Pat Shurmur hoping Brandon Weeden can limit interceptions over final 7 games

With the 2012 season already starting to slip away, Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur talked at length on Wednesday about the struggles of his rookie signal caller Brandon Weeden in his first season in the NFL.

While Weeden's two interceptions in a Week 10 loss to Baltimore actually broke a two-game streak where he was not picked off, the 29-year-old rookie has now tossed 12 interceptions over his first nine games in the league. And while he remains fully supportive of his quarterback, Shurmur's advice to his young signal caller was as blunt as possible.

"Don’t throw interceptions," Shurmur said Wednesday at his press conference, reported by Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. "Done, end of story. I want to be right to the point."

Weeden's long-term future has already been called into question by some in the organization due to his erratic play this season, and the first-year quarterback even had to defend himself publicly after Cleveland CEO Joe Banner spoke to the media about being unsure of his long term value with the Browns. Shumur still has faith in Weeden's accurate arm to turn things around however, but admits it may take some exceptional football down the stretch from Weeden to alter the perception about his ability as a franchise quarterback.

"I’ve looked at all those interceptions and there are times where he could have made better decisions," Shurmur said. "You don’t want to play anxious football, but you also have to be smart. I think that is something we all have to come to grips with."