The New York Giants made significant changes in their coaching staff this off-season after they fired Pat Shurmur, Mike Shula, and James Bettcher. Management went out and brought in former New England Patriots special-teams coordinator Joe Judge, former Dallas head coach Jason Garrett, and former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham.
The expectations are that the new staff will bring a bit more stability to the franchise. Shurmur was incapable of managing the entire team, with his focus primarily aimed at the offense. Calling plays was simply too much of a difficult task to handle in cohesion with the remainder of his duties.
The offense should benefit from having a strict offensive coordinator who knows the game like the back of his hand. Garrett spent 13 years with the Cowboys but was fired at the end of last season for under-performing.
One former New York Giants player believes he will be a massive upgrade:
O’Hara referenced via Giants.com a play the Cowboys utilizing the past called “scissors.” Mainly, it relies on misdirection with two running back’s in the backfield and having both guards swing into space to block for the ball carrier. He mentions that the Giants have used this play in the past, but it has been quite some time. He believes Garrett will re-invoke the specific play, and it should help the Giants’ offense succeed.
“I fully expect to see this play resurface for the Giants,” O’Hara said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “I think Saquon (Barkley) is the perfect running back, just like Zeke Elliott, who ran it exceptionally well down in Dallas. Obviously, it helps when you have good offensive linemen, which he does down there. But the patience to let those blocks develop and to set them up, that’s something Saquon does a really good job of. Because he has that speed and that burst, he can maintain the patience with that.
“So, what is Jason Garrett going to do? Well smartly, he brought along Marc Colombo, who was down with him in Dallas, who is now the offensive line coach. He has another guy to help instill this and show them how to block it and show them all the intricacies of this play. What makes it work and what it struggles with. But I think when you look at this offense with Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator, the accountability factor is going to be through the roof.”
The offensive line remains the most important unit for the Giants, regarding development. They drafted Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick to be the heir at left tackle. O’Hara mentions “accountability” will be a significant portion of Judge’s mentality as a head coach.
Every player has a job to do, and they must do it well. Harping on fundamentals and the minor details is what makes a team great. Hopefully, all of these factors combined translates to a better performance in 2020.
The Super Bowl champion spoke about the future of his Giants and Scarlet Knights squads and what football without fans would be like.
It’s safe to say that each of Shaun O’Hara’s former football squads could use him right now.
O’Hara, who turns 43 on Tuesday, was born to be a New Jersey gridiron legend. Having grown up in Hillsborough Township, O’Hara would go on to star for the local high school’s Raiders before embarking on a five-year journey at Rutgers. An 11-year career in the NFL awaited him afterward, one that was primarily spent just about 45 minutes away fro Piscataway in East Rutherford. As a New York Giants, O’Hara served as one of the most consistent protectors for Eli Manning as the Giants’ center for seven seasons. His vital role in the team’s fortunes was commemorated with three Pro Bowl invitations and he would hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of Super Bowl XLII. O’Hara is currently a regular on NFL Network and has provided game day analysis for ESPN Radio, Fox, and Big Ten Network.
The former center recently sat down with ESM to discuss his new endeavors and how his old squads can recapture their glory days…
(Special thanks to Vegas Insider for making this interview possible)
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Q: As someone who partook in plenty of classic moments with the New York Giants, what’s your favorite and why?
A: There are a lot of really cool ones. The coolest moment I experienced as a Giant, the coolest thing, the most memorable thing I ever got to do as a New York Giant was the Super Bowl parade down the Canyon of Heroes in 2008.
The NFC Championship Game in Green Bay was special, the Super Bowl was special. Those were games, the pinnacle of the game of football. But the Canyon of Heroes was nothing that I had ever dreamed about. I didn’t even know you get a parade! It’s the most memorable because it was something that none of us had ever experienced. None of us really knew what to expect. It was so memorable because it was an entire city, a city that is thought of as a hard-nosed, not-very affectionate, has a very chew-you-up-and spit-you-out kind of label and identity. And yet, here was this entire city embracing us as a team, as champions.
I remember when they told us we were going to have a parade and we got on the buses, we went into the city, we went through the tunnel. We were all talking, everyone’s running on fumes, we hadn’t slept. It was on a Tuesday. We flew home Monday as a team, nobody slept Sunday night or Monday night. Nobody knew what to expect back then. When we looked down the street, all we saw was people, just a wave of people. I’ve never seen a crowd like that in New York City. I had never seen that big of a crowd in the street. That took all of our breaths away, seeing that and seeing that day. That was so special.
