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Is Pat Shurmur a Strong Candidate to be the Raiders' Head Coach?

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I was perplexed when Mike Holmgren hired Pat Shurmur as the Cleveland Browns' head coach several years ago. Like with most moves the Browns make, though, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt -- a chance to prove themselves -- before casting too much judgment. After two seasons, it was clear that Shurmur was no offensive guru and he was not cut out to be a head coach.

After the Browns fired Shurmur, it was perplexing to see Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly hire him as the team's offensive coordinator. Shurmur did not run anything close to the type of offense that Kelly was implementing, so for the past two years, the Eagles' offensive success has been rightfully attributed to Kelly, not Shurmur.

Now, we have another perplexing situation with the former Browns head coach: teams are considering him for head coaching gigs again...and the Oakland Raiders might be serious about it:

A few days ago, ESPN's Chris Mortensen called Shurmur an "underrated candidate."

Seriously? Have people already forgotten how dismal his run in Cleveland was? The Browns will face the Raiders in 2015, so for Cleveland's sake, it'll be a benefit if Shurmur is coaching them.