By Dan Duggan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is poised to become the Giants' head coach after Minnesota's season ends. This will be Shurmur's second head-coaching opportunity, as he went 9-23 with the Browns in 2011-12.

I reached out to Mary Kay Cabot, who has covered the Browns for over 20 years for Cleveland.com, for insight into Shurmur's tenure in Cleveland:

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What's your reaction to Shurmur's expected hiring?

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I'm glad Shurmur is getting this opportunity. I've hated to see all these good coaches come through Cleveland during this tumultuous time and then not get another chance. Shurmur's timing with the Browns was horrible, beginning with the lockout his first season that prevented him from working with his new players until training camp, and an ownership change his second season. He really had no chance here.

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What stands out from his time in Cleveland?

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That was four coaches and 10 starting quarterbacks ago, so I’m starting to forget which coaches even coached which quarterbacks. Despite the lack of continuity and stability here, Shurmur managed to go 5-6 in his last 11 games, which was tremendous progress and a great winning percentage by Browns standards since their return in 1999.

But that whole regime — led by then-president Mike Holmgren — was doomed the moment Randy Lerner sold the team to Jimmy Haslam in 2012. New people want a fresh start. This was about an ownership and front office change more than anything Shurmur did or didn’t do.

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How would you describe his offensive system?

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Shurmur, who came up under Andy Reid, ran the traditional West Coast offense here, but he's since put his own stamp on it, including things learned from his time with Chip Kelly in Philly. Personnel was a problem here, especially quarterback. Shurmur started Colt McCoy in 2011, but McCoy fell out of favor after a concussion controversy in the season finale. The Browns drafted Brandon Weeden in the first round of the 2012 draft and he won the starting job out of camp, but he threw 17 interceptions against only 14 TDs as a rookie, and that was the biggest problem that season.

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Who called plays after Brad Childress was hired as OC?

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Shurmur called his own plays after Childress was hired as OC in 2012, but it was a collaborative effort. His play-calling became more creative as the years have gone by, and you can see the growth in the Vikings’ offense this year. It seems to me that Shurmur has learned and grown a lot since he was here. He’s worked with a lot of different QBs since then, and can adapt to the style of his starter. He’s gotten the most out of almost every QB he’s worked with since then.

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AP Photo | David Richard

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Was he hands-on with the Browns QBs?

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He was hands-on with the quarterbacks when he was here, but he had a lot on his plate, especially that first season when he tried to call plays in his first year as a head coach with no offensive coordinator and not having a chance to work with his players until training camp.

During the lockout, Colt McCoy actually hosted several offsite unofficial minicamps to help get the team ready to play, including one in Austin, Texas. It was a weird way for Shurmur to have to begin his career. He was already behind the eight-ball, and took on too much responsibility for a rookie head coach. It’s a common mistake that I’ve seen over and over here. I firmly believe the Giants would get the benefit of him learning from those mistakes with the Browns.

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How did Shurmur handle locker room problems?

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The locker room wasn’t really toxic in Cleveland, but Shurmur did have some challenges to deal with, including Trent Richardson’s house full of family and friends, and a young Josh Gordon, who needed plenty of guidance. His best defensive player, Joe Haden, also got suspended for four games in 2012 for performance-enhancing drugs. In camp that year, Shurmur and Haden had a heated exchange and he tossed him out of practice in front of the camp crowd. But they worked through it and seemed to get along okay the rest of the season.

There was good leadership on the team with veterans such as Benjamin Watson, D’Qwell Jackson and Sheldon Brown, and things never got out of hand. Shurmur also held the team together enough during an 0-5 start to go 5-6 in his last 11 before getting the boot.

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Winners and losers from Shurmur's hire

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Can Shurmur handle the New York media spotlight?

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I actually think Cleveland is a good training ground for New York from a media standpoint, because there’s such a large contingent here. Shurmur used to comment about how much more intense it was here than in St. Louis. Despite all the losing, the Browns still attract a lot of local and national attention, and Shurmur took his share of criticism.

He could be short and abrupt at times, but for the most part, he seemed to enjoy the interaction. He has a dry sense of humor, and he’ll get his digs in when necessary to make sure you know he’s paying attention. I’m sure he learned a lot and will do some things differently this time around. He can definitely handle it. We broke him in, just like we did Bill Belichick back in the day.

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Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.