Sticking with Pat Shurmur named Giants’ dumbest decision of 2019

Was the decision to stick with head coach Pat Shurmur the dumbest decision the New York Giants made in 2019?

The New York Giants have made several boneheaded moves this year, but is there one decision that stands out above the rest? Well, if you were to ask Chris Roling of Bleacher Report, he’d tell you yes — one does, in fact, stand out.

In breaking down the dumbest move for each NFL team in 2019, Roling hammered the Giants for sticking with head coach Pat Shurmur instead of completely blowing things up for the second time in three years.

Pat Shurmur, who guided the Cleveland Browns to a 9-23 record during his two seasons as their head coach, seemed like an odd choice for the New York Giants before last season.

After he directed the Giants to a 5-11 record during his debut campaign, it was surprising that they didn’t yank the rug out from under him this offseason.

Instead, the Giants stuck with him, but they’ve gotten even worse. They’re now 2-8 heading into Week 12, which means Shurmur has a career record of 17-42 as a head coach.

The Giants’ front office hasn’t given Shurmur enough talent to compete in the NFC East, but his seat is getting warmer by the week regardless.

Roling makes the case that the Giants should have parted ways with Shurmur prior to the start of the season, which really doesn’t make much sense. Yes, the argument could be made that Shurmur should be fired now, but before the 2019 regular season even got underway? That arguments holds far less water.

If the argument is, “Shurmur should have been fired because he was so awful with the Cleveland Browns,” then every other head coach that’s come and gone in Cleveland, Bill Belichick included, should be fired based off that logic.

The Giants weren’t expected to compete in 2018 and it was foolish for anyone (myself included) to believe they were going to be competitive in 2019. The roster is as thin as paper, there’s been a quarterback change and injuries have only made things worse.

Shurmur will get one more chance in 2020, but unless he can finally get things turned around, then it might be the end of the line for him in East Rutherford.

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5 reasons Giants could defeat Bears in Week 12

The New York Giants and Chicago Bears square off in Week 12, and here are five reasons Big Blue could come away with the win.

The New York Giants are coming off their bye week and will face a 4-6 Chicago Bears team that suffered a sinking defeat last Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

After capturing the NFC North title in 2018, things have not gone as expected for Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky and the Bears this season. While the Bears playoff hopes look bleak, the Giants have not won a game since the end of September as they currently ride a six-game losing streak.

Something has to give in this matchup and although the Giants have had their struggles, the Bear are a mess right now and Big Blue has a chance to officially put their season to bed with a win.

Here are five reasons why the Giants could come out on top in week 12.

Coaching adjustments

If the Giants want to turn their season around, it starts with the coaching staff. Pat Shurmur’s offense has regressed big time in 2019 ranking 23rd in the league scoring only 20.3 points and 322 total yards per game. The offense has seen a major scoring drop off from the 27.7 ppg in the final eight contests of 2018.

Shurmur’s tenure as head coach of the Giants has not started off as planned, going 7-19 in a little under two seasons thus far. If Shurmur hopes to flip the script, he will have had to make the necessary adjustments during the bye week to put his offense in the best position to succeed.

While the Giants have shown the ability to move the ball up-and-down the field, they have struggled in the red zone (14-27, 51%) and on third down conversions (40%). The offense needs to find some consistency and finish drives in the red zone. If Shurmur developed some creative plays designs in Big Blue’s time off, we could see a different offense coming out of the bye.

With the Giants struggles in pass protection this season (13.1 pressures per game, 34 sacks, 81 hits allowed), the team will hopefully be well prepared for the Bears defense, specifically Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith. If they want to keep Jones clean this week, Shurmur will opt to have a tight end/running back chip the edges on passing downs, as well as utilize Wayne Gallman in these situations, as Barkley has struggled. If the tight ends and running backs chip, this could open the door for some delayed routes resulting in a free option in open space.

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Why Ron Rivera could fit as next Giants head coach

If the New York Giants were to part ways with Pat Shurmur and the Carolina Panthers with Ron Rivera, there might be some synergy there.

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Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper spoke to the media earlier this week about the state of the team and refused to comment on the futures of general manager Marty Hurney, head coach Ron Rivera or quarterback Cam Newton beyond this season.

Tepper requested to not be quoted directly, but stated that mediocrity will not be tolerated. The Panthers went 7-9 last season and are off to a 5-5 start in 2019. If things head south in the final six games for the Panthers, there could ultimately be a shakeup, which could work in the New York Giants’ favor.

With Pat Shurmur’s Giants tenure off to a 7-19 start (17-42 as an NFL head coach overall), it is fair to wonder whether the Giants will make a coaching change at the end of this season. Despite receiving a vote of confidence from Giants brass, Shurmur has not shown any indication of improving as the head coach of a team that is off to a worse start in year two at 2-8, as opposed to 3-7 in 2018.

