There’s little doubt you’ve come here already on fire based on the headline alone, geared up and prepared to bury yours truly for daring to suggest something that feels so blasphemous, but hold your horses just a little bit.
There will be plenty of time to criticize me (is that really different from any other day?), but before we get to all of that, why don’t we collectively take a step back and play Devil’s Advocate for a moment.
In the coming days, you will hear and read an endless slew of material suggesting the New York Giants should part ways with head coach Pat Shurmur and not even think twice about it. Some of that material will also likely include general manager Dave Gettleman, but we’ll save that part of the debate for another day.
So, allow me to preface with this: I do not entirely believe Shurmur should be brought back in 2020, but I do believe that taking a look at some of the positives is only fair when everyone and their Mother seems to be coming down hard on him.
If you’ve made it this far without losing your mind, congratulations. See if you can keep your head as we now go over seven reasons the Giants should bring Shurmur back in 2020.
One win away from improvement
This is going to feel like a flimsy argument out of the gate, but why start with your strongest stance? We’ll build up to that just as Shurmur has led a slow build this season.
After netting just two wins through 14 weeks, the Giants appeared destined to take a full step or two back this year, managing to decline from their 5-11 last place finish a season ago.
However, after back-to-back wins, the Giants are actually positioned to take a step forward. Seriously.
With a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, the Giants would finish the season with a 5-11 record, just as they had last season, but there will be one glaring difference: they will not finish in last place in the NFC East.
With their win over the Washington Redskins, the Giants guaranteed themselves a third-place finish in the division, which is the first time they won’t finish dead last since 2016.
Small victories.