Q: What can the modern Giants do to recapture those glory days?
A: The Giants have really, to me, struggled in the last four years in not just winning games but also not losing them. I feel like, many times when I turn on film and I’m watching the Giants, a lot of the losses are self-inflicted. It’s inconsistent play, both physically and mentally. When they have had the lead, they don’t have the confidence or the ability to close out a game. That’s been really tough to watch over the past couple of years.
I think a lot of the problems stem from accountability and I don’t think that, for whatever reason, the players have not been accountable to be a pro and do what you’re asked to do week in and week out. Don’t beat yourself. It’s in techniques, it’s in assignments, but it’s also in game situations. I think that’s what they have to get back to.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Q: You know better than anyone about the impact a stable offensive line can have on a team. What sort of effect can a selection like Andrew Thomas have on the Giants?
A: I think Andrew Thomas is going to bring a really great pedigree at tackle. I think that he can easily play right tackle as a rookie. He has also shown the ability to move to the left tackle position. I think he’s got unbelievable length. Any time you’re talking about playing at tackle, you’re talking about playing in space. If you’re going to be playing in space, you better have strong arms, you better be able to keep the defenders at bay. That’s something he did a really good job at Georgia. I thought he did a really great job at handling power rushes. I thought he was athletic enough to handle the speed rushers. He does a good job with his hand placement.
I think all of those things are going to give (the Giants) a much more competitive and a much more consistent right tackle. It’s absolutely an upgrade not just in year one, but it’s an upgrade that’s only going to continue to get better over the next couple of years. I think he’s going to be a cornerstone draft pick for the New York Giants, like their previous two first-round picks (Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley) have been. I think that he has the ability to become a Pro Bowl-type player, now he just has to go out and do it.
Q: What’s the one piece of advice you can offer Daniel Jones right now?
A: My advice to Daniel Jones, I think right now, would be to not let a day go by where you’re not calling plays, pretending to be in the huddle, saying them over and over. The formations, the plays, the snap count, the rhythms. Don’t let a day go by where you don’t spend time either on the phone or via Zoom or Facebook, whatever they’re using now, where you don’t spend time with your offensive line and your receivers going over different parts of the offense.
I think he can handle it. He’s a great kid, he’s ambitious, he’s got the right demeanor. But the fact they’re installing a new offense makes it a bit tougher. With OTAs and minicamps potentially lost, it’s less physical and more mental things. That would be my advice: not to lose those mental reps. You can’t be hesitant and be a leader. You have to have confidence and you can only do that by knowing every aspect of the offense in and out.
Q: What are your thoughts on the NFL’s developing stance on current events and demonstrations?
A: I think the NFL is trying to react positively to everything that’s going on, and that’s not always easy to do. I think that each athlete is a different kind of athlete. You can’t just put your helmet on and say you’re not going to participate or be aware of what’s going on. Today’s athlete is much more aware and much more engaged and I think the NFL is trying to embrace that as best as they can. I think every team is going to listen and they should be because what I see is that the NFL is reacting to how the players are handling all of it. If the players didn’t want to participate in this and not want to use their platform to promote certain aspects, I don’t think the NFL would be after that. But because the players are being so outspoken, being so emphatic and passionate about their causes and their platforms, I think the NFL is trying to be supportive and rightfully so.
Q: If and when we get a season, games may be played without fans. As someone who has called NFL games, how can broadcasts adjust to these settings?
A: It’s definitely going to take away from the gameday atmosphere and the action. Any time I call a game, whether it’s on the radio or on TV, one of the cool parts about is the raw emotion and energy that erupts in a stadium. Hearing the noise, people getting into their seats as the game initiates, even the national anthem being played, there’s just so much emotion because of all the people that are there. That’s definitely going to be something that you have to adjust to, but I think, as far as calling the games, I don’t think that it’s going to change the way that you call it.
I think one that will be different is, without the crowd noise, you will be able to hear everything that’s being said on the field. Anything said by the quarterback, anything said to an offensive lineman, to a receiver, or a protection call, you might hear. I’ll be curious to see if that happens and how teams will have to adjust week-to-week knowing that everyone can hear what they say.
