New York Giants: Pat Shurmur brings culture change

Head coach Pat Shurmur opened his New York Giants tenure by unofficially announcing a return to old ways and a locker-room culture change.

The 18th head coach in the history of the New York Giants was never going to win a press conference. It’s not Pat Shurmur’s style. Shurmur left much to be desired during his tenure with the Cleveland Browns among members of the local media who, to this day, mock and joke about his subtle approach and quiet demeanor. Sure, it didn’t help that he barely won with the Browns, but that franchise’s dumpster-fire reputation doesn’t keep one from noticing Shurmur’s subdued personality.

History suggests the Giants don’t need a boisterous figure such as Rex Ryan or a well-known name like a Harbaugh, Saban or Belichick leading the charge. Tom Coughlin was a guy fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars when Big Blue hired him, and there was no indication whatsoever heading into the 2007 regular season he was capable of guiding the club to a pair of Super Bowl victories en route to becoming one of the greatest coaches in franchise history.

Shurmur’s introduction to the New York media went about as expected, minus the lights going out for a few seconds at the start, an ominous beginning for a coach who laughed it off. He gave zero highlights worthy of SportsCenter or any other show. Fans looking for Shurmur to deliver even one line that would echo in their minds after the fact were likely left disappointed and wondering what ownership sees in him in the first place.

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What John Mara and Steve Tisch see, other than an advertised offensive guru who (hopefully) will squeeze the last ounce of greatness from two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, will (hopefully) select and groom the next franchise quarterback and (hopefully) resurrect dormant passing and rushing attacks is an individual capable of changing the culture inside a locker room that fell apart under former coach Ben McAdoo.

"“I have zero tolerance for people that don’t compete,” Shurmur said during Friday’s presser, per Michael Eisen of Giants.com. “I have zero tolerance for people that don’t give effort, and I have zero tolerance for people that show a lack of respect.  And I think that’s something that you’ll know about me as we get to know each other better.”"

In those few sentences, Shurmur delivered as powerful a message as fans will hear from him while cameras are rolling. Players who allegedly weren’t all-in on the cause during the final weeks of New York’s lost 2017 season — no names, please — won’t be tolerated regardless of the team’s record or its place in the standings. It’s early days, of course, but Shurmur appears disinterested in making friends with anybody who lacks his passion and desire for winning.

Shurmur spoke cautiously of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., evidently realizing the relationship between Beckham and the club is the biggest key to the Giants winning anything of note in 2018. “What needs to happen now is I need to get to know him, I need to get to know what makes him tick and I need to talk to him about what it is that we’re looking for from a guy who plays for the New York Giants,” Shurmur said, according to Newsday‘s Tom Rock.

While Shurmur probably wants Beckham to dial it back and keep the dog touchdown celebrations to a minimum, the 25-year-old embodies what his new coach wants to see from roster members. Remember that Beckham worked to return from injury earlier than expected last fall, only to then be lost for the season after he suffered a fractured ankle. Nobody can question Beckham’s desire or dedication despite narratives created by some who don’t like him for whatever reasons.

As Shurmur stressed the importance of improving aspects of the roster, particularly its horrendous offense line, he also sounded confident in its overall talent. Injuries sunk the 2017 Giants, yes, but something more nefarious infected the squad even before training camp. Shurmur’s no-nonsense mentality could be the cure for whatever turned the Giants culture into one that, no disrespect meant, became Jets-y in nature.

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Words spoken by a leader who isn’t coaching games in late January mean little. It’s nice Shurmur is giving players clean slates before March, but his first task as coach is to weed-out negative influences and personalities who don’t embody the Giants Way™. McAdoo couldn’t or refused to embrace this mission, and it torpedoed his Giants career in less than five months. Shurmur will suffer the same fate if he repeats McAdoo’s miscues.