New York Giants: Ignore media’s poor coaching advice
By Curt Macysyn
Big Blue’s leadership had best ignore newspapers and electronic media this weekend.
The New York Giants coaching search remains unsettled. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing right now. But to hear some folks, the team ought to hit the panic button and hire someone right away. The New York Post has been particularly vocal about the perceived lack of progress.
In actuality, only one team, the Chicago Bears, has filled their head coaching vacancy. The Monsters of the Midway hired Matt Nagy as their head coach this week. Nagy came directly from the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was Andy Reid’s play-caller.
For the unfamiliar, the Chiefs figured out a way to lose to the Tennessee Titans at home in the playoffs last weekend. After building a 21-3 lead, Nagy’s offense sputtered in the second half. According to the Chicago Tribune, Nagy owned the failure.
"“I called every single play in the second half. Again, that’s a learning situation for me. I went back and looked at it. I wish I had made some different choices.”"
New York Giants
The takeaway seems to be that competency doesn’t matter, but honesty does. It simply shows that this hiring game remains an art and not a science.
Right now, no one knows if Nagy will succeed or fail. The Bears thought he was the right fit for their organization though. One thing that Chicago did avoid, however, is being drawn into the New England Patriots’ sphere of influence.
As far as the vacancies, it appears that Pats defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is destined for the Detroit Lions. Was Patricia a serious candidate for the Big Blue opening? Or was he playing the Giants? It shouldn’t matter anymore – cross Patricia off the list!
Back to the New York Giants, it seems that their current options have been reduced to two men: Pat Shurmur and Josh McDaniels.
Coaching Search: Take 2?
Now, both Shurmur and McDaniels are currently in the NFL playoffs, and that delays any formal decision. The Arizona Cardinals seem to like Shurmur. According to the New York Post, the Indianapolis Colts covet McDaniels.
"“McDaniels is most closely linked to the Colts, as he is reported to have a relationship with Chris Ballard, the Colts’ general manager, although they never worked together. “"
Keep in mind, the New England Patriots franchise consists of assassins in disguise. Privately, Tom Brady still seethes over the Super Bowl losses to the G-Men. Owner Bob Kraft probably snickers over the pain of the 2017 New York Giants, as John Mara is known as a Roger Goodell backer.
Would either guy really want Patricia or McDaniels to have success with Big Blue?
Who knows if the Bill Belichick to New York Giants rumor was simply a smokescreen either. If folks close to the Giants make an inquiry to sources close to Belichick, then that information gets relayed to the Pats assistants to “prove” the Giants were not serious about hiring either guy.
And if you don’t believe in conspiracy theories, then you’ve obviously forgotten about deflating footballs and videotaping opponents. Thankfully, new general manager Dave Gettleman brings a “situational shrewdness” that lacked for so long around the franchise. Surely he is working the phones with his NFL colleagues to separate fact from fiction.
Run Away
Taken in totality, Giants brass should quickly move away from both Patricia and McDaniels. If that means they agree upon Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as the hire, so be it. If reservations still exist, then bring in Jim Schwartz, Mike Munchak or Mike Vrabel for an interview.
Where there is smoke, there’s usually fire. Instead of pushing the panic button, the team ought to re-evaluate the landscape and control their own destiny. Putting the team’s future in the hands of anyone associated with the Patriots, is simply looking for trouble.
And for any purists out there, understand this – hiring coaching assistants will be difficult for both Patricia and McDaniels. If both get hired, that problem only worsens. Right now, something doesn’t sit right with the Pats assistants, and it’s time for the New York Giants to be pro-active about it.