Q: How can Rutgers football recapture some form of glory, especially with head coach Greg Schiano coming back into the fold?
A: To be honest, Greg coming back to Rutgers feels a lot like Joe Judge coming to the Giants. I mentioned the accountability aspect for the Giants, and the same thing is happening right now in New Brunswick. Back when he was a head coach, I got to know Greg. I respect Greg, I really appreciate everything he’s done. He’s a good man and I’m excited that he’s back on the Banks. I think the kids all respect him.
That accountability is a crucial part. Too many Rutgers teams beat themselves, not give them a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. I think that has to be eradicated and it can’t continue. I think, first and foremost, that’s one thing Greg is going to try to instill in these guys. But I also think that, because of Greg’s track record already, he’s creating a lot of belief, a lot of belief on campus and a lot of people who may be thinking about going to Rutgers. I know what I’m going to get with Greg Schiano. I’m going to go for Rutgers, I’m going to play for Greg. Too many kids from, say Don Bosco Prep, end up going to other places. We got to keep the kids from Bosco here, we got to keep the kids from Bergen Catholic here. We’ve got to keep these guys in-state.
Q: What do future endeavors hold for you, Shaun O’Hara?
A: Well, I have my foundation. It’s something that has been extremely rewarding. It can impact other people’s lives. The main benefactor of the Shaun O’Hara Foundation has been cystic fibrosis, a disease that affects your digestive system and your lungs. Especially given this climate that we’re in right now, where COVID-19 attacks your lungs, this is a very dangerous time for everybody in the CF community. One of the things that really turned me to the cystic fibrosis community is that it’s considered an orphaned disease. Less than 200,000 people have it, so it receives zero funding from the government. While the government every year allocates millions of dollars in research toward finding cures for things, like cancer and other diseases, cystic fibrosis gets no federal funding. So any money that goes towards research, towards finding a cure comes from private donations and other stations that raise money them. That’s something that’s near and dear to my heart.
I also want to give my wife Amy a shoutout here. She was my nurse, I was at the Hospital for Special Surgery. I gave her my phone number and we’ve been together ever since. As a former nurse at HSS and Hackensack hospital, when this pandemic hit she was checking in on some of her former co-workers, asking how they were doing if they needed anything. They were relaying to her how overwhelmed they were. So many patients were coming and so many lives were being lost because they didn’t have the capacity. She started off by delivering meals to the hospital to help out and then a lot of other people started helping out.
She decided she wanted to help the patients out too. She heard from the nurses about the patients who were battling COVID are isolated by themselves. They can’t talk to anybody, they can’t see anybody. The only time someone comes in to see them is when the doctors make their rounds and they all go in at one time, put on the PPE. You’re kind of like a leper in there. A lot of patients that were dying, a person would come in and hold an iPad or a phone and their family members could FaceTime them and give them a parting wish virtually. It was really heartbreaking for her, or anybody, to hear that. She decided that she wanted to try to do something for the patients that were alone in these hospital rooms. She reached out to a friend of hers who does paper labels and paper crafts. They created the Be A Rainbow Project and she delivers single roses with these tags on them, that have a rainbow heart on them with a message. She has delivered almost 3,000 roses now to hospitals that have COVID patients. I think one of her biggest deliveries was 200-300 roses for one hospital. The numbers have come done since then, thank goodness, but it’s been something that she has been doing for the last couple of months.
For more information on the Be A Rainbow Project, visit their website here
The New York Giants have had a quarterback debate in the making ever since Daniel Jones showed up looking good in his first preseason game, throwing for one touchdown and completing all of his passes. It remains to be seen how Jones will play in the future but at least right now it’s generated a bit of urgency for Eli Manning, the team’s starter who not everyone is entirely happy with.
There’s plenty of people who would be happy to see the Giants give Jones a chance in his rookie season, but one high profile player disagrees with that assessment of the QB battle. That player would be Super Bowl winning center Shaun O’Hara, who of course has a pretty decent knowledge of the quarterback position at this point after serving as the center for Eli Manning for many years.
“I think that’s perfect case scenario. When they drafted Daniel Jones, it wasn’t to help them win Week 1, it was for the future,” O’Hara said on NFL Network, on the subject of keeping Jones on the bench for the entire year and sticking with Eli Manning.