Shurmur has also refused to give up play calling, which has seen his offense take a step back ranking 24th in total yards (322) and scoring 20.3 points per game as opposed to averaging 358.8 yards and 27.7 in the final eight contests in 2018. The offense has only converted 40% on third-down, while sporting a lowly 51% (14-of-27) conversion rate in the red zone.

One of the few bright spots in Shurmur’s second season as head coach comes from the development of rookie Daniel Jones, who has put up promising numbers (15 TDs, 8 INTs, 1,984 yards, 63% completion rate, 208 rushing yards, 2 TDs). The only concerning factor is that Shurmur and his coaching staff have been unable to clean up Jones’ fumbling problem (13, leads NFL), which was also a problem for him at Duke (54 fumbles). Offensive coordinator Mike Shula has harped on keeping two hands on the ball in the pocket, but unfortunately, this remains an issue.

If the Giants do decide to move in a different direction following 2019, Rivera would make all the sense in the world if he is let go from Carolina. Unlike Shurmur, who previously failed as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2011-2012 (9-23), Rivera has proven himself with the Panthers going 76-60 (.558) in nine seasons. Rivera also has two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards (2013, 2015), four playoff appearances (3-4 record), and an NFC title (2015) during this span.

Rivera has won at least six games in every season since the Panthers hired him back in 2011. This is something Shurmur has yet to do in this league. Interestingly enough, Shurmur’s Browns teams regressed from a 5-11 campaign in 2011 to 4-12 the following year before he was let go. History has a funny way of repeating itself, as he is on pace to replicate this sequence in 2018-19 with the Giants.

An additional factor worthy of note stems from Rivera’s previous ties with Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, who served in this exact role with the Panthers from 2012 until he was fired in July of 2017. This duo went 51-28-1 during their five seasons together making the playoffs three-times (3-3 record), capturing three-division titles and making a Super Bowl appearance. What’s more impressive about this feat is that the Panthers have only made the playoffs eight times in their 24-year history.

The Shurmur-Gettleman duo has not gotten off to the most promising start in their first two seasons together. If Tepper decides to make wholesale changes in Carolina and Rivera becomes available, the Giants should jump to hire him given his prior success with Gettleman and proven track record in this league.

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Matt Nagy explains why he has enormous respect for Pat Shurmur

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy explains why he has tremendous respect for New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur.

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New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is 13 years the senior of Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy, which equates to a wealth of knowledge and experience in the football world.

That’s something Nagy had in mind when he and Shurmur briefly crossed paths in Philadelphia, where Shurmur had multiple stints at various different positions and Nagy entered the league as an intern.

And while the two only had what amounts to a cup of coffee in the same room, Nagy recalls that Shurmur never had a big head and would always make time for anyone that had questions, which resulted in a respect that remains just as strong today as it was then.

“I was only there with him for probably three to four weeks, but in that time, I was with the quarterbacks and he was running the quarterback room with Donovan McNabb at the time. It was great for me as a young, up-and-coming coach, just to see how somebody runs a quarterback room, and how they watch tape, and how they study coverages, and how they handle relationships with these players,” Nagy said during a conference call on Wednesday. “I’ll always remember that.

“Probably my greatest story with him, and I said this last year when we played you all, is just the appreciation when I was out of football. I used to try to stay in touch and in contact with the people that you connect with— and he was one. I put a phone call and a text message in to him and he got right back to me. I just always remembered that, thinking, you know, that’s a high character guy who doesn’t think he’s too big for anybody.”

After Nagy got back into the league, he excelled with the Kansas City Chiefs, ultimately earning him a head coaching job in Chicago. He then went on to do something Shurmur has never done, winning AP Coach of the Year in 2018.

Unfortunately for Nagy, that success has not followed him into the 2019 season, where his Bears are under-performing similarly to Shurmur’s Giants.

“Every year is different. You have to prep for that and you’ve got to understand that’s the way it goes. That’s the beauty of coaching, is how you respond to adversity,” Nagy said. “When you build a strong culture like we have in our building, when these types of things come your way, you rely on people’s character. We went on that stretch where we lost four games in a row, we got a win and broke it, then we got another loss last week. We’ve got good guys and guys that give good effort, so it definitely helps out.”

Nagy’s seat in Chicago isn’t nearly as hot as Shurmur’s in New York, but both head coaches desperately need a win this Sunday respect for each other be damned.

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6 things to watch for over the Giants’ final six games

Here are six things (plus more) to watch over the final six games of the New York Giants’ 2019 regular season.

There’s not a whole lot to root for in these 2-8 New York Giants, but fans will be looking for any signs of life– and hope — in Pat Shurmur’s team over the last six games of this lost 2019 season.

