The New York Giants reportedly let go of head coach Pat Shurmur on Monday, a move that many in the know — along with fans — were speculating could happen.
You could argue that Shurmur deserved more than two seasons to try and turn the franchise around. After all, he inherited a team that had gone 3-13 in 2017, one with an aging Eli Manning under center and one that had just fired rookie head coach Ben McAdoo, who floundered a year after going 11-5.
But it feels like the Giants need a complete overhaul even with promise in rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and stud running back Saquon Barkley. And that’s where Dave Gettleman comes in.
In the two years the general manager has been with the franchise, he’s made all kinds of befuddling moves — he traded star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., made a bizarre deal for Jets bust Leonard Williams, and his draft moves behind Jones and Barkley haven’t made splashes, save perhaps for fifth-round wideout Darius Slayton earlier this year. A team that should be going through a full rebuild felt like it was straddling both sides, making moves like a contender when it wasn’t one and other transactions that a bottom-10 franchise would make.
Gettleman deserves a lot of the blame, yet reports say he’s staying, a head-scratcher given what I just detailed:
#Giants are retaining GM Dave Gettleman. So that gets put to bed.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 30, 2019
All of that said, firing Shurmur had to happen.
For one, the Giants job is a high-profile one, and one with some intrigue to it — imagine a coach who looks at the mobile Jones and the all-around dominance Barkley brings to the table and comes up with a dynamic scheme, something it felt like Shurmur failed to do in 2019. Maybe that someone is this name that will be high on a lot of lists:
Baylor’s Matt Rhule is prominent in Giants coach search, per sources. He served as assistant under Tom Coughlin in 2012.
Jets job was Rhule’s to turn down last season. He said no to Jets.— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) December 30, 2019
If the Giants see some upgrades on the market, that’s a good a reason as any to let Shurmur go, even if the franchise’s struggles aren’t on him.
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