Tag: Pat Shurmur

Report: Expectations are that Giants will fire Pat Shurmur

Expectations around the league are that the New York Giants will fire head coach Pat Shurmur and possibly even GM Dave Gettleman.

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is a dead man walking, and following a 23-17 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, even he sounded like someone resigned to what’s to come.

“Yeah, I do,” Shurmur said when asked if he expects to finish out the season. “But I just have to wait and see. You have a lot of tough ones for me today.”

Shurmur has been given every opportunity to save his job, but he’s been unable to take advantage of it and with less than three weeks remaining this season, expectations around the league are that Shurmur will be fired on Black Monday.

And general manager Dave Gettleman? Yeah, he might be in some trouble, too.

None of this will come as any sort of surprised given that the Giants are currently mired in a nine-game losing streak, have failed to win a game in October and November (and now December) for the first time in franchise history and are staring down the barrel at the league’s worst record (Cincinnati is one-game worse). However, some may wonder if another complete rebuild is the answer.

Consistency is essential in the NFL and teams that lack it are often the ones that find themselves in a vicious repeating cycle. The Giants may now become one of those teams as Shurmur’s termination would usher in the fifth different coach in New York since 2013 — Tom Coughlin, Ben McAdoo, Steve Spagnuolo, Pat Shurmur and whoever comes next.

It will also mean an entirely new coaching staff for the Giants, a potential change in systems yet again, a potential disagreement over the quarterback position and a complete reset on the learning curve for players.

And should Gettleman also be canned, the Giants will be looking at their third general manager in a three-year span.

Yikes.

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What we learned from Giants’ 23-17 loss to Eagles

The New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-17, in Week 14 and here’s some of what we learned from that loss.

The New York Giants looked strong in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, taking a 17-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. Then they stopped scoring.

No adjustments were made on the Giants’ side, while the Eagles scored a touchdown in each of the final two quarters of the game to tie it. The Eagles ended up scoring 20 unanswered points to win the game.

Here’s what we learned from the 23-17 loss:

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants’ coaches can’t make adjustments

The first half was great for the Giants, they took a 17-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. But after that, the team went flat. No changes were made. The Eagles scored 20 unanswered points.

For whatever reason, Pat Shurmur and James Bettcher decided that nothing needed to change and that it was okay to get away from doing things that were working. It boggles the mind how these two come up with a game plan. Whatever they are doing hasn’t worked all season, so why do they think that staying the course is the answer?

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Giants Twitter continues to take aim at Pat Shurmur, Dave Gettleman

After the team’s latest loss, New York Giants fans took aim at GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur on Twitter.

The New York Giants led the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-3, at halftime on Monday night and fans were loving it. Coupled with an impressive start to the game by quarterback Eli Manning, there was suddenly some optimism and excitement brewing.

Then everything fell apart.

The Giants allowed 20 unanswered points in the second half and into overtime, managing just 29 total yards over the final half-plus and at times, Pat Shurmur was very obviously being out-coached.

Following the latest loss, it comes as little surprise that Giants Twitter focused in on Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman.

Black Monday is going to be an interesting day for these Giants. Do Gettleman and Shurmur get sent packing or do they return? And if so, how will Big Blue Nation react?

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Pat Shurmur expects to finish out season as Giants head coach

Despite tying a franchise record with their ninth consecutive loss, Pat Shurmur expects to finish the season as New York Giants head coach.

Pat Shurmur is still the head coach of the New York Giants as of Tuesday morning and despite a franchise-worst slide of nine games, he doesn’t anticipate that will change over the final three weeks.

“Yeah, I do [expect to remain]. But I just have to wait and see. You have a lot of tough ones for me today,” Shurmur told reporters when asked if he expects to finish out the season.

It once seemed inevitable that Shurmur would return in 2020, but with each loss, the pressure on co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch mounts. It’s becoming more difficult to support Shurmur and they must feel as if they’re almost backed into a corner at this point.

Making matters worse, the Giants are inventing ways to lose and have not tasted victory since September. Should they lose one more game, this team would stand alone as the worst in franchise history.

“Ties a franchise record? Yeah, it’s not something that you want to be a part of. That’s what I think,” Shurmur said when made aware of the team’s futility. “I have no [further] thoughts on that. We lost a game tonight and I think that’s what we’re talking about. Unfortunately, that’s our reality right now and I have no thoughts on that other than the fact that we lost the game tonight.”

The Giants have a chance to prevent a history they want no part of in Week 15 when they host the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

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Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Giants Wire for Week 14

Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Giants Wire for Week 14

[jwplayer 4owHAIYy]

The Philadelphia Eagles are in the midst of a sprint to the playoffs and the task starts with a home matchup against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Giants will be without Daniel Jones, as Eli Manning will return to the lineup for the first time in 12 weeks.

