New York Giants: Pat Shurmur honeymoon already over

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur has the team no better than where it was a year ago, which is worrisome for the now and the future.

Four quarters and three plays. That’s how long it took for fans of the New York Giants to begin seriously wondering if ownership made the right call in hiring Pat Shurmur to replace Ben McAdoo as head coach.

Even before Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Tavon Austin finished his 64-yard journey to the end zone to give the hosts a lead they never relinquished en route to a 20-13 victory that wasn’t nearly as close as the score would indicate, Shurmur looked overmatched and even lost against an opponent that failed to impress a week prior.

Making excuses following New York’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was an easy exercise. The Jaguars have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Perhaps things would have ended differently that afternoon had Kaelin Clay not fumbled that punt late in the contest. Maybe quarterback Eli Manning would have been able to do enough to guide the Giants down the field for a winning score.

There are no such takes the Monday after the Giants flopped at AT&T Stadium. New York’s offensive line is as bad, if not worse, than it was in September 2017 after the front office spent a historic amount of money on a left tackle and moved the much-maligned Ereck Flowers to the opposite side. Rookie running back Saquon Barkley isn’t Superman. Manning appears concerned for his health each time he drops back, and understandably so.

MUST READ: NFL picks, score predictions for Week 3

When the Giants hired Shurmur, fans were sold on the notion that someone responsible for the rises of Nick Foles and Case Keenum would reinvent the 37-year old Manning and those around him during the twilight of his career. All that’s changed from 10 months ago is that Manning can check down to Barkley, up to 16 times if necessary, at the first sign of trouble.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

Offensive lines require time to gel. Veteran quarterbacks need reps and more than eight quarters to feel comfortable in new systems. There is validity behind these opinions. Unfortunately, patience is not a virtue in the NFL. Two weeks from the typing of this sentence, the season will be 25 percent complete. The window to win a third Super Bowl before Manning retires isn’t just closed. It doesn’t exist.

You don’t have to look long to find observers suggesting the Giants whiffed by drafting Barkley instead of a quarterback with the second overall draft selection. What’s done is done. This team is not supposed to go 3-13 or even 0-2 regardless of the schedule.

Yes, Manning missed a few throws and probably should have tossed a touchdown when he failed to see an open man in the end zone with over five minutes to play in the third quarter. The offense’s flaws are due to a combination of poor coaching and a lack of talent.

Why does it seem offensive linemen aren’t communicating on the field and are unprepared to see routine blitz packages? Where are the shotgun packages and down-the-field chances the Giants were supposed to showcase? Why were the Giants so conservative versus the Cowboys until trailing by double digits? In short, how are the Giants any better with Shurmur than they were with McAdoo two games into the campaign?

Winning fixes everything. Beating the Houston Texans, a different type of 0-2 team that has underwhelmed the past couple of weeks, would remove pressure from Manning, Shurmur and everybody else associated with the franchise, and it would serve as an unofficial restart of a season that could become lost before the official start of fall if the Giants drop to 0-3. Does anybody out there feel confident enough to wager some cash on Big Blue next Sunday?

While the day after the first Sunday of any NFL season is known as “Overreaction Monday,” there is a sobering reality hovering over the Giants as of Sept. 17. This might just be a bad team. Any excitement fans felt about the hiring of Shurmur has disappeared, and the honeymoon is certainly over. Shurmur is one more lackluster performance from his roster away from some proclaiming he’s the same man who became a punchline as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.