Pat Shurmur

New York Giants are quickly running out of time in head coaching search

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New York Giants considering Matt Rhule for head coach.

Two years ago, the New York Giants took their sweet time finding a head coach to lead them into the future. In fact, they took so long, they were forced to settle on Pat Shurmur, letting all of the premium candidates slip away. Fast forward to the present day, and the Giants are reenacting their mistake from two years ago — failing to make a decision quickly and grab their guy.

Reality is striking quickly, as Ron Rivera has signed on with the Washington Redskins and Mike McCarthy with the Dallas Cowboys, two of the most proven coaches available this offseason. Now, the Giants have to make a decision, unless they already have.

The fact that the Giants didn’t pounce on McCarthy should tell us everything we need to know — they have their sights set elsewhere. With Matt Rhule preparing to interview on Tuesday, it’s becoming clear that the Giants have a preference, but they’re losing immense leverage with every passing day.

The New York Giants need to be prepared to give power to their next head coach:

It’s expected that Rhule will want more control of the team, which would force GM Dave Gettleman to take a step back and let the head coach implement his style. While we can speculate whether Rhule will want more control, the Giants still have to go through the formal interview process and find their man.

There are still quality candidates remaining, despite Rivera and McCarthy finalizing deals elsewhere. Kansas City Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy remains a quality option (check out this article on him), Don “Wink” Martindale is also a potential fit, considering his defensive mentality.

I like the defensive-minded head coaches, opposite of what Shurmur brought to the Giants. It allows the offensive coordinator to have a more impactful role and focus on a single system, rather than trying to lead every unit with benevolence. The head coaching options this time around are far more systematic and grounded than Shurmur, who is known as the “quarterback whisperer.”

The development of Daniel Jones is something that Shurmur can be credited for. However, his coaching ability in-game was abysmal. Giants ownership will be looking to bring in a coach who can establish a sense of discipline and toughness.

New York Giants: Pat Shurmur Already In Running For New OC Job

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New York Giants, Pat Shurmur

Few thought that New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur would be immediately in the running for a new job after his two years with the New York Giants, which will definitely be remembered more for their losses than any high point, but that’s exactly the case as the Washington Redskins are taking a look at Shurmur. But it’s not for the head coaching spot. No, they’re considering Shurmur as an offensive coordinator option.

That’s the position that Shurmur came from, of course. He was the offensive coordinator for the Vikings before coming to the Giants and it was one of the main reasons behind the hire. There was no shortage of talk about how Shurmur had worked with Case Keenum, a player not traditionally recognized as a high level quarterback, to find success with a team that wasn’t expected to reach it.

Shurmur did have an alright time working with rookie Daniel Jones despite the young quarterback having some problems such as fumbling and overall turnovers, but his time with the Giants largely didn’t carry over the success he had with the Vikings. Now, Shurmur is back on the market and he could end up back in an offensive coordinator role.

Apparently, one of the teams that’s interested could be one of the rivals of the Giants, who also have their own young quarterback in Dwayne Haskins Jr. and could be firing offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell after a terrible season where the Redskins finished even worse than the Giants.

It’s a bit of a strange decision for the Redskins to discuss Shurmur, since the Giants tended to not be good enough consistently under Shurmur to get many wins, although it could just be an example of the Redskins looking at all their options. There’s not necessarily a number of great candidates on the open market right now for the offensive coordinator spot, after all – at least compared to the number of head coaching candidates available now.

New York Giants have an underrated head coaching option in Eric Bieniemy

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New York Giants, Eric Bieniemy

With the New York Giants prowling the free agent pool of head coaches, several options have risen to the top, including former Green Bay HC Mike McCarthy, and program head for Baylor, Matt Rhule.

Both have their respective pros and cons, with McCarthy being the most experienced among the available options, with the exception of Jason Garrett, who’s expected to be on the market as well.

The New York Giants have an underrated option:

Current Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, is a target that might offer fresh blood and fantastic knowledge for Big Blue. Bieniemy doesn’t have any head coaching experience in the NFL, but he has been learning behind Andy Ried, one of the league’s premier coaches.

Here’s a look at Bienmiey’s coaching history:

During his early collegiate years, the Chiefs’ OC served as the running backs coach for the Colorado Buffaloes from 2001 to 2002, and then at UCLA from 2003 to 2005. He then made the jump to the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL, serving as their running backs coach, helping maximize Adrian Peterson in his prime. Peterson led the NFC in rushing yards with 1,341 in 2007 and 2008 with 1,760 yards. In 2010, Bieniemy was named the Vikings’ assistant coach for the offense.

