Chairman/Exec VP Steve Tisch's Post-Press Conference Remarks

Chairman & Executive Vice President Steve Tisch

January 26, 2018

Q: What was the order in which the boxes started to check when you guys interviewed Pat (Shurmur)?

A: Confidence, experience, maturity, passion, vision, commitment, optimism and, as he said, you can’t plan for anything. He eluded to an old saying, ‘if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plan.’ So, I think Pat is very open to where he can take this team. He’s going to have full support from ownership. I think the players are going to respond to him once they get to spend time with him. They are going to really appreciate and look forward to working with a great leader and a great new head coach.

Q: How long did it take for you to figure out he was committed to be a Giant?

A: If you look at it as a first date, we felt we wanted him and I really got the sense from Pat that he wanted us. The chemistry was terrific and it was immediate and when you feel that kind of chemistry, instinctively you know that this is someone you can spend more time with and take seriously to get to know and during the process of getting to know Pat, it became more and more obvious that he was the guy for us, and the commitment that he has made to us is, in my opinion, 100 percent. I think he is going to take his position, the responsibility that we have given him as the head coach, and do great things with this team starting this morning.

Q: What does it mean to you that Dave Gettleman kept referring to Pat as an adult?

A: From Gettleman, it means a lot. Pat is very adult and he is very mature and he has the experience. Personally, I appreciate the confidence and the passion and the commitment to the team, to the players he is going to be working with, to the coaches he’s going to bring in and the coaches he uses in the building. And I think the fans, who are tough in this market, are going to really respond to Pat’s focus and passion to turn this team around, and I think the proof is going to be in the pudding, and I’m very, very confident that we got the right guy and I’m very, very happy and optimistic.

Q: What happens with the future of the quarterback position and with Eli (Manning) now that you have the key figures in place?

A: Well, Pat said this morning, I think Pat spoke for himself that certainly he is looking forward to working with Eli, he believes in Eli. The references he made to Eli’s future are very optimistic and I think Pat and Eli, as they develop a relationship and get to know each other, it’s going to be great. I believe today standing here this morning that Eli is going to start the 2018 season as the Giants starting quarterback.

Q: What were your thoughts on how everything was handled last year with Eli?

A: I think there were some things that were mishandled. I don’t want to re-litigate what happened last season. I think bringing Pat in as the head coach is going to turn around a lot of things and Pat’s experience with quarterbacks is invaluable. I know that Eli is very excited and very optimistic to start working with Pat and certainly Pat is very optimistic about spending time with Eli and being a head coach. With Pat’s experience with quarterbacks, it’s got to make Eli very excited and I think Eli looks at new leadership and his role in it is going to be terrific.

Q: How comfortable did you feel handing the reigns of this football team to Pat?

A: Very comfortable. No buyer’s remorse, no second thoughts. Once John (Mara), Dave, Kevin (Abrams) and I got to really get a sense of who Pat is as a human being, as a man, as a head coach, as a father, as an adult, it was a very, I don’t want to say easy decision because easy makes it seem like we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about it, thinking about it. We thought a lot about it, we discussed a lot about it, but it’s the right decision and I’m 100 percent confident that we got the right guy and I’m very excited where he’s going to take this team and look forward to, as one of the owners, learning from his leadership and his maturity.

Q: Pat said he is extremely impatient, like the fans. What is ownership’s patience level like with this situation?

A: It’s day one. Patient, but I don’t anticipate that we’re going to become impatient. I think Pat is going to hit the ground running. He certainly has led all of us to believe that. He’s taken his job very seriously. Walking into this building for the first time, going around the entire building, introducing himself to everybody in the building, that’s a great sign. I mean the evidence is there that this is a mature, responsible, passionate, leader and I personally can’t wait for the players to meet him, for him to put a full staff together. It’s a new day and it’s very exciting.

Q: There seems to be a big emphasis on him being an adult and mature. Is that something that is lacking?

A: I don’t think there was a lack of maturity with earlier teams, with earlier leadership. But Pat just seems to command the room. He’s extremely intelligent, I think the experience speaks for itself, he’s extremely charismatic and I think listening to him, you watch him, get a sense of his body language, his commitment, he’s a leader and I don’t think he’s going to be sensitive to criticism from anybody. From the press, from his players, from ownership. I just feel excited, enthusiastic and extremely optimistic that Pat Shurmur is the New York Giants head coach. It was a great decision and I can’t wait for the season to start with him putting all the pieces back together.