The New York Giants head-coaching hire, Pat Shurmur, is not the sexiest name. He does not have an extensive track record as a head coach, Super Bowl rings, an aeronautical engineering degree or anywhere near the oversized personality some of the other recent hires around the league might have.
But that doesn’t mean he isn't the right man for the job.
The Giants named Shurmur the 18th coach in franchise history on Monday afternoon. He was the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator. Among Shurmur's top priorities will be to usher the organization from Eli Manning to the next franchise quarterback, whether it be Davis Webb, the No. 2 overall pick in this spring's draft or some other outside-the-box alternative.
Ultimately, this process will determine the success of Shurmur’s tenure. Manning is 37 and nearing the end of his career. If Shurmur somehow turns a young quarterback into a franchise staple, the Giants should win plenty of games in this QB-driven league.
Who better to be tasked with this assignment than Shurmur, given his track record? He has worked wonders with Nick Foles, Sam Bradford and Case Keenum in recent years. That trio isn’t exactly Marino, Montana and Elway, but given better talent, the results might lead to even better results.
Shumur’s specialty is as a quarterback guru. He’s especially adept at molding his system to the quarterback, rather than the other way around. This should make the Giants and their fans excited.
The feedback from the quarterbacks Shurmur has worked with (beginning with Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia) has been overwhelmingly positive. Keenum, who was pressed into duty beginning in Week 2 and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, was his latest project.
“He’s done an incredible job of getting me on the same page,” Keenum said last week. “I think it’s just communication. It’s both of you guys getting on the same page.”
Shurmur speaks the same language as his quarterbacks. This will be imperative moving forward working with the Giants' young signal-callers and, hopefully, their next franchise quarterback.
Getting an offensive coach -- especially one who grooms quarterbacks -- wasn’t a prerequisite in the Giants' search. They were especially high on New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and co-owner John Mara said at the start they were open to offensive or defensive coaches as long as they had been head coaches in the past or were experienced coordinators.
But Patricia chose to take the Lions job, and the Giants weren’t exactly distraught that next in line were a pair of offensive gurus in Shurmur and Josh McDaniels. Shurmur was a head coach with the Cleveland Browns and experienced coordinator. He checked both boxes. He can now grow with the Giants' quarterback, as he's in it for the long term with a five-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In an ideal world, an offensive coach made the most sense. If the Giants had hired a defensive coach, who is to say the offensive coordinator who came along with him would have been in it for the long haul. The second a young Giants quarterback had success, his offensive coordinator likely would have been up for a head-coaching job.
This isn’t a problem with Shurmur. He will be the one molding the young quarterback for years to come. Given his track record, that should be comforting to the Giants.
The more pressing concern should be how Shurmur’s dry personality will play in New York and with a locker room that needs an overhaul. The Giants had three defensive players suspended this season because of their conduct, and the team crumbled when things started rolling downhill. Ben McAdoo’s inability to stop it all from spiraling out of control turned out to be his downfall.
Shurmur’s former players in Minnesota don’t have any doubts he can command the locker room and be the leader the Giants covet.
“Absolutely. I know that because our entire locker room respects him,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said after the Vikings’ 38-7 loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. “The way that guys listen to him and follow his lead, it will carry over.”
Shurmur’s stint as the Browns head coach didn’t go especially well. He went 9-23 and was fired after two seasons. The Giants are betting his second chance goes more like Bill Belichick's with the Patriots than Rich Kotite's with the Jets.
They’re betting Shurmur will find the quarterback (even if he’s already on the roster) who can lead New York to another Super Bowl. The Giants can’t afford another stumble. They have missed the playoffs in five of the past six seasons.
Knowing what is ahead, with Manning near the end of his career, it’s hard to argue against Shurmur, with his track record of working with quarterbacks, being the coach to turn the Giants around.