Pat Shurmur could be coaching for his job, while the Eagles need to win four straight NFC East games to make the postseason for the third straight seasons.

To get more of an inside scoop on the Giants, we spoke with Dan Benton of Giants Wire about Eli Manning’s return, Saquon Barkley’s continued development and more.

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1. With Eli Manning stepping in for Daniel Jones, how will the Giants change their offense accommodate his skill set?

I don’t necessarily think the offense will change to suit Manning so much as Manning will change the offense to suit him. The Giants still run the same offense they had under Manning, but Daniel Jones is more prone to hold onto the ball and attempt to take some deep shots. At this point in his career, Manning is all about releasing the ball quickly and avoiding deep yardage sacks. I think what everyone will see on Monday night is Manning taking charge at the line of scrimmage, cleaning up protections and getting the offensive line back to some level of function, as well as adjustments at the LOS based on what he’s seeing, which should allow Saquon Barkley to become more of a factor again. That’s not a knock on DJ, just a product of Eli’s 16 seasons.

2. The Eagles have struggled to defend the pass this season and the Giants will be without Jone’s big arm. How do you see Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator, Mike Shula attacking the Philadelphia secondary?

I would expect to see a boatload of quick passes with Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard both playing. It’s the closest the Giants have come to having their full complement of playmakers and it should really begin to free things up. Kaden Smith has proven he can stretch the field or take over in the middle a bit, while Shepard owns the slot and Tate/Cody Latimer/Darius Slayton provide some outside targets. It should also provide Barkley an opportunity to remind everyone what he’s made of out of the backfield. That would allow Manning to pick and choose his deep shots, which is always when he’s at his finest.

3. Golden Tate is returning to the Giants lineup. Can you tell us what he brings to the offense?

Tate spent the offseason working with Manning exclusively, so I expect to see a better rapport between those two than we had previously seen between Tate and Jones, which was admittedly solid anyway. Tate’s presence allows the Giants to mix and match in the slot and on the outside, which creates some confusion and may yield way to some very good matchups. And given that Manning likes to get rid of the ball quickly and Tate is a master of yards after the catch, you can bet they’ll both be itching to see what opportunities are there to create.

4. This is year No. 2 for Saquon Barkley. How has he improved as a running back after his impressive rookie season? What do the Giants need to do to ensure that his best years aren’t wasted on mediocre teams?

Sadly, I would not say Barkley has improved at all. If anything, Barkley has regressed. Some will argue it’s due to his high ankle sprain, but the reality is, he’s been indecisive when hitting the hole, not reading the field as clearly as he had as a rookie and above all else and his pass protection is leading him to be subbed out in favor of backups. He’s also been ineffective in the passing game with a few crushing drops. There are flashes of the player we saw a season ago, but as far as what he’s doing better, there’s not much. He spends entirely too much time running up the back of his linemen.

5. Who wins and why?

I think the Giants actually snap their eight-game losing streak on Monday simply due to the presence of Eli Manning, who knows this may be his final opportunity in Giants blue. His presence will provide the team with a spark and his smarts at the LOS will help clean up many of the issues that have haunted the team over the previous two weeks. I don’t expect it to be any sort of legendary blowout, just a close game that comes down to the wire — a typical Eli win.

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Giants’ Janoris Jenkins says he’s cleared the air with James Bettcher

New York Giants veteran CB Janoris Jenkins says he and James Bettcher have cleared the air following Jackrabbit’s critical comments.

Earlier this week, New York Giants veteran cornerback was not seeking time with the media. It was probably for the better. After the Giants’ loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, he was critical of the way he has been used by defensive coordinator James Bettcher.

Jenkins’s beef was that he was not drawing the top coverage assignments during key parts of games (he called it ‘traveling’), leaving the other team’s top receiver to be handled by another defensive back.

The Giants’ secondary has three rookies playing regularly these days and the 31-year-old Jenkins was simply questioning why Bettcher didn’t have him locked on the Packers’ Davante Adams the whole game. Adams scored twice in the 31-13 win over the Giants.

On Friday, Bettcher cleared the air on his end with a long-winded explanation of how he and Jenkins are tight and the the game plan dictates how the coverage is assigned.

“Let me just say this about Janoris Jenkins, you noticed it today at practice, he competes every day. Since I’ve been here and had an opportunity to work with him, he has competed on a daily basis for me and for his teammates,” said Bettcher. “If you were here and watched some of the walk-thru, you’ll see him grabbing young players, our young corners, and leading them around and making points to them of what he’s looking at, of what he recognizes, and him and I have a really good relationship.