“You hear John Mara talking about that. What that tells me is, inside that locker room, inside that building, they believe in Eli and the best thing for the Giants right now is the fact that Eli’s having a great camp — it’s the one thing that nobody’s talking about. Every single time I’ve been at camp, he’s been lighting it up,” O’Hara added.
The Giants have confirmed Manning as the starter a number of times but it doesn’t stop speculation about the team making a switch during the season, especially if they don’t play well.
“Yes, I’ve seen with my own eyes and I’ve also heard it from Pat Shurmur when I talk to him and Dave Gettleman when I talk to him. Both of them directly unsolicited said ‘Eli looks great and he’s playing great.’ If he wasn’t, this is a different conversation.”
Manning hasn’t had a chance to play in the regular season, and there’s a chance, however, that the first four games are somewhat rough with Golden Tate suspended and Sterling Shepard attempting to bounce back from a fractured thumb. It’s unknown how these factors will affect the team or how they’ll play in the early weeks, and as Giants fans saw firsthand in 2018, all it takes is a string of bad weeks for the pressure to rise greatly on a quarterback that’s had a hard time winning in recent years.
For now, we’ll just have to see how the team continues to play in the preseason – if Jones continues putting together performances like his one against the Jets, that pressure on Manning will increase… Rightfully or not, and whether the team management wants it to or not.
The New York Giants are always under pressure, as the most successful NFL team in one of the most demanding media markets in the entire country and world. However, it looks like sustained losing over the past few years has built this season up to have even more pressure than what would be normal. After a season where the team was one of the worst in the league during their bad days and only a middle of the pack team on their good days, the fans want results.
And former Giants center Shaun O’Hara, who won a Super Bowl with current starting quarterback Eli Manning, recently talked with NJ Advance Media about the amount of pressure on the team.
“This is the biggest September the Giants have had in a long time. They need to win some football games early on. Not just for Eli, but for the coaching staff, too. If you are Coach [Pat] Shurmur, you are not sitting there saying, ‘Oh, I’ve got three years.’ Everybody in that building feels the heat. It’s not just Eli,” O’Hara said. Three years is the amount of time that Daniel Jones is expected to spend as backup, although many believe that Eli Manning won’t last that long and that Jones will end up taking the reigns earlier.
The Giants’ September schedule involves clashes with old rivals Dallas and Washington, with out of division games against Buffalo and Tampa Bay.
“Their schedule is a good schedule. I think they’ve got a good chance to start fast. If you take care of business on the field, all of that will fall into place,” O’Hara added.
If the Giants can’t pull off a good run in the early part of the season, they risk what happened last year: getting into an early hole and not being able to climb out of it until there’s not enough time left in the season to seriously compete. Playing from so far behind in the standings killed any enthusiasm around last year’s Giants team, months before the season was over. One of the key goals for the Giants will be avoiding a repeat…
And whether or not they do that may just decide several factors, such as how long the current coaching staff keep their positions and how many more years Eli Manning will play.
When it comes to predicting who the New York Giants will take with the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft, a quarterback is the most popular answer, but not everyone agrees with that line of thinking. Some think that the Giants need to go with a defensive pick to actually take a step forward this season, and one of those people is former Giants center Shaun O’Hara, who played with the team from 2004 to 2010 and was on the Super Bowl XLII squad.
“You heard what Dave Gettleman said after the season. ‘We scored more points than any other team in our division, and yet we didn’t win the division,'” O’Hara told Good Morning Football. “This team needs to get better on the other side of the ball as well.”
It is true that there were some games this season where the Giants offense performed at a level that could have brought a victory, but the team was dragged down by a defense that couldn’t stop the opponent. The team suffered a number of close losses, losing to Dallas and Indianapolis by a point, and Philadelphia and Atlanta by three in the second half of the season. Had the Giants defense been able to perform just a little bit better, the narrative this offseason might be a little bit different.
“When you’re sitting at the sixth pick, and you’re the general manager, you can’t just look at it and say, ‘We’re just going to take a quarterback because everybody thinks we should take one.’ I don’t think you can make that decision based on just that,” continued O’Hara.
There certainly is outside pressure on the Giants to take a quarterback this year, both from fans and from the media. But there’s been plenty of cases in the past of teams completely defying the expectations with their draft picks. The Giants might just become one of those teams this year, if they make any selection other than the most expected one, a quarterback. After all, making tough decisions like that is what general manager Dave Gettleman has been paid to do, and it’s something Gettleman has done a good job with so far.
