Shurmur, Carson Are Running Strong

If the Cleveland Browns’ coaching derby were a horse race, here’s how a track announcer might call it:

“And they’re off! ... Tobin goes up by a head as they pass the first turn, followed by Peters and Seifert ... Carson and Shurmur way back ... Here comes Peters into the lead ... Now he’s neck and neck with Tobin, with Carson a distant third ... Now Carson passes Seifert. Carson rallies. Carson’s only a head behind Peters ... It’s Carson and Tobin ... Tobin starts to fade ... AND HERE COMES SHURMUR! Longshots Shurmur and Carson pass Tobin. They’re neck-and-neck ... We come to the wire, and it’s ... “

To be continued.

The scuttlebutt: New York Jets defensive coordinator Bud Carson has passed Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vince Tobin for a few reasons. Carson is willing to accept being a kind of co-coach with favorite son offensive mind Marc Trestman, and he’s willing to let Ernie Accorsi and the scouting staff call the personnel shots. Carson’s 57. This might be his last shot at a head-coaching job.

The Browns also like Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur, a pleasant but not highly accomplished coach who has charmed Browns owner Art Modell. On Wednesday in Mobile, Ala., Shurmur interviewed all six full-time members of the Cleveland scouting staff to see if they meshed well. Shurmur, to the surprise of many, is a serious candidate. Shurmur and Carson would accept stringent conditions.