I love following the coaching carousel and making judgments about the good/bad hires. In an exercise like that, you always want to wait until the main positions are filled (including offensive and defensive coordinators) because they’re also key to determining how well a whole staff may function together. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the group in full.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Head Coach: Pat Shurmur, OC, Minnesota
His resume
Pat Shurmur had a tried and true path to becoming a head coach: training with Andy Reid. Shurmur worked as Reid’s QB coach in Philadelphia for seven seasons (in the Donovan McNabb era) before landing an OC job with the Rams, and then parlaying that into the head coaching coach with Cleveland. In fact, he was hired by Reid’s own mentor Mike Holmgren. Back then and still today, that Andy Reid / Mike Holmgren / Bill Walsh coaching tree continues to be the most fruitful in the NFL. Surely, Holmgren hired Shurmur with an idea that he may be the next Andy Reid.
He wasn’t (in Cleveland, anyway.) The entire regime busted after 4-12 and 5-11 seasons, causing Shurmur and eventually Holmgren to scatter out the door.
Following that firing, Shurmur resurfaced as the “offensive coordinator” under Chip Kelly, back in Philadelphia. The team ran Kelly’s offense, but Shurmur was the “pro” coach to help him transition. Kelly’s Eagles tenure was a mixed bag with diminishing returns, lasting only 3 seasons in total.
Shurmur’s downward trend continued, landing only as a TE coach in Minnesota. But there: his fortunes turned. His impressive work helped squeeze Norv Turner out the door in midseason and allowed him to take over as OC in 2016. Shurmur’s work with the Vikings was nothing less than stellar, coaxing efficient years out of both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum. Finally, he had restored his reputation enough to land his second chance with the Giants this year.
His strengths
Clearly, Pat Shurmur has extensive training in a style of offense and a coaching tree that has historically worked well in the NFL. However, he really benefited from some time outside of that bubble as well, working for very different types of coaches like Chip Kelly and Mike Zimmer. In theory, he should be exposed to various styles of what works and what may not.
Given that, it’s fair to presume that Shurmur will be a better coach now at age 52 than he had been when first hired by Cleveland seven years ago. He’s grown, both in knowledge and in confidence. He also appears to be a good “fit” for this offense; he’s developed QBs throughout his career, and will presumably be tasked with the same again with the Giants as they look for an heir to Eli Manning.
His flaws
Most of the criticism of Pat Shurmur dates back to his failed run in Cleveland from 2011-12. While Shurmur had been hired for his reputation for QBs, he failed to develop his two QBs there — first a year-two Colt McCoy, and then a rookie starter in Brandon Weeden. While it may be easier to claim those two were “lemons” in hindsight, both had very productive college careers prior to sputtering in the NFL. Was Shurmur destined to fail with two duds? Or did he fail to develop them properly? It’s difficult to tell.
Shurmur’s personality also happens to be more low key (at least, in terms of media interviews) which can be good or bad. It didn’t really energize his Cleveland team, but then again, this Giants squad is more of a veteran unit. The real question will be about control of the locker room. Does he have enough of a “take charge” mentality to deal with the Odell Beckham Jr’s of the world? Time will tell.
Overall grade
Although he’s not a terribly exciting or outside-the-box hire, Pat Shurmur feels like a safe, smart choice for the franchise. He has experience, both good and bad, that contrasts with Ben McAdoo, who appeared in over his head after his promotion. grade: B/B+
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Shula, OC, Carolina
Usually, when a head coach decides to call his own plays (as Pat Shurmur is expected to do), he takes one of three familiar approaches with his “offensive coordinator.”
(A) He’ll hire an older veteran hand and safety blanket (like Adam Gase picking vet Clyde Christensen in Miami.)
(B) He’ll hire an up-and-coming coach that he can groom (like Andy Reid’s recent OCs Matt Nagy and Doug Pederson)
(C) He’ll hire an assistant who specializes in another facet of the game, usually in a “run game coordinator role.” Examples of that would be Bill Callahan under Jon Gruden in Oakland, or Aaron Kromer under Marc Trestman in Chicago.
Pat Shurmur went with (D), none of the above. Mike Shula certainly has a lot of experience (two stints as an OC, head coaching job in college) but it’s hard to say that he’ll be a “wise old sage” for Shurmur either. He’s similar in terms of age and expertise to Shurmur. There’s nothing really for him to do here but be a glorified QB coach.
And maybe that’s a good thing. I’m not a huge Mike Shula fan — the Panthers running game stalled, and Cam Newton never developed as a passer enough to compensate — but given that limited role, it’s hard to muster up much outrage or concern for this hire. grade: C+. For playcaller coaches like Shurmur, the DC hire will be more crucial.
Defensive Coordinator: James Bettcher, DC, Arizona
According to his mentor Bruce Arians, the 39-year-old James Bettcher is a rising star and a future head coach in this league. Of course, it’s always difficult to tell with Arians, who tends to hype up all his assistants.
In Bettcher’s case, I tend to believe it. Despite his age, he already has three seasons of experience under his belt with Arizona and fared well there. He’s not a “showy” personality, but comes across as smart and quietly confident in interviews.
The only real concern here is a matter of “fit” for the roster. The Giants employ a traditional 4-3 right now, and have for years and years. Bettcher will be coming from a more aggressive 3-4. While that distinction matters less and less in the days of nickel defenses, it’s still going to be something to watch going forward, especially for the Giants’ veteran ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. Both should be fluid enough to be scheme versatile, but neither has NFL experience doing that. That one nagging question mark dings Bettcher a little, leading to a still-good B+ grade.
Overall grade
After Ben McAdoo crashed and burned in his first head-coaching gig, the Giants clearly wanted to counter with a more veteran, more seasoned staff. They accomplished that, as all three of their marquee hires have experience in their current positions. In fact, they’re a seasoned staff down the line, from OL coach to DB coach to ST coordinator. When that happens, there tends to be something lacking in terms of the raw energy and excitement of the unknown, but it’s hard to see this coaching staff failing. They’re a good, safe bunch, with an upside that may come down to whether James Bettcher is a true star or not. grade: B/B+