Fans are shedding themselves of as many tickets as they can for the remaining three home games (Week 13 vs. Green Bay, Week 15 vs. Miami and Week 17 vs. Philadelphia) and there won’t be a ton of viewers watching on television, either, as the Giants close out their sixth losing season over the last seven years.

But there are a few things to watch for. I like No. 6, so I narrowed (or expanded) the things to watch to that number for the heck of it.

Pat Shurmur

Is he coaching for his Giants life? It doesn’t look like they’ll better last year’s record of 5-11, but if he can only win two or three of the last six games and the team is still a disorganized mess, do the Giants look to move on?

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Report: Giants chose Pat Shurmur over Jim Schwartz due to control demands

The New York Giants reportedly chose Pat Shurmur over Jim Schwartz due to Schwartz’s demand for personnel control.

If you want to be the head coach of the New York Giants, that will be the extent of your job. Some great football minds have walked out the door and shied away from East Rutherford because they wanted full control.

That is ultimately what led the Giants to choose Pat Shurmur over Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for their head coaching position after the 2017 season.

Schwartz was the defensive mastermind behind the Eagles’ Super Bowl run that led to Philly’s first NFL championship since 1960. He was in the mix for the Giants’ head coaching job, but there was that one catch that kept him from getting it.

He wanted more of a say in the choosing of personnel, and when it comes to the Giants, coaches don’t have much equity in the process. They never have.

That’s what ultimately led to Bill Parcells’ departure in 1991 when he clashed with then-general manager George Young. Parcells had other reasons for leaving, but ultimately it was over control, an issue he had in several of his next few destinations as well.

“If they want to cook the dinner, they should at least let you shop for the groceries,” Parcells would go on to say after he left New England as head coach in 1997.

From NJ Advance Media:

Under (Schwartz’s) operation, the Eagles’ defense has ranked 4th, 5th, 15th and, in 2019 thus far, 9th in defensive DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.

Ultimately, though, there was at least one sticking point for any potential Giants-Schwartz marriage — control.

Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, Schwartz told the Giants that he required “personnel authority” if he was going to be their coach.

That is not going to happen, especially as long as Dave Gettleman is in the house. The Giants have maintained the traditional GM/coach organizational structure they’ve been using since Young was hired to straighten out the franchise in 1979.

Shurmur was chosen as the coach because he does not have as much of a desire to dabble in the scouting and personnel end of the business, although he claims he is a part of many of the decisions.

Shurmur has been doing a lot of the legwork for Gettleman, who has had health issues. Shurmur has been very visible at rookie pro days and other workouts and has been joined by a consortium of Giants’ scouts as well as Chris Mara, senior vice president of player personnel.

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Giants’ brass content on leaving fans confused and in the dark

The New York Giants are mired in another embarrassing season and seem to have no qualms about leaving fans in the dark.

Usually during the bye week, we hear from either the owner or the general manager of the New York Giants. This week, we have heard nothing from CEO John Mara or his football czar, Dave Gettleman.

Some say it’s no big deal but others — present company included — believe there is a depression of sorts seeping into the team’s mentality. They are in the middle of their sixth losing season in seven years and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

They are a poorly coached team devoid of talent at key positions and have been playing this season with more rookies and inexperienced players than the handbook on “how to run a franchise” recommends.

The least the fans deserve is to have management come out and speak to them. They are already being asked to sit through this miserable season, so it would go a long way for Mara or Gettleman to come out of hiding and reassure the faithful that they are going down the right path.

Gettleman has never held a presser at the bye. Not here or in Carolina. It’s not the way he does things. But the Giants always did. Gettleman’s predecessors, Jerry Reese, Ernie Accorsi and George Young always took time out to give a ‘state of the team” update.

From George Willis of the New York Post:

We should have heard from Dave Gettleman this week. We should have heard from the leader of this storied NFL franchise about what he thinks about a 2-8 record and a six-game losing streak. We should hear from Gettleman what has gone wrong and what, if anything, he thinks is going right.

Instead we have heard nothing. Nothing from Gettleman. Nothing from co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. Nothing from any decision makers other than Shurmur, the embattled head coach, who is left on his own to fend off the critics.

At 2-8 and the direction of the franchise in question, Gettleman needs to break tradition and answer some questions. The team he is “rebuilding” is an abject failure and his hand-picked head coach is floundering.

Gettleman has been right about a few things. He can hang his hat on his draft classes and signings such as wide receiver Golden Tate. He can crow about cutting ties with Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins, two stars who have basically vanished from the NFL landscape.

We would like to know management’s thoughts on the coaching staff, Daniel Jones’ progress, Saquon Barkley’s injury, the mindset behind the Leonard Williams’ trade, DeAndre Baker’s struggles and much more.