After a lengthy stint in the NFL, he returned to Colorado as the team’s offensive coordinator under head coach Jon Embree. In 2013, he made his way to Kansas City as the running back coach and was promoted in 2018 to offensive coordinator. In his first season as OC, the Chiefs were first in the NFL in yards per game and points scores, thanks to Patrick Mahomes and a deadly group of running backs.

Bieniemy’s success with the Chiefs have made him an excellent candidate to take the next step and become a head coach in the NFL, but his lack of experience concerns, as it should be. The Giants hired Pat Shurmur after a short stint as head coach with the Cleveland Browns, and that backfired immensely.

If New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch are looking for fresh blood and a coaching style that would maximize Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, Bieniemy shouldn’t be overlooked.

New York Giants: Patriots OC Josh McDaniels Joins Coaching Candidates

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It’s safe to say that most of the NFL would like to imitate the New England Patriots – that’s because the Patriots have been one of the most successful teams over the past couple of decades, and there’s plenty of New York Giants fans who would be willing to take talent from their rival in Boston if it meant the Giants could have a bit of the same.

This isn’t an article about Bill Belichick coming to the Giants, however. It’s about two members of his staff, Josh McDaniels and Joe Judge. McDaniels, as the offensive coordinator behind much of the Patriots’ success, is of course the more notable of the two when compared to Judge, the Patriots’ wide receivers and special teams coach.

According to the Boston Globe, the Patriots have approved requests for the Giants to speak to both coaches.

According to a league source, the Giants have been granted permission to speak with McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, and Judge, the club’s special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach, about their head coaching vacancy.

That doesn’t mean that McDaniels to the Patriots is the most likely outcome, however. McDaniels was announced last year as the coach of the Indianapolis Colts but ended up showing more commitment to the Patriots and making the decision to stay instead of leaving. Presumably, there was something enticing McDaniels to make that choice, such as the prospect of taking over when Belichick eventually retires.

It would likely take a lot from the Giants to convince McDaniels to give his current position in New England up, which is why it seems like one of the more unlikely moves, but with some unrest in New England right now it doesn’t seem impossible that McDaniels might finally leave for the second time.

At the least, it’s a positive for the Giants that such options are being investigated – going into a coaching search with not enough good candidates on the market resulted in the Giants ending up with Pat Shurmur last time, after all.

WATCH: New York Giants’ head coach candidate Mike McCarthy has reinvented himself

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Will the New York Giants consider Mike McCarthy as their next head coach?

With the departure of head coach Pat Shurmur, the New York Giants are now in the market for his replacement. Baylor’s Matt Rhule, New England’s Josh McDaniels, and former Green Bay Packers’ HC Mike McCarthy lead the charge for the Big Blue, who are looking for a coach with strong leadership abilities and disciplinary tactics.

Shurmur faltered in several categories during his two-year stint with the Giants, struggling to improve in his time-management, personnel decisions, and extraction of value. He did succeed in rookie quarterback Daniel Jones’ progression, as the young passer had several games with four touchdowns passes or more.

However, somebody needed to be the fall-guy for a team that won nine total games over two seasons. General manager Dave Gettleman has survived the axing of Shurmur, and he will now play a significant part in finding their next head coach.

Of the three coaches mentioned above, McCarthy is the option with the most head coaching experience, but his conservative style has put him under fire in the past. Recently, though, he has detailed the improvements he’s made in his personal development and studying he’s conducted with other coaches to prepare him for his next opportunity better.

McCarthy details the selfish nature of being a coach in the NFL, as it involves plucking his family from their home and moving them around the country. His future success depends on his ability to refine his skills and create a modern scheme that elevates his players. Failure is a difficult pill to swallow, as it often forces families of coaches to relocate frequently. Having prolonged success allows them to create a grounding and establish a sense of ‘home.’

The Giants can offer McCarthy a chance at re-establishing himself among the top coaches in the NFL, but it ultimately requires him to re-invent his abilities. One of his biggest downfalls was his offensive scheme and how it hindered Aaron Rodgers to a degree — predictable play-calling, basic route concepts, etc.

With Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones featuring on the Giants’ offense, finding a coach that can help them reach peak performance is essential, and it’s possible that McCarthy could be their guy.

 

Giants Fans Lose Again as Team Elects to Keep Gettleman

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New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

The New York Giants, for some odd reason, cannot come to grips with the fact they are bottom dwellers in today’s NFL. They believe their ownership group is in step with the rest of the league and that they just made a few bad choices in attaining their status as the NFL’s official poster children for dysfunction.

After another 5-11 season, they fired their head coach, kept his entire staff in place, then patted their general manager on the back and pointed him back to his office. Not exactly what the fans were hoping for and certainly not the right course of action after two consecutive 5-11 seasons.

Pat Shurmur should have been fired. No one is disputing that. He is not head coaching material and it showed. He is, however, an excellent offensive coordinator and will likely return successfully to those ranks very soon. Dave Gettleman also should have been fired. The game has clearly passed him by. The Giants are deniers when it comes to that fact.

The Giants needed to blow up the building and not look back. They decided not to. Bad move. Another half-measure that is going to come back and bite them. Gettleman will now hire a new coach and then get himself fired next year, leaving that coach behind to twist in the wind. A new GM will come in and who knows if he’ll want to retain that coach. Translation: the Giants will have wasted another year.

Gettleman, in first appearance before the media since July, was almost apologetic in tone, his guff veneer stuffed in his back pocket. But it was obvious he feels he’s done right by the team. “Not good enough” was his answer when asked to evaluate his performance. Not good at all should have been the response.

Success is measured in wins and losses and the Giants have a lot more of the latter these days. What this team needs is a football czar with 21st century chops. Instead, they have an old school thinker overseeing an archaic business model.

“Over time since I’ve been here, we have regenerated, we have rebooted, so to speak, and done a lot of things behind the scenes that needed to be done,'” Gettleman told reporters Tuesday. “John (Mara) alluded to them yesterday. We have completely redone our scouting situation, how we look at college personnel, how we look at pro personnel. We are in the process, we have hired four computer folks, software, and we are completely redoing the backend of our college and pro scouting systems.”

Computer folks. What year is this? Gettleman acknowledged that he was “on notice” which isn’t comforting when you think about it. Who wants a guy on notice making crucial decisions about your team’s future? This is just dumb.

Gettleman further demonstrated his obliviousness when he tried to justify trading a third and a fifth round pick for impending free agent defensive tackle Leonard Williams in October. They still face the challenge of signing Williams this offseason and will have to overpay him to save face.

“We felt we needed him.” said Gettleman. “Again, we felt good about it and we feel, and he’s proven, he’s disruptive in there. He improved our rushing defense with him in there, he buzzes around the quarterback, we’ve just got to get him to finish now. But, the bottom line is we felt it was worth the deal. The juice was worth the squeeze.”

Losing teams with no postseason prospects don’t make in-season trades like this. It’s just bad business. This is the kind of mind the Giants are hitching their wagon to. Strap yourselves in, Giant fans, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

 

 

 

New York Giants news, 12/31 – Matt Rhule seems to be the clear favorite at head coach

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New York Giants considering Matt Rhule for head coach.

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

Flashback to the 2017 season, one year before Baylor head coach and New York Giants HC candidate, Matt Rhule, took over the program — the team finished 1-11 on the year, plummeting to the bottom of the barrel in college football and proving critics right.

Fast forward to the end of 2018, Baylor finished with a 7-6 record, taking a significant step forward in their progression and establishing a culture. This past year, Baylor earned an 11-2 record, on the back of Matt Rhule, their esteemed coach, and leader. The New York Giants are in the market for a new head coach, and Rhule has quickly jumped to the front of the line, as rumors have indicated it would be his “dream job” post-Pat Shurmur.

Shurmur finished with nine total wins in two years, continuing the disappointing collapse of a once-great franchise. Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch spoke to the media on Monday morning after Shurmur’s release, advocating for GM Dave Gettleman and his transition to a more modern system. Embodying analytics and relying less on his “gut,” to be exact.

To Gettleman’s defense, he did draft generational running back Saquon Barkley and blew everyone’s mind with Daniel Jones at the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Mara made sure to mention his lack of success in free agency, though, detailing his misses, but harping primarily on his draft picks.

