Colorado fans have lost patience with Pat Shurmur’s stale offense and are begging for a change in play-calling

We've seen enough.

It only took three games, but Colorado fans are calling for Pat Shurmur to hand over the play sheet — or better yet, be shown the door entirely. Friday night’s 36-20 loss at Houston was a referendum on an offense that feels like it’s stuck in neutral.

Shurmur’s game plan is predictable. His adjustments are nonexistent. And if you think this all sounds familiar, you’re not alone. As Broncos fans, we've seen this years ago.

The numbers don’t lie

Against Houston, the Buffs offense punted six times and turned it over twice. They converted just four third downs all night and barely scraped together 300 yards of offense. That’s an offense that is flat-out stuck.

Without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to bail out bad play-calling, Shurmur’s system looks exposed. Every drive feels like deja vu: run-run-bubble screen, punt. We're frustrated and exhausted

Broncos fans know

This isn’t new. Denver already lived through the Shurmur experiment. Remember in 2019, Drew Lock finished his rookie season looking like he might have something. Then Shurmur arrived and smothered whatever spark was left. His conservative approach and his refusal to adapt, along with his obsession with bubble screens, left Broncos Country pulling their hair out.

Now we're living that same nightmare. Same play-calling with the same results.

The question is, why keep going down a road that we already know is a dead end?

The Byron Leftwich factor

We have Byron Leftwich on staff. Yes, the offensive coordinator who helped Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl in 2020. That season, Brady threw for over 4,600 yards and 40 touchdowns while Leftwich’s offense finished top-five in points scored.

Leftwich’s scheme was aggressive and it keeps defenses guessing. It allows quarterbacks to take shots and trust receivers to make plays. Does that sound like something we would love to see right now?

It’s not a stretch to imagine Leftwich stepping in and breathing life into this team. We are desperate. Leftwhich is younger and has been in the NFL. He knows what it looks like when an offense attacks instead of just merely surviving.

Coach Prime’s call

This is where Deion Sanders has to make a decision. Buffs fans are not blind. We see what’s happening every Saturday. And as a Broncos fan, Pat Shurmur has never been impressive at any level.

Prime has never been afraid to make bold moves. If he wants to keep momentum in Boulder — even during this rebuild — it is for sure time to turn the page on Shurmur and hand the keys to Leftwich.

Because right now, this fan base is restless. And if there’s one thing Prime understands better than most, it’s the importance of energy and belief. Shurmur is draining both.

Social Media angst

Scroll through social media after Friday’s loss, and you’ll see the same message over and over. Fans are venting and pleading for a change.

To be honest, this roster isn’t stacked like it was with Shedeur and Travis. But we also know bad coaching when we see it, and this offense looks like it’s being coached to lose ground instead of gain it.

The players deserve better. The fans deserve better.

Colorado football is at a crossroads. Stick with Pat Shurmur and keep stalling out, or turn to Byron Leftwich and inject some badly needed life into this offense.

We know one thing as Buffs and Broncos fans: Shurmur isn’t going to suddenly reinvent himself.

So why not let Leftwich take over?

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