“I have been places where we traveled all the time and I’ve been here where we’ve traveled at different times and in the course of different games and different situations. The philosophy on that is if it works for everyone, it’s a great thing to do. If it works to where it allows our best guy to be on their best guy, but at the same time, the other guys that are on the field playing to have their feet settled and able to play the downs in whatever those man or zone, or whatever coverages you want to run on them, then it’s great. And we weigh those things when we make the decision, what’s best for the collective group.

“Again, I love Jack, love working with him, he’s been competing his butt off and I look forward to him having a strong finish to the rest of the season.”

On Saturday, Jenkins confirmed that he had spoken with Bettcher and head coach Pat Shurmur individually this week and that went well.

“It went really good. We talked about, as a coach and player, that we’ve got to understand, and we’re just moving forward,” Jenkins said. “Me and Coach Bettch have always been on the same page. Like I said, we talked about it. Between him and Coach Shurmur, we all talked about it. We’re just moving forward.”

As for what was said and the way it came out, Jenkins said it was simply not his intention to throw Bettcher under the bus.

“I just told him that wasn’t my intention. It wasn’t like that, it wasn’t my intention for it to be put out that way. He just said he understood, and we moved on,” Jenkins said.

At the outset of the season, Jenkins was all set to be the mentor of this very young cornerback group. That’s happened to a degree but the season has been such a frustrating one, no one can actually gauge what progress is actually being made.

“Football is football. Everybody hates losing. Everybody wants to win. Me, I just like to play football and have fun, win at the same time. So that’s really it for me,” Jenkins.

So, will he be ‘traveling’ with the opponents’ top receivers going forward?

“I don’t know, I told you all that I just play within the scheme,” he said. “I’m going to go out and play football each and every week. Just do my job and do it to the best of my ability.”

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Kevin Gilbride thinks Giants pulled plug on Eli Manning too soon

Kevin Gilbride feels the New York Giants pulled the plug on Eli Manning too soon and that the veteran will rise to the occasion on Monday.

The New York Giants entered the 2019 regular season adamant that Eli Manning was and would remain their starting quarterback, but that changed after just two weeks.

After their 0-2 start, head coach Pat Shurmur & Co. pulled the plug and inserted rookie Daniel Jones, who initially provided a spark, but it was not sustained. The Giants have gone 2-8 since and are mired into a historic losing streak.

Making matters worse, Jones is now sidelined with a high ankle sprain, meaning the Giants had to turn back the clock and again call on Manning.

Former Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, preparing for his first season as general manager and head coach of the XFL’s New York Guardians, believes Big Blue was way too quick to yank Manning in the first place.

“I love the guy (Manning), so I felt for him when he got benched (in Week 3). I thought it was a premature move, but you understand how those things happen,” Gilbride told the New York Daily News. “I knew it would happen as soon as they stubbed their toe, and they started 0-2.

“I’m sure they realize in hindsight they wish they’d waited a little longer to see if he could get the thing going in the right direction. And of course I believe in him, so I think he would have.”

Gilbride went on to say that Jones has a bright future and is likely to be a “terrific” quarterback, but added that unless the Giants beef up his supporting cast, they’ve continue to relive the same issues they’ve had with Manning over the past several years.

And even with lacking talent around him, Gilbride expects Manning to rise to the occasion on Monday Night Football.

“There are a lot of qualities he has, and a couple come to my mind immediately,” Gilbride said. “First is his ability to stay in the moment. Nothing’s too big for him. The bigger the game, the better he plays. Most guys are not like that. When the pressure’s on, their vision narrows a little bit. He’s just the right mixture of competitiveness and poise. So the bigger the moment the better he plays, which he proved many times in the playoffs and big games, on big fourth-quarter drives.

“He’s got that special quality. There’s an equanimity about him that allows him to become razor sharp in the bigger moment.”

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Bill Polian: Dave Gettleman has a plan for the Giants

Bill Polian believes in New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and thinks he will turn this franchise around.

In the midst of an eight-game losing streak, many believe the jobs of New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur may be in jeopardy.

There’s no denying the Giants are in the middle of a rebuild and they may have done the right thing by getting Daniel Jones’ feet wet in his rookie season. Gettleman also said that the Giants could compete while in the rebuild; that narrative has been put to rest as the team is 2-10 this season.

During an interview on WFAN, former Colts GM and current ESPN analyst, Bill Polian, said that Gettleman has a plan for Big Blue.

