The 2019 New York Giants football season has been a disappointment. Many would say disaster. The fan base is waiting for change…any change. With an easier schedule, the Giants have managed to lose even more games than they did in 2018.
Fixing this once mightly franchise starts at the top and while General Manager Dave Gettleman will most likely receive another year, head coach Pat Shurmur has shown very little to keep his job. His assistants should be fired now, but that’s another story.
Once again, The New York Giants need to find…A Leader of Men.
Trending Head Coaching Opportunities:
There will be a minimum of six NFL teams looking for new head coaches. Three are in the NFC East. Washington, Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Carolina, and Cleveland. Jason Garret the head coach of the Cowboys can only save his job by going to the NFC Championship, which will be a tough task for the underperforming Cowboys.
Offensive vs. Defensive Head Coaches
Currently, there are 11 defensive Head Coaches in the NFL. Six of the top eight “worst-ranked defensives” are run by Offensive Coaches. It might be time the New York Giants go back to a defensive mind. McAdoo and Shurmur did not work out.
Offensive Coaches with lowest-ranked defenses: Kingsbury (Arizona), Taylor (Cincinnati), LaFluer (Green Bay), O’Brien (Texas), Shurmur (New York), and Reid (Kansas City).
Coaching Candidates
Ron Rivera, Former Head Coach, Carolina Panthers
There is no other way to say this: Ron Rivera got shafted by Panther’s new ownership. “Back-to-back-to-back” division titles when Ryan and Brees live in your backyard. Four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl run in nine years. Worked under Gettleman during the 3-year winning run, dealt with Cam Newton, and transitioned to new ownership. Most winning coach in Panthers history: 76-63-1 winning record. Giants: Great fit in every way. Believes in strong defenses and linebackers.
Greg Roman, Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Roman was allowed to build a new offense under John Harbaugh to allow QB Lamar Jackson to showcase his talents. Currently, his offense averages 33.8 points per game; best in the NFL. Roman is a disciple of Jim Harbaugh and worked under him at Stanford and the Niner’s. His success brought him to Buffalo and Baltimore. Giants: Roman helped Kapernick and Jackson thrive. He could develop Jones and is not afraid to pound the rock. Mark Ingram has 5.0 YAC and will have over a 1000 yards by seasons end.
Eric Bienemy, Offensive Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
While Andy Reid’s coaching tree gave us Shurmur…it’s also gave the NFL Gruden, Lewis, Harbaugh, Pederson, McDermott, and Rivera. Bienemy is a competitor from days as an NFL running back to working his way into an OC role with the Chiefs. Bienemy is working with Pat “The Magician” Mahomes and has learned directly from Reid about being flexible. He implements a very fluid offense with attention to detail. Bienemy can score points. Giants: A 1st-time head coach isn’t the best fit for the Giants after Shurmur and McAdoo unless his Defensive Coordinator was a proven genius.
Dan Quinn, Current Head Coach, Atlanta Falcons
No one wants to see a coach lose a job, especially since Dan Quinn has done good things in Atlanta. Not beating the Pats in the Super Bowl after having the lead is hard to erase. Currently the Falcons offensive struggles. Matt Ryan was sacked 9x last week, 19x in November & 38x on the year. Quinn’s team has never recuperated from losing Kyle Shanahan. Giants: Quinn was born in New Jersey and was a local football star. From 2009-2010 & 2013-2014, Quinn built the great Seahawks defense known as “The Legion of Boom”. A defensive-minded coach who knows NY is a plus.
Matt Rhule, Current Head Coach, Baylor University
Rhule is the head coach of Baylor Football and was the former head coach of Temple. He has an impressive resume including, being the second coach in the last 50 years to take Baylor to a bowl in year two. Rhule had two stints at Temple, one as a coordinator under Al Golden and one as the head coach. He guided the Owls to the school’s first back-to-back 10-win seasons, and a pair of bowl berths.
Rhule has connections to the area and the Giants. In 2012 Rhule was a member of Tom Coughlin’s staff working closely with Pat Flaherty the best line coach in Giant’s history. Guard Chris Snee made the Pro Bowl that year showcasing Rhule’s value for great offensive lineman. A native of New York, he played ball at Penn State. Giants: He has great experience as a head coach and knows the pressure of New York, but can the Giants afford another offensive-minded coach?