But we’re not getting that. Instead, we get a angry John Mara blowing by reporters in the hallway too miffed to stop to make a statement. We get Gettleman avoiding the media because Mike Francesa called the Giants a “clown show” back in the spring. Shurmur is left to diplomatically dance around the key questions with either guarded speech or complete refusal to divulge any information.

This is not the Giant way. But then again, neither are back-to-back-to-back double-digit loss seasons. No one likes to admit their plan is failing, that they made mistakes and might have to start over.

That is the mindset in the media and throughout the fan base. The fear is that Gettleman messed this thing up and his three-year plan could now be a six-year one.

This is New York, though. Nothing happens in a vacuum here. If they want to keep the fans in the dark, they’re going to find themselves in the same situation as the Los Angeles Chargers — playing their home games in front of a crowd dominated by the visiting team’s fans.

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7 candidates to replace Giants coach Pat Shurmur

The New York Giants are unlikely to fire head coach Pat Shurmur, but if they do, here are seven candidates to replace him.

The New York Giants have no plans to fire coach Pat Shurmur this year or at any point during the offseason, meaning that his job could be safe through 2020.

Of course, Giants ownership let similar information leak when it came to former coach Ben McAdoo, and we all know how that ended up playing out.

So while it’s unlikely the Giants move on from Shurmur over the next calendar year, there’s no denying he’s put himself firmly on the hot seat. Accordingly, we’re here to examine seven candidates who could eventually replace him.

Tom Coughlin

Yep. We’re starting out in controversial fashion, but let’s not pretend that forcing Coughlin to step down wasn’t the first in a long string of poor decisions that led these Giants to where they are today. The real question would be whether or not Coughlin would want to come back to New York. Or, at this point, whether he even desires a return to the sideline at all.

Bottom line: The Giants need an old-school disciplinarian leading the way because the whole player-friendly thing is clearly not working.

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Giants’ Pat Shurmur predictably named a coach who could be gone in 2020

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur has been named a coach who would be fired by 2020.

Is New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur on the hot seat? As justifiable as that position would be, by all accounts, the team has no plans to terminate him in 2019 or at any point during the upcoming offseason.

Still, Shurmur’s Giants have vastly under-performed, even when taking into account the team’s roster turnover and league-leading rookie usage, which is highlighted by quarterback Daniel Jones.

As such, Shurmur is a popular name when it comes to discussing which head coaches could get the boot by 2020. In fact, Bleacher Report has him right near the top of their list of coaches who could be sent packing.

The wheels fell off for New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, rolled into a ditch and exploded.

In fact, that might not be a strong enough description of how things have gone for the 2-8 Giants.

Shurmur’s team has now lost six games in a row. To make matters even worse, those two wins came against downtrodden Washington and Tampa Bay teams.

The Giants don’t do much of anything well. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has thrown 15 touchdowns but has been sacked 32 times. Star running back Saquon Barkley just rushed for a single yard on 13 attempts against the Jets on Sunday. The defense gives up 28.9 points per game, the third-worst mark in the league.

While the Giants front office can’t escape blame for its questionable roster construction, this isn’t what anyone envisioned when Shurmur arrived in January 2018 to help turn around a three-win team. At this rate, the Giants will be lucky to match their 5-11 record from last season.

Giants ownership is very clearly frustrated with yet another losing season, which could be seen on John Mara’s face as he stormed out of MetLife Stadium following a humiliating loss to the New York Jets last season.

Still, the Giants’ locker room is less chaotic than it has been in the recent past and it’s clear players are not quitting on their coach. As a result, Mara and Steve Tisch may be (and appear to be) willing to give Shurmur a longer, but limited leash than they had given Ben McAdoo previously.

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Bye week blues: What can Giants fans look forward to following the break?

What can New York Giants fans expect to see over the final seven weeks of the regular season and into the offseason?

The New York Giants have racked up a 2-8 record after 10 games, which is one game worse than they were at this time last season. With six games remaining, is there anything left for Giant fans to look forward to?

The answer is… not really. There will be some talk about draft position (they are currently third overall) and their schedule is not really a friendly one, so as November morphs into December, Giant fans will likely be tuning out as another losing season comes and goes.

Here is a quick snapshot of where the Giants are at right now and some other thoughts that I know many of you are thinking.

The last six games

The Giants open up the final leg of the season in Chicago against the disappointing Bears, but that means nothing. The strength or weakness of their opponents matters not to a team that is poorly prepared, poorly coached and lacks discipline and direction. The Giants must learn not to beat themselves first before concentrating on beating another NFL team.

They have little to no shot to win either game against the surging Eagles — a team they’ve only beaten once since 2014 — and if they manage to win the game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers there should be an investigation.

The only two games they could win are the ones against Washington (who they beat already) and Miami, a team who is said to be tanking but has been competitive in doing so.

That equals 4-12, folks. That’s a record that gets people fired in this league.

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