“It starts with solidifying the fronts on both sides of the ball, it’s obvious that there’s still work to do there.” Polian said of how important building the trenches are.

Polian hired Dave Gettleman as a scouting intern with the Buffalo Bills back in 1986 when Polian was the Bills GM.

Polian reiterated how important it was to be able to rush the passer and pinpointed Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley as key pieces already in place.

The Giants will have a high draft pick (likely in the top 5) and could get yet another young key franchise piece. The thought of the Giants landing Ohio State Product Chase Young surely gets Giants fans excited.

Whether or not Gettleman has his job going into next season is unknown. But it is nice to see the six-time executive of the year having Gettleman’s back. At this point, with the Giants’ third consecutive losing season, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but they do have a young core as they continue to rebuild the team.

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Giants’ Pat Shurmur optimistic Daniel Jones could return this season

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is “optimistic” that rookie QB Daniel Jones (ankle) could return this season.

New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones was not practicing on Thursday, sidelined with a high ankle sprain that will almost certainly keep him out of Monday night’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Head coach Pat Shurmur has veteran Eli Manning taking the first team reps at the moment and counted as if Manning will make his first start under center since Week 2.

“He’s getting better. He’s making improvements,” Shurmur said of Jones on Thursday. “He’s a fast healer, from what I can tell…As you get further and further toward Monday, if he’s not out practicing, the chances would be very slim.”

A high ankle sprain, as we know, is usually a multi-week injury and with just four games remaining this season, Jones could be done for the year. Shurmur would not commit to that.

“Oh sure, absolutely,” Shurmur said when asked if he was optimistic if Jones could return this season. “I don’t know that. We’ll have to see. But I’m optimistic that he could.”

Earlier in the day on Thursday, there was a buzz that the Giants were shelving Jones to a) give him a break from the chronic losing and b) provide Manning with a few more days in the sun as his Giants career sunsets.

Nonsense, says my old SNY colleague and veteran NFL reporter Mike Garafolo.

Jones has a legitimate injury and the Giants are doing what any sensible team would do. They’re also 2-10 and this is not a “must-win” game where they need to risk a player’s health.

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Did Giants ownership force an Eli Manning farewell tour on Pat Shurmur?

Conspiracy theorists are out in force suggesting Eli Manning is back under center because New York Giants ownership wanted him to be, but…

Entering the 2019 regular season, a popular but unsubstantiated conspiracy theory was that Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch forced veteran quarterback Eli Manning on both general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.

If that were true, Shurmur was quick to pull the plug — much faster than the owners would have liked had they mandated Manning starting — and went to rookie Daniel Jones in Week 3.

Now entering the final stretch of the season and a Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, people are once again donning their tinfoil hats and suggesting ownership is again cramming Manning down the throat of Gettleman and Shurmur.

The injury Odell Beckham Jr. suffered late last season was initially called a quad injury, later a hematoma and then a hamstring issue. There’s never been any actual clarity on what injury OBJ actually suffered through, and the player and team could not agree on the severity of it.

Ultimately, Beckham was unable to play through whatever the injury was and missed the final stretch of the season.

Earlier this year, running back Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain and missed several games, returning well ahead of schedule and taking quite some time before he even looked remotely close to the same player.

Meanwhile, the ankle sprain Jones suffered at Duke in 2018 came during the Independence Bowl, and just as he did a week ago against the Green Bay Packers, he played through it. He didn’t have to test it the following week, so there’s no certainty he could have or would have played.

Jones also missed several weeks due to a broken clavicle, so the notion that he “played through it” is an argument that is just hemorrhaging water. And his broken wrist? Yeah, Jones played through a summer basketball camp with it before even realizing it was broken, so it’s not like he was taking shots from 300-pound defensive linemen or anything. Or, you know, trying to throw a football with it.

There’s also the other elephant in the room… Forget the obvious nature of the injury and all the limping (and struggling) Jones did after suffering the ankle sprain in Week 13, he’s currently refined to a walking boot after testing revealed an injury that almost consistently keeps players out for 3-to-6 weeks if not longer.

Not to mention, if Shurmur is coaching for his job and hitched his wagon to Daniel Jones, why would he even humor ownership and put Manning back in at this point? Unless he got a guarantee that doing so would save his job, it would make absolutely no sense whatsoever for Shurmur to flip flop with only a month of a lost season remaining.

Allow me to throw out my own conspiracy theory: Daniel Jones has a high ankle sprain, can’t play and as his backup, Eli Manning, will now step in and start just as QB2 is designed to do for all 32 NFL teams.

I know, I know… It sounds crazy, but maybe — just maybe — that’s all this is.

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