New York Giants: Pat Shurmur saving his reputation

Pat Shurmur may not be the next Tom Coughlin, but he’s silencing critics during the second half of his first season with the New York Giants.

The 2018 New York Giants may be the biggest example of how quickly things can change during any NFL season. A month ago, the Giants sat at 1-7, new head coach Pat Shurmur was overwhelmed and incapable of handling the New York market, Eli Manning was completely washed and the organization needed to blow things up to the point that trading Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t all that crazy an idea.

Midway through December, the Giants are winners of four of five games since the Bye, and one of those victories came over a Chicago Bears side headed to the postseason but also one that was without starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky that afternoon.

Cynics may point out the Giants’ schedule wasn’t filled with world-beaters after Christmas music began playing on radio stations around the country, but, as Shurmur recently told reporters, per Tom Rock of Newsday, “you can’t fake football.”

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To ignore the Giants haven’t quit on Shurmur and company and have performed like an actual football team since November 12 is to pretend what you’ve seen with your own eyes doesn’t exist. Furthermore, to understand why it’s important those in the Big Blue locker room didn’t lay down after losing seven of eight contests, one must remember Shurmur’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns.

Shurmur didn’t just tally a terrible 9-23 record in Cleveland. His reputation took what seemed, at the time, to be insurmountable hits. Shurmur became a punchline among members of the local media and fans, both for the losses he endured and also because of a quiet demeanor that didn’t inspire confidence among those who spent money to watch some lousy football on the shoreline of Lake Erie.

It’s fair to suggest the Browns were the worst franchise in North American pro sports for 20 years until Baker Mayfield came to save the day, and that Shurmur didn’t have a chance to succeed in Cleveland. Don’t let that overshadow Shurmur had plenty to prove.

Losing early in the 2018 campaign was bad enough. Those painful interviews with WFAN legend Mike Francesa from September caused those who followed Shurmur during his time in Cleveland to believe nothing had changed, and that he was yet another case of somebody who is a good coordinator but who doesn’t possess the personality and fire to win as a head coach.

Looking back with a clearer view of things, perhaps Shurmur was the victim of a bad situation as he was when he started with the Browns. What if the Giants would have admitted left tackle Ereck Flowers was a doomed experiment last summer and, instead, further bolstered the offensive line before August?

What if Corey Coleman, the former first-round pick who has been a revelation on special teams, and not Kaelin Clay was on the field for the final punt of the Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars? What if Graham Gano’s 63-yard walk-off field goal in Week 5 came up short? What if the New York defense made one more stop versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 25?

A game of inches hasn’t been all that kind to Shurmur and his players. In a fair football world, the 5-8 Giants would be 6-7 and very much in the playoff hunt. Add in a few more fortunate bounces, and the Giants are sitting at 7-6 and a game out of first place.

Shurmur hasn’t been perfect this season. He’s admitted as much when speaking with reporters and during interviews. Fans can point to his flaws while also saying he’s been more than a little unlucky this fall. It’s not a black-and-white matter.

Obviously, having running back Saquon Barkley, who is going to moonwalk to the Rookie of the Year award, helps. Talent, alone, is only worth so much. It’s true in the NFL and any other competition. Listen to Barkley talk about the fight that’s left among his teammates, or watch the 21-year-old offer instructions to blockers ahead of a touchdown run. Coaching matters.

Just as the Giants climbed out of the basement of NFL standings and power rankings, things could again change, especially if Beckham remains sidelined because of an injury, and New York could return to earth and suffer losses to the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys en route to finishing the year 5-11. That Shurmur kept his players focused at 1-7 leads one to believe he is capable of preventing a three-game losing streak from sinking his roster ahead of the offseason.