I was reading Pat Shurmur's press conference yesterday and I kept telling myself that he reminds me of a cross between Ray Handley and Ben Macadoo. There's this cloying, mawkish, trite insincerity that just rubs me the wrong way. It comes through in text and certainly when you watch the guy and listen. He lacks this leadership that's hard to describe. It's a chemistry or lack thereof and I know the players feel it as well. The product translates on the field. The team plays as if disjointed and unsure and what's even worse is that a majority of them have probably checked out a while ago.
This reminds me of a boss I had a few years ago. I landed a job at a global accounting firm. I knew two weeks into the job I wasn't going to last because I could see every deficiency in my Director. It took me three months to get out of there. On the exit interview, I asked Human Resources why they didn't disclose that this guy had social issues. My point is, you know when a supposed leader has command. Coughlin and Parcells had that chemistry... they were royal pain in the asses but they had that moxie that enabled their teams to win and the players knew it. McAdoo didn't have it, Handley didn't have it and Shurmur doesn't have it. I'm sure he absolutely knows X's and O's but he has this baffling presence that is irritating.
The team will finish at 3 - 11, maybe 4 - 12 and Mara will give him a portion of next year to prove himself. In my opinion, it's futile and they should say goodbye at the end of the year but Mara is truly at wits end and is hoping Shurmur somehow pans out.
Doesn't even have Fassell's beady eyed sweaty lipped weasel shrewdness.
Now to his credit, after a bad year and almost getting fired, he met in the off season 1 by 1 with the beat writers to understand their job and perspective better. And he instituted the players’ leadership council and listened to them, and did more training camp bonding stuff. His willingness to change is what then earned him the love of players like Strahan who admitted to hating him at first but coming around.
And, of course, TC had Eli, Toomer, Plax, Snee, Osi, Armstead, Mitchell, McQuarters, etc. Any of those guys is better than what we have. Players help a lot. And winning takes personality stuff that’s there and makes it endearing and quirky, whereas losing makes the same stuff annoying and proof of incompetence.
Now to his credit, after a bad year and almost getting fired, he met in the off season 1 by 1 with the beat writers to understand their job and perspective better. And he instituted the players’ leadership council and listened to them, and did more training camp bonding stuff. His willingness to change is what then earned him the love of players like Strahan who admitted to hating him at first but coming around.
And, of course, TC had Eli, Toomer, Plax, Snee, Osi, Armstead, Mitchell, McQuarters, etc. Any of those guys is better than what we have. Players help a lot. And winning takes personality stuff that’s there and makes it endearing and quirky, whereas losing makes the same stuff annoying and proof of incompetence.
I agree with you that the roster is the biggest problem right now, but I'm thinking personality is right there with it.
The Giants structure is flawed in today's NFL, IMO. You have very little time to develop players, they have to start producing faster than ever before, between the shorter career longevity, the roster turnover from FA being balanced against the new CBA and limited practice time. Right now - the focus is on getting players who can contribute ASAP.
That means every second lost because of miscommunication, injury, scheme fit (figuring out how to best use a player) - limits the chances of success.
One reason I think the Reese/Coughlin era worked so well was because TC came in with personnel experience and a winning background. He had success and experience, and if the 'personnel by committee' approach was going to work, it had to be a team effort with some give and take by all. Before the SBs, before the egos and power balances changed, IMO, the Giants had this working and working well. I'm pretty sure that structure could even keep ownership meddling in check when they weren't winning (more so before 2007 and less after 2014). When things got really bad, the occasional sacrifice or change had to be made (Hufnagel and Tim Lewis, as early examples).
I don't think that dynamic exists today. I can't imagine Shurmur is pushing and winning any challenges inside the org. The hiring of Gettleman as a familiar face on his last stop means his leverage is limited as well, and probably can't mitigate interference from the owners the same way Reese and Coughlin could.
In the locker room, Shurmur's a perennial loser. He can preach working through adversity all he wants, all the players know how that's worked out for him in the past, with more pink slips than winning seasons.
It's a bad situation that doesn't show signs of improving any time soon.