The team will now enter the offseason with approximately $80 million in cap space, the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the heir apparent at quarterback. Some would say they’re in an advantageous position and require a true leader and coach. Shurmur didn’t seem to have it in him to overhaul the culture of the team and win with the talent Gettleman provided him.

Ideally, the New York Giants would shy away from hiring another offensive coordinator, but rather a proven head coach that has re-developed an entire program, similar to Rhule. To add to his resume, he spent the 2012 season as an assistant under Tom Coughlin, so he understands the expectations of being a member of the Giants coaching staff.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Sam Blum – Baylor head coach Matt Rhule held team meeting to discuss interest from NFL

Anthony Rivardo – BREAKING: New York Giants Fire Head Coach Pat Shurmur

Paul Schwartz – Steve Tisch pushing for more say in Giants’ football decisions

Michael Eisen – Giants ownership explains decision to make coaching change
Dan Benton – Giants head coaching search: 15 potential candidates

New York Giants: Head coach candidates update – who are the favorites?

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New York Giants considering Matt Rhule for head coach.

The New York Giants fired head coach Pat Shurmur on Monday morning, hitting the restart button after two seasons of porous play. During Shurmur’s tenure, Big Blue managed only nine wins, most of which came towards the end of the season against sub-.500 teams.

The latest two victories against the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins put the team in the right direction. Still, owner John Mara stated that he and Steve Tisch had been mulling the head coaching position over for weeks.

The two co-owners were reported as being divided on the state of the Giants, with Tisch in favor of a full-restructuring of the front-office. However, Mara advocated for their similar approach:

“Our relationship, contrary to what I read the other day, has never been better. We communicate on any issues regarding the team all the time. This has been a conversation we’ve been having for at least the last few weeks, anyway.”

With the head coach search underway, we can assume that the process will go quickly, considering how fast the Washington Redskins locked up Ron Rivera. Reports of Baylor stud HC Matt Rhule being a suitable option have bubbled to the surface.

Rhule, who completely revitalized the Baylor Football Program in three years, taking them from a 1-11 record to an 11-1 record this season, is considered to be a top candidate with the Giants. He has past connections with GM Dave Gettleman and would hold the vacant head coaching position with the Giants in high regard. Some have said that Rhule would consider it his “dream job.”

Just last season, the New York Jets took a stab at Rhule, who turned them down to remain with Baylor. However, reports have indicated that Baylor players wouldn’t be surprised if he walked in favor of the NFL, and he even told them as much. Having grown up in New York, the connection with Big Blue makes perfect sense, and his progressive eye would give the Giants an advantage moving forward.

Mara mentioned the increase in analytical depth this season, and Gettleman has been at the forefront, even after his “nerd” comment upon his inception in East Rutherford. Nonetheless, the beginning of a new age might be upon us, but it all starts with Gettleman, who, according to the two owners, needs to improve in free agency, especially with approximately $80 million available this offseason.

New York Giants May Pay For Half Measures In Rebuilding

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New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

The New York Giants aren’t going to go all the way with their rebuild process.

Head coach Pat Shurmur was fired on Monday, of course – to the relief of many fans. It’s not that Shurmur was a bad person or a coach that players didn’t like playing for, but as far as on the field results, Shurmur also failed to deliver in two years and didn’t look better at most points than the much maligned previous coach he’d been brought in to replace.

The Giants weren’t going to win with Shurmur. Making the move to replace him is one of the first steps in getting back to a winning record and eventually the playoffs. But while Shurmur was replaced, General Manager Dave Gettleman escaped with his job despite being the one behind constructing the roster that Shurmur coached this year.

For whatever reason, the one that led the team was fired but not the one that constructed it.

Sure, there have been some good things that have come out of Gettleman being the General Manager. The most notable would be the selection of Saquon Barkley. But there’s also been a lot of bad. The secondary isn’t better than it was when Gettleman took over, perhaps even taking a step back, trading up for DeAndre Baker and having a general trend of acquiring too many defensive line players look like bad moves, giving Nate Solder a large contract has turned out to be a mistake, and Gettleman’s veteran signings have been panned by fans.

And as for the biggest moves Gettleman has made, drafting Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, it’s hard to give all of the credit to the General Manager for them. Sure, Gettleman selected Barkley. But that was the expected move for a team that had a chance to take the best player in the draft. It wasn’t a case of a General Manager making a tough call and taking a risk on a dark horse player who turns out to be as good as Barkley.

