Coach’s turn on Daily

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor

We’ve heard from the team president. We’ve heard from the general manager.

Now, it is the head coach’s turn to join us during Week One of “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven By Liberty Ford.”

Pat Shurmur, in his inaugural season at the Browns’ helm, will drop by our studios for the first couple of segments of the show, which airs 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on ESPN 850 WKNR.

As with other decision-makers here in the building in Berea, Shurmur has been exceptionally busy with the process of helping to put together the Browns’ 90-man roster for training camp while also getting updates and revisions from the NFL on the rules of doing business under the new collective bargaining agreement. In addition, he’s getting to know the players who continue to arrive from various parts of the country, most for the first time since the lockout began in March, and welcoming the nearly two dozen undrafted free agents who officially signed today.

We’ll talk with Shurmur about the nuts and bolts of preparing for camp and how he anticipates it all to unfold once things get started on Friday. We’ll also get caught up with how he and his staff have spent the past several months with no players to coach, as well as some insights into what makes him tick. One of his annual rituals of summer is to re-read a book about football coaching fundamentals authored by his uncle, the late Fritz Shurmur, a long-time assistant coach with five NFL teams. Pat recently let me borrow the book, and it definitely put me in the proper frame of mind for diving back into football.

You’ll realize, as I’ve known for a long time, that Pat’s a very interesting guy with a fascinating background. And he has an off-the-charts passion level.

We’ll also be joined by our third former Browns great of the week, linebacker Clay Matthews, who will connect with us by phone from his home in Southern California. He’ll get us caught up on what he’s been up to and talk about his two sons in the league, Clay III, a linebacker for the defending-Super Bowl-champion Green Bay Packers, and Casey, a rookie linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tonight’s national media guest will be none other than John Clayton of ESPN. Our friendship goes waaay back to 1979, when we were both on the Penn State football beat. Few journalists in this league burn up the phone lines as much as Clayton, who told me last night that he had three calls going at once while tracking the latest news in free agency.

Fortunately, he’s be able to put aside a little time to be on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven By Liberty Ford.”

Be sure to tune in!

>>Tune in Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven By Liberty Ford” on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com.

>>Follow me on Twitter @viccarucci