Jason Garrett, Current Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys
Like Quinn, no one wants to see anyone lose their job. All week the news has been buzzing about Garrett being fired and fitting in with the Giants. Yes, he went to Princeton, is a very cerebral coach that has years of experience in a big market. Yes, he was the Giants back up QB from 2000-2003 and has a winning record of 83-66. Giants: Garrett is an offensive-minded coach that struggles to win the big one. He has lost three times in the NFC Divisional Game with players like Romo, Witten, Bryant, Lee, Elliot, Ware, Martin, Cole, Murray and more. Glazer says it’s not happening. I believe him.
Kevin Stefanski, Offensive Coordinator, Minnesota Vikings
Shurmur tried to bring Stefanski to New York when he signed on to be the Head Coach of the Giants. After his success in Minnesota and the development of QB, Case Keenum, Shurmur wanted Stefanski to be his Offensive Coordinator. The Vikings said “No” stopping Stefanski from interviewing for the position. The Vikings promoted him. Giants: Stefanski is young and innovative which makes him attractive. He would most likely do great things with Jones; however, like Bienemy, the Giants can’t afford another raw, offensive-minded 1st-time head coach. Stefanski would fit in Atlanta. Big arm QB that plays inside.
Lincoln Riley, Head Coach, Oklahoma:
All ties here lead to Dallas. Lincoln Riley played high school and college ball (Texas Tech) in Texas. As the head coach of Oklahoma, Riley has only lost 5 games in three seasons.
Jerry Jones is keeping a very close eye on this fast-rising superstar. This is exactly the kind of splash that Jones likes to make. Riley is known for high powered explosive offense and has coached up the likes of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Giants: Riley’s jump to the NFL could be inevitable, but not in New York. Texas is long was from New York and there might be too much to fix for “another” first-time offensive head coach.
Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach, Michigan Wolverines
Jim “Captain Comeback” Harbaugh is as gritty as they come. The Harbaugh family has been playing and coaching for decades. Love him or hate him…Jim Harbaugh wins. Comeback Player of the Year, AFC Offensive Player of the Year, NFL Coach of the Year, Big Ten Most Valuable Player, Fiesta Bowl Champion, 3rd in Heisman Voting, College Coach of the Year, Orange Bowl Champion, Super Bowl Appearance. The guy wins.
Harbaugh coached in a high profile city with a polarizing quarterback and went 44-19-1 and a Super Bowl run. He would instill a toughness that has been missing from the Giants. He would hire the right coaches. There would be no learning curve, as he remembers what Giant’s pride was about. He played in the era of the Giant’s dominance. Giants: Harbaugh would bring back the pride and the swagger to the New York Giants. No brainer. Not sure he would leave Michigan but he would make Jones a rock star.
Darrell Bevell, Offensive Coordinator, Detriot Lions
Bevell is an interesting cat. Bevell was the QB coach for Brett Farve. Yes, that guy, the Hall of Fame gunslinger. Out of the gate…that’s good. He’s been an Offensive Coordinator since 2006. That’s 13 years. If he doesn’t get a chance now…he might never. Interesting enough he was the mind and coach behind all those great Seattle Seahawks teams over the last 8 years; however, oddly enough he was let go in 2018.
Bevell now runs the Lions offense for Patricia in Detriot and seems to found a good groove. Detriot is a top seven offense in many categories. Giants: The Giants need a fiery guy, a disciplinarian. Bevell does not strike me as that type of leader. Again…offensive 1st-time head coach. No thanks. Bevell is a perfect fit for Washington as he can mold Haskins. Working with Farve, Wilson, and Stafford is a very impressive body of work that will benefit the Redskins.
Mike McCarthy, former Head Coach, Green Bay Packers
Mike McCarthy worked with Brett Favre as the QB coach in 1999 and Rodgers for 12 years as the head coach of the Packers. The short-sighted folks will easily say he should have won more championships with Rodgers under center. This is called Patriotzarcosis. Watching the Pats win year in and year out makes everyone believe when you have a great QB you automatically win.
Wrong.
Twelve teams over 100 years of NFL football have won the Super Bowl more than one time. Give me a break. The guy has a .618 winning rate and 10-8 postseason body of work…of yea and a Super Bowl trophy. Let the Ben McAdoo coaching tree go. McAdoo was a Tight End coach for 4 years. He was only the OC for two years (2013-2014). McCarthy was there for 12 years. In 2015, Bill Belichick stated that McCarthy was one of the best coaches he had ever faced. Giants: With McCarthy, you get a real football coach. He faces the weather, has tough players and believes in the run, despite of Rodgers. He is proven to develop great QB’s and he wins. New York might not fit McCarthy style; however, he is from Pittsburgh PA so McCarthy understands the East Coach pressure and the rabid fan base. A good fit would be Cleveland. A QB that needs guidance, a running game, and a cold home base like Pittsburgh and Green Bay.