Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula
April 4, 2018
Q: What has it been like working with Head Coach Pat Shurmur?
A: Well, it’s been great so far. We’ve known each other a long time and we’ve had mutual friends. I did speak with him a few years back regarding a quarterback position when he was at Cleveland and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what he’s done on the field as a coach, and then as a person now that I’ve gotten to know him.
Q: What is your vision for this offense?
A: Well, we’re still working through all that and I know you guys have talked to Coach about that and, basically, my vision is going to be Coach’s vision and I want to be an extension of what he does for the offense. And without getting into specifics, we want to use multiple personnel and make the defense defend the whole field and like a lot of other offenses, get the most out of the guys that you have, put them on the field and find out who can do what and put them in positions to make plays for us. So, obviously we want to be productive and we want to be balanced and be as unpredictable as we can be.
Q: What can you learn about quarterback Davis Webb and his development based off of his practice tape from last season?
A: Yeah, it’s been a little bit harder for me to evaluate Davis. Just getting here so late and then as soon as I got here, we’ve been at the Combine, we’ve been on the road. I’ve looked at him, I got a chance to meet him in the cafeteria and I’m looking forward to finding out what he’s about. And I think coming up next here in the next few weeks with our veteran minicamp will help us gather more information on him.
Q: Have you spoken to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and how do you envision using him?
A: Yeah, he came up to the room, we had a nice visit. This was probably about three days into the job for me. You know, God, he’s such an explosive player. We’ve watched what everyone else has seen what he can do on the field and I’m really looking forward to being able to work with a guy like that. Again, what you see on the field and talking to the guys that have had to defend him at Carolina and just how explosive he is and how he can get the ball in the end zone. So, we’re going to try to continue to build on that.
Q: Do you build an offense around Beckham, or do you build an offense nonspecific to the players?
A: Well, again, as we still work through this with Coach Shurmur, I think that he’s obviously a vital part of our offense and when you have guys that can make plays and put points on the board, you want to try to feature them as much as you can. But, you also have to realize that you’ve got other components and hopefully some more as we more forward into the offseason and the draft, where we can put players on the field and we’re not going to be predictable. And if teams want to try to take Odell away, then we’ve got other answers, and good answers.
Q: As the Odell Beckham Jr. trade rumors began to swirl around the last couple of weeks, were you paying attention and worried about losing a weapon on your offense?
A: Yeah, I kind of learned over the years to try to avoid the swirls and just kind of focus in on the things that I’m responsible for and at the time, I’m responsible for doing that. And right now, it’s just helping the Giants to get ready for the draft and learning the offense and coming together as an offensive staff and then together as a full staff. So, we really don’t have as much time – I hate to say it like that, but right now we’ve been focused in on those things in the immediate future.
Q: Is it unsettling for you that the offensive line still may not be a done product?
A: No, not unsettling at all. In fact, to me, it’s exciting. I think we’ve got so far since I’ve been here and I’m one of the last guys to get here. It’s exciting, some of the things that we’ve done. I’ve been around [General Manager] Dave [Gettleman] and Dave’s done a great job, did a great job in Carolina and I think he’s done some exciting things for our organization already and again, being around Coach Shurmur here for the last month, in and out of the office and the vision that he has for not just us offensively, but for this organization, with the players and the staff. There’s a lot of good communication going on. It’s an exciting time, not an unsettling time.
Q: How much did you study quarterback Eli Manning last year? Did you go game-by-game, snap-by-snap?
A: No, not really. Again, I have looked at him obviously and I’ve watched him from game tape, whether or not it was last year when I was coaching at Carolina or other years, but I’ve seen a little bit of him.
Q: Is it a different dynamic as a coordinator coming to a team that has a quarterback entering his 15th year as opposed to a quarterback entering his first or second year?
A: Well, yeah, it’s a different dynamic. I’m getting ready to coach a guy that has great experience, that physically is in great shape, that has won two Super Bowls, won a bunch of playoff games. I’ve watched him stand at this podium here and answer questions and be able to handle all of those things. I can remember going back to a few years back and admiring him for the way he is handling questions, not ever getting too high and too low. We talk to our players about that all the time. Whether or not it’s in the game, with the media, when you walk into the building, when you’re out of the building, and I think he does that probably better than anybody and that’s one of the many reasons why he’s had the success that he’s had.
Q: How big of a change is it going to be from last year’s offense to this year?
A: I’m not sure to what degree as far as the players that have been here.
Q: What about Eli (Manning) in particular?
A: I think there are going to be some things terminology-wise that are going to be different, but he’s been around and seen a lot and been exposed to a lot. So it’s just going to be a matter of he may have called things differently, but it’s really the same thing. Or maybe he’s been taught to read it a little bit differently, so little things like that that it’s just going to take some getting used to. That’s why it’s important once we get going that we’re really clear on exactly what we want to do and I know he’s going to pick things up well and lead us in that aspect as far as understanding the whole offense.
Q: What were your impressions of (Sam) Darnold and (Josh) Rosen?
A: I think both of those guys are going to be really good quarterbacks. I think they’re talented, they’re a little different in the way they go about things, but I think it’s an exciting time in the draft because of the guys that are coming out. It’s exciting to have an early pick, but hopefully this will be the last time we have an early pick.
Q: How much is also being the quarterbacks coach going to impact your time with everyone else?
A: I’ve done it before, I haven’t done it in a while. It’s just a matter of managing your time and Coach (Pat) Shurmur is obviously very involved in the offense. Like I said in the beginning, I want to be an extension of what he wants us to do and make sure that everything that comes out of his mouth is echoed by me and if I have questions or if other coaches have questions or if players have questions, I can be the guy that says, ‘hey, let’s make sure we get this and that we’re all on the same page here.’ In regards to coaching quarterbacks as well, time wise you’re going to spend a lot of time together with other positions and then you break off individually and detail it out by position. Again, since Coach Shurmur is involved, it’s just a matter of getting back and getting used to it.
Q: What do you try to get accomplished when you bring in the quarterbacks for visits next week?
A: It’s about what you think. You just keep gathering information in every aspect. What’s their personality? What’s their demeanor like? You can talk a little football. We’ve seen them workout now. Just re-establish that relationship. Those guys have been pulled in every different direction by a lot of different teams from the end of the season, obviously, especially since the combine, physically and mentally. So it’s like anything else, when you’re looking and getting ready to invest a lot in somebody, you want to find out as much as you can in every aspect of their life.
