The final game of this miserable Giants season will very likely be the final game of the Pat Shurmur Era. But most likely, the Dave Gettle...
That appears to be the way things are headed with the Giants based on conversations with multiple sources around the NFL. Shurmur is widely expected to be fired by Monday morning, barring a late stay from co-owners John Mara or Steve Tisch. But Gettleman is expected to survive any purge for now.
That certainly could change, especially after Mara and Tisch have what Tisch promised would be a "very honest" conversation about the state of the franchise. It is believed they will meet early Monday morning to finalize any plans.
And it seems doubtful that anything that happens today against the Philadelphia Eagles at the Meadowlands could sway their opinions, though only Mara and Tisch know for sure.
They know they have to do something, though, considering they are suffering through their fifth season of double-digit losses in the past six years. The Giants are 9-22 under Shurmur, who is finishing up the second year of his five-year contract. If he's fired, the Giants will move on to their fourth coach in the last six years - and fifth if you can't 2017 interim coach Steve Spagnuolo.
That's a massive amount of turnover for a usually stable franchise, which is why some thought Shurmur might stick around for another season, albeit with major changes to his coaching staff. That appears unlikely now.
In fact, according to a source, the Giants have already done some background work on prospective head coaches. That doesn't guarantee that they will fire the 54-year-old Shurmur, but it does indicate they are preparing as if they might.
As for Gettleman, some around the NFL believe that Tisch will push for a complete overhaul of the Giants' franchise, including a new general manager and a new way of doing football business. But Mara, who makes the final call on football matters, is believed to be strongly opposed to that kind of cataclysmic change. It's also difficult to evaluate a GM after only two seasons, and the Giants have seen that Gettleman has restocked the roster with young talent and cleared out plenty of cap room for the Giants to use this March - indications that his rebuilding project is working.
In the end, though, only Mara and Tisch know for sure what they will do, and whether there's any chance for Shurmur to return. The coach has certainly earned praise for the development of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, and his players have fought hard for him in a two-game winning streak heading into the season finale.
But with a frustrated fan base, six losing seasons in the last seven years, and a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since Super Bowl XLVI, the one thing Mara and Tisch are probably clear on is that they can no longer endorse the status quo.
https://www.sny.tv/giants/news/pat-shurmur-is-not-likely-to-return-as-giants-head-coach-in-2020/312307148
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