Cleveland Browns Head Coach Pat Shurmur: "We're Going to Find Out How Good We Are"
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
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| Daniel Wolf/National Football Authority Photo |
Senior Writer
The Cleveland Browns are looking down the barrel of a gun in the last six weeks of the 2011 NFL season. They face AFC North teams in five of their six remaining games.
This weekend the Cincinnati Bengals are up, but then Cleveland has to face both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens twice each, in the last four of five weeks of the season.
NFL schedule makers must not have any Browns fans employed in that department.
Browns head coach Pat Shurmur is ready to see how good his young team really is.
"We’re going to find out how good we are because we know how competitive our division is," Shurmur said at a Wednesday press conference. "It’s been well documented how good the teams in this division are so in the next few weeks we’re going to find out where we’re at.
"I’m looking forward to the challenge."
Shurmur is not letting all the upcoming AFC North opponents become a distraction.
"We really do take a one week at a time approach and it just so happens I think we have three games in 15 days," Shurmur said. "We obviously know how good our next opponent is [the Bengals] having played them the first time and I think in a lot of ways both teams are the same, but there’s a whole lot of improvement that’s been made by both teams so we’ll see how it matches up."
Is it confidence or just going through the motions for Shurmur right now?
Not sure, seeing as how he better be forward-looking a bit with the Steelers and Ravens, because they are two of the AFC's top teams year-in and year-out. Cincy may be next on the docket, but the true test comes the weeks after.
It's like when The Ohio State Buckeyes play the Michigan Wolverines—the Bucks have to beat their rivalry teams, if not for peace of mind, than at least for bragging rights.
Shurmur needs some wins against division opponents to have those same bragging rights to build confidence for the following week, and for next season too.
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