The Cleveland Browns are close to hiring St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as their head coach, according to league sources. Cleveland will announce the decision on Thursday. Shurmur formerly worked under Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who is also a close friend of Browns president Mike Holmgren. Shurmur was also instrumental in the development of quarterback Donovan McNabb. This will be Shurmur's first head coaching job, he has experience running a west coast offense and considering how well he can develop quarterbacks, he should do great things with Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. Shurmur called plays for St. Louis this season, which narrowly missed making the playoffs under the leadership of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford.

Fantasy Analysis:

On paper, this hire makes sense. While Cleveland would love a bigger name to make a big splash, Shurmur is a good fit. His reputation with quarterbacks, his stamp of approval from those also close to Holmgren and his lengthy coaching experience are all good signs. Bradford threw for 3,512 passing yards in 2010, second most by a rookie quarterback in NFL history behind 3,739 yards by Peyton Manning in 1998. Former Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels is a leading candidate to replace Shurmur in St. Louis. The Browns also interviewed Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell in the last week.