It was a good selection… But does it really say that much about the skill of the executive who made it, when compared to other executives? Most other General Managers in the same position would have done the same thing.

As for Jones, it can’t be said one way or another if he’ll turn into a franchise quarterback that looks good on Gettleman’s resume. Despite the early hype, his fumbles and interceptions do mean it will take some more time before truly giving him that title.

What’s already set in stone, though, are the numbers 5-11 and 4-12: the records of the New York Giants over the past couple of years. While it’s usually impossible to have a near immediate turnaround, the little improvement through Gettleman’s first two offseasons should concern the organization more than it has. As it stands now, it doesn’t look like the Giants are set to become the winning team in the third year of a rebuild.

Rather, based on Gettleman’s record so far with free agents, they look on pace to use their increased cap space to bring in a number of players who will likely attract some attention during the offseason but when things are said and done, will end up on their way out of the team in a couple of years after not making nearly enough actual impact on results.

You might not see things change too much for the Giants in 2020. Why? Because they’re taking half measures in a rebuild once again, just like firing Coughlin and keeping Reese in the past – something that in hindsight, a lot of fans would probably have liked the Giants to reverse.

The current leader of the team, the coach, is gone now and will be replaced this offseason. With the same architect at the top, though, can one really argue that change will happen?

New York Giants news, 12/30 – 3 silver linings from an otherwise terrible 2020

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New York Giants, Eli Manning, Daniel Jones

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

The New York Giants falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 17 only capped what was already a disappointing 2019 season. Finishing 4-12 on the year, head coach Pat Shurmur was unable to curate a disciplined team and manage games with efficiency. His lack of time management skills and personnel decisions hurt the Giants weekly and might have cost them several wins in the process. Nonetheless, there were several silver linings to enjoy among the negatives.

Here are three silver linings the New York Giants experience in 2019:

1.) Saquon Barkley’s late surge

Saquon Barkley started the 2019 season with two consecutive 100-yard performances. After suffering a high ankle sprain against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter of week three, he was unable to return to his peak form. He subsequently went eight games without recording over 100 rushing yards, finally breaking the mark in week 15 against the Miami Dolphins.

While he just barely missed the 100-yard mark in week 17 against the Eagles, which would have marked his third consecutive game, he did manage to break the 1000 yard rushing mark on the season. That is one primary silver lining that should give the Giants hope moving forward. Barkley is an essential part of the Giants’ offense and will hopefully have a more productive 2020 campaign. Getting him more involved in all facets should be a priority moving forward, especially after head coach Pat Shurmur was relieved of his duties on Monday.

2.) Daniel Jones is the future

If there’s one thing general manager Dave Gettleman has done right in his two years with the Giants, it is draft quarterback Daniel Jones.

The rookie passer amassed 3027 yards on the season through the air, 24 touchdown passes, and 12 interceptions. He also fumbled 18 times, making his final turnover mark 30 on the year. While the turnovers are concerning, he showed plenty of promise in the passing game with his accuracy and ability to decipher coverages.

After missing the first two games with Eli Manning remaining under center, Jones started his career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he recorded his first win.

Finding a franchise quarterback is the most challenging thing for an NFL team, and the fact that Gettleman seems to have chosen correctly on his first attempt is a huge positive when considering his retention.

3.) Young pieces showing promise

When Gettleman initially began the rebuild process, he insisted that they would also win games at the same time. That reality has quickly shown it’s true colors, as the Giants have logged just nine wins over two seasons. However, they do have several young pieces they have shown promise so far in their young careers.

Linebacker Ryan Connelly has looked good in a small sample size, but he will undoubtedly be a starting linebacker for the Giants in 2020. Wide receiver Darius Slayton has also looked like a reliable pass catcher, connecting with Daniel Jones frequently this season. Slayton finished the season with 740 total yards and eight touchdowns. There’s plenty of reason to be hopeful for the future, but this off-season will be essential in the team’s success. The Giants will have approximately $80 million in open cap-space and plenty of draft capital to address positions of weakness.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Steve Serby – Dump Dave Gettleman with Pat Shurmur? This is Giants owners’ cruel dilemma

Alexander Wilson – The New York Giants’ biggest problem lies within ownership

Art Stapleton – NY Giants: What we know on the future of Pat Shurmur and state of the franchise

Dan Salomone – New York Giants 2020 Opponents
John Fennelly – Giants will select 4th in 2020 NFL Draft