The Cleveland Browns coaches and front office staff members are preparing for this weekend’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
However, while most of the focus is on adding players through the draft, head coach Pat Shurmur talked a lot about quarterback 
“What I told him was to prepare himself and get as much out of this offseason as possible,” Shurmur said of McCoy. “I think he’s eager to get back here when he can and I think that’s where it’s at. For Colt, we’re looking for him to improve through the offseason and I think it will make a big difference in Year Two with me being here. I’m expecting him to attack this offseason and get as good as he can get within our system.”
In his first year under Shurmur in the West Coast offense, McCoy completed 265 of 463 attempts for 2,733 yards and 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. McCoy also ran for 212 yards on 61 carries.
“It’s fair to say that there are things he needs to improve on and I think they’re quantifiable, whether it’s footwork or a better feel for the progressions, a better feel for the targets he’s throwing to,” Shurmur said. “I think all that gets refined when you have an offseason to help. A lot of the things he needs to improve on can be done.”
McCoy, one of the Browns’ two third-round picks in 2010, has started 21 games for the team. He has completed 400 of 685 attempts for 4,309 yards and 20 touchdowns with 20 interceptions in those appearances.
McCoy also owns Browns records for the most attempts and completions in a game when he completed 40 of 61 throws in a loss against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 2 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Shurmur finds it “encouraging” that McCoy has the desire to improve.
“I think he can be very good and I mean that,” Shurmur said. “If he plays at a high level like I think he can, when he makes these improvements, that means he can helps us win football games. That’s what you’re looking for, to put the ball in the end zone and win games.”
HANDING IT TO HILLIS
During the 2011 season, McCoy worked with multiple running backs, including Hillis,
“I really liked what I saw when he was in there playing healthy,” Shurmur said. “I can’t say at this point what’s going to happen there, but we’ll all know soon enough. We want to try and put together the best roster we can and when he was in there playing, he did a good job. I wanted to have more wins and I’m sure he wanted to play in more games. I’ve spoken to him a few times and try to communicate with the players as often as I can.”
BACK WITH A VENGENCE
Jackson missed nearly all of the 2009 and 2010 seasons with consecutive and separate pectoral tears and signed a one-year contract with the Browns in the 2011 offseason. Throughout the year, Jackson said all he wanted was a chance to show what he could do and he finished the season with the second-most tackles in the NFL.
Jackson, a free agent this offseason, registered 158 total tackles and a career best 3.5 sacks for 25.0 lost yards in 16 starts.
“He’s a guy we want back,” Shurmur said. “We’ll try to do what we have to do to make that happen. We haven’t issued the franchise tag yet, but we still have to make that decision. We want him back.”
COMBINE PREPARATION
The coaching staff will spend the better part of the next 10 days in Indianapolis analyzing prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft. In addition to watching the players run through on-field drills, coaches and front office members get an opportunity to interview players in 15-minute increments.
Shurmur said of the Combine, “It’s an interesting time for us because this is when the coaches dive in and start getting involved with the scouting part of it, so we start adding our piece and our likes and dislikes of the players to the already immense amount of information out there. I’m looking forward to getting down there and meeting the players. The interviews are very important.”
