Cleveland Browns Excited to Be Back Together at Offseason Workouts

Now is the time to begin properly evaluating Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur. No matter the struggles this team had last season, Shurmur was thrust into a tough situation from the start.

With this full offseason, Shurmur and the Browns are given somewhat of a fresh start. It’s a chance to improve the offense with actual team workouts and input from the coaching staff. It’s something Shurmur is certainly looking forward to:

"“It’s exciting,” Shurmur said on a conference call. “For coaches to see players back, that’s an exciting thing. So I’m looking forward to it. I understand and realize how important these [workouts] can be, so that you can get your systems in place, to refine. The players have a chance to work together and start to develop a winning chemistry.”"

Just about everybody was on hand for the first day of voluntary workouts. The most notable absence was linebacker Scott Fujita, who is currently in New York to meet with NFL officials regarding the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program.

Nevertheless, the influence of these voluntary workouts will be felt all the way into the season. Whether or not that leads to actual wins remains to be seen, but no one should be surprised to see improvements from a number of players on both sides of the ball, especially the much-maligned quarterback Colt McCoy.

Of course, no one should lose focus on the fact that these are voluntary workouts in April. It’s just a relief to know the Browns will be given somewhat of a fair shake heading into the 2012 season.