Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur primed to be an NFL head coach again?

Pat Shurmur's career as an NFL head coach didn't last very long and it's not hard to see why. In only two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Shurmur finished with a 9-23 record. His firing in late 2012 hardly came as a surprise. Shurmur wasn't out of a job for too long, as we know, because the former Eagles position coach from 1999-2008 was hired back to be the team's offensive coordinator under new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.

It's no secret by now that the Eagles were extremely successful on offense in 2013. It's exactly that kind of success that could lead to Shurmur's head coaching career being revived, writes Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports.

Shurmur didn't get a full shot as head coach with the Browns as part of the Mike Holmgren group which was shown the door. Shurmur is only 49 but has 23 years of coaching experience and is heavily influenced by Andy Reid and Chip Kelly. If the Eagles' offense explodes, owners will want the Chip Kelly formula, and Shurmur will be the guy who has it.

It's hard to say how much of an impact Shurmur really had on the Eagles offense. After all, most of it seems to be by the design of Kelly. There's no doubt that Shurmur has a role in the process, it's just unclear (to the outsiders, at least), exactly what that role might be. One thing we do know for sure is that Shurmur is responsible in advising Chip Kelly when it comes to disputable plays that require the challenge flag. The problem was the team wasn't exactly strong in that area. The Eagles challenged a total of 7 plays in 2013 and only had 3 successfully overturned (42.86% success rate).

The point about Shurmur having inside knowledge on Kelly's offense may be a valid one. Just look at former Eagles quarterback coach Bill Lazor. Lazor spent just one season in Philadelphia under Kelly before he was whisked away by the Miami Dolphins to be their new offensive coordinator. The NFL is a copycat league and everyone wants to know Kelly's secrets.

Until proven otherwise, though, there's nothing to indicate Kelly's former underlings will be successful elsewhere until they prove it. They may have picked up a few tricks from Kelly in their time under him, but otherwise it could just be a knockoff version of the mastermind's creation.

Thanks to his role under Kelly, Shurmur may very well get a head coaching gig in the NFL again. He's only 49 and had a ton of experience. It's probably something Eagles fans shouldn't be feeling too worried about moving forward, however.