for 37 yards in Pat Shurmur’s dysfunctional offense before Ryan Staub replaced him.

The problem escalated when, even after that change, Shurmur couldn’t communicate his play properly with Staub during a timeout. A clip on X clearly depicts how difficult it was for Staub to understand the direction. And the same thing happened when Kaidon Salter was on the field. Early in the game, with the team already struggling, Shurmur called a play through his in-helmet communication. Salter’s response? He did a head shake and gave a dumbfounded look that pretty much said, ‘What’s going on here?’

Salter openly admitted after the game that Utah’s blitz packages caught them off guard, saying many of the looks they faced weren’t even on film before the game. This problem isn’t new for Shurmur, whose past NFL offenses frequently ranked near the bottom in points and yards. Shurmur’s run as head coach of the Cleveland Browns ended in 2012. The Browns were stuck in a rut, finishing 5-11 that season after a barely improved 4-12 record the year before. The offense struggled and he notably failed to develop his two big first-round picks, Brandon Weeden at QB and Trent Richardson at RB, into game-changers.

Off the field, Shurmur’s relationship with the media wasn’t smooth either. Reports of him confronting journalists after tough criticism added fuel to the fire. The same thing happened with the Giants. Shurmur went 9-23 in two seasons. Initially, the Giants went 4-4 in the back half of 2018, the offense clicked for over 26 points a game, and it looked like Shurmur’s system might actually work. But that spark faded fast in 2019, as the team stumbled to 4-12 and the offense dropped to just 21.3 points per game. One should not assume that with a resume like that, college ball would be any different for Shurmur.

Last season, Shurmur had the support of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, who hid the ineptitude. But now it’s exposed. In the BYU game this season, Colorado blew a 14-0 lead after Shurmur’s playcalling went off track. He legit ditched the run game that had worked so well early on. Then, against Georgia Tech, even with three takeaways, the team managed to put up just seven points.

Fans demand coaching change at Boulder: It starts with Pat Shurmur

The calls for shaking up the staff intensified as Colorado’s record fell to 3-5, jeopardizing its bowl eligibility. And fans aren’t really leaving any stones unturned to showcase their frustration. “No one is immune from criticism on this staff,” a fan said. “All have been underachieving.” This season has been rough for the entire Colorado coaching staff.

Injuries and underperformance hit many units, and the lack of cohesion showed. “You guys ran the last OC out, too, who’s now coaching a team that might make the CFB playoff,” a fan added. Before Shurmur took over playcalling, Sean Lewis was OC. He left for San Diego State, which is having a strong season and is in playoff conversations. That sets up a harsh contrast. “Players aren’t the only ones who got complacent, and Pat isn’t the only problem this year!” A fan chimed in.

“They paid him for results as well as his side of not producing. Look at the Coach, we gave an enormous amount of credit to last year in reaction to CP yelling.” The talent gap left by stars like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter is huge, and Shurmur hasn’t adjusted well. His predictable playcalling has underused Colorado’s strong offensive line. As of now, the Buffs’ O-line has accumulated 361.3 total yards per game on average this season.

Yes, players need to perform, but Shurmur is paid to get the most from them. A fan writes, “Shurmur needs to be on his couch.” Let’s face it, Shumur’s history includes failed stints. For example, in his time with the Broncos as OC, the offenses ranked near the bottom. One fan even called Shurmur a “football terrorist” and flat-out said, “We don’t negotiate with terrorists,” basically blaming him for the team’s offensive meltdown.