It’s not possible to assess exactly how much of the problem a head coach presents when performing an autopsy on a losing team when a season is over. Sometimes, coaches enter situations that are so dysfunctional, there’s no chance for success. Other times, a coach comes to a franchise with his own ideas, his own interpretations of what it takes to become successful, and takes that franchise down with his own ill-conceived notions.
In the case of former Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, who was fired by the team on Monday, it appears to be more of the former.
“Steve and I have had many extensive discussions about the state of the Giants,” team president John Mara said in a statement, also referring to the approval of team chairman Steve Tisch. “This morning, we made the very difficult decision that it would be in the best interest of the franchise that we relieve Pat of his duties. The last three seasons have been extremely disappointing for the organization and our fans. Pat has been a successful and highly-respected NFL coach for 21 years and he is not solely responsible for our record. But we came to the conclusion it is best to have a fresh start with the coaching staff. We very much appreciate how much Pat has done for this franchise. He is a man of character and integrity and the team has conducted itself with pride and professionalism.
“As owners, we take full responsibility for our recent poor record. It is our goal to consistently deliver high-quality football and we will do everything in our power to see that there is a rapid and substantial turnaround.”
Well. Taking full responsibility for their recent poor record might have Mara and Tisch looking at more than Shurmur as the root of the problem. When he was hired in January, 2018, Shurmur inherited an absolute mess of a franchise. The 2017 Giants finished with a 3-13 record and were still recovering from the Ben McAdoo era. McAdoo was stuck with Eli Manning as a front office favorite despite Manning’s obviously declining skill set. New general manager Dave Gettleman, who was already sowing the seeds of discord that led to the eventual trade of Odell Beckham, Jr., selected a running back — Penn State’s Saquon Barkley — with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft despite what could be said was a massive overspending on draft capital at that position, and the team’s obvious needs elsewhere.
Shurmur ended his Giants tenure with a 9-23 record, but things were looking up. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, who Gettleman took with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, threw 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions in the last two months of the season. This despite a highly volatile receiver corps and offensive line. As an offensive coach, it could be said of Shurmur that he was not given enough to succeed. The Giants finished 18th in points scored in both of Shurmur’s seasons with Big Blue, while the talent receded and the defense fell apart under James Bettcher. Whoever replaced Shurmur will have the same issues Shurmur had to deal with, and he’ll also have to contend with an impulsive, mercurial personnel chief in Gettleman who has been emboldened by ownership’s decision to keep him around.
Shurmur’s previous head coaching hire had many of the same pitfalls and pratfalls. Hired by the Browns in January of 2011 to replace Eric Mangini, the offensive designer was presented with a quarterback room that never moved beyond Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace, and Brandon Weeden. Shurmur’s most prolific running back was Trent Richardson; his most prolific receiver was Greg Little. The Browns took Josh Gordon in the 2012 supplemental draft, but Shurmur wouldn’t be around for Gordon’s breakout year of 2013; he had been fired by then. Shurmur’s first season was complicated by the lockout; his second was torpedoed by one of the youngest rosters in the NFL as Cleveland’s front office continued to throw darts while wearing blindfolds.
“I’ve never seen a coach with that much on his plate in two years,” linebacker Scott Fujita, who played for the Browns from 2010 through 2012 said after Shurmur’s firing. “To handle it the way he did and to manage it day to day the way he did and to not let the distractions from outside come in and infiltrate the locker room, you couldn’t have asked for more out of him.”
Not that Shurmur will struggle to find employment. Especially during his time in Minnesota as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017, he showed just how well he could take average talent and make it sing with a team that displayed half a clue. Perhaps another stop at the coordinator position will give Shurmur the opportunity, and the satisfaction, he was never afforded at a higher level.
Pat Shurmur was never going to be a marquee name. As such, he was going to have to take opportunities that more prominent coaches would never have to deal with. There are those who will make fun of Shurmur’s dual 9-23 records; in truth, it’s as much about a coach who was never given a chance to succeed in either organization.