Jan 262018
 
Pat Shurmur, New York Giants (January 26, 2018)

Pat Shurmur – © USA TODAY Sports

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PAT SHURMUR INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE…
Pat Shurmur was officially introduced as the new head coach of the New York Giants at press conference on Friday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Shurmur’s contract is reportedly a 5-year deal, running through the 2019 NFL season.

Opening Remarks by Team President/CEO John Mara (Video)
Good morning. As soon as our season ended, Steve Tisch, Dave Gettleman, Kevin Abrams and myself started this process of finding and identifying our new head coach. We were looking for someone with intelligence, leadership skills, a presence, a professional demeanor, and the right philosophy on how to build a team. It did not matter to any of us whether it was an offensive or a defensive coach. We did a considerable amount of research, which included speaking with executives and coaches, past and present, around the NFL, and players, as well. We were able to identify some great candidates, but it struck me that the name that constantly came up with just about everybody that we talked to was Pat Shurmur. We had some very impressive interviews with six different coaches. We had much discussion back and forth about each of these individuals. We did some more research, and we ultimately decided that Pat was the right man for this job. Pat has had considerable success as an offensive coordinator. He’s had prior experience as a head coach. He’s worked under some great coaches. He has an impressive record in developing young players, particularly quarterbacks, and he’s got an excellent track record as a play caller. And he’s very well‑respected by the players that he’s coached in the past. It also became apparent to us very early on that Pat and Dave share a similar philosophy in how to build a team, and that was no small factor in this decision. So in sum, he checked all of the boxes for us. For all of these reasons, we believe that he is the right coach at the right time for this franchise. So now, on behalf of the Tisch and Mara families, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce the new head coach of the New York Giants, Pat Shurmur.

Remarks by Head Coach Pat Shurmur (Video)
First, I’d like to thank John Mara; I’d like to thank Steve Tisch. I just met Jon and Laurie. I’d like to thank Dave Gettleman, Kevin Abrams. It’s an honor and a privilege to be the head coach of the New York Giants. As I mentioned recently, and I think it happened in one of the earlier articles, this is an iconic franchise. I understand most of the history. I walked by four Super Bowl trophies. As we go forward here, I’m looking forward to leading this organization, and I want to be the coach. I understand the responsibility that comes with being the coach.

I’m taking over a team that was 3‑13, so we’ve got to own that. There’s a lot of work to be done. There’s changes that need to be made. But running parallel with this press conference, I’m hiring a staff of guys that will help us get to where we need to be, and I think that’s the important piece.

I’d like to thank some other people. My wife Jennifer is here. We’ve been married for 27‑and‑a‑half years. She’s the strength of our family. She’s actually an East Coast girl. She grew up in Poughkeepsie. Her father was a Giants fan growing up in Waterbury, her mom was from New York, so this is somewhat of a homecoming, and she really is the strength of our family.

We have four children. Our daughters are here today. And they cry a lot. Anyway, so I have ‑‑ I’m crying because I’ve got three weddings on the horizon at some point, and they won’t be in a K of C hall.

Anyway, our three daughters are here today. We have four children:  Allyson and Erica, who live in Philadelphia, so they’re going to fight our battles on away turf. They live in Philly and we are very proud of them. Our daughter Claire is here, as well. She’s a freshman, will be a sophomore next year, and then our son Kyle is back in Nashville. He plays quarterback at Vanderbilt. They’re terrific kids. They’ve made great choices. They’ve spent their senior years in different towns; give plenty of free advice. ‘Dad, if the quarterback played better, we’d have won; that play where you hand the ball off and run it up the center, I don’t like that play.’  A lot of free advice, but much more unconditional love.

I’d like to thank my mom back in Michigan. My mom and dad did a heck of a job raising us. They taught us how to compete. They taught us how to have compassion. They taught us how not to let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. And so, I appreciate them and love them.

I’d like to thank the Minnesota Vikings. We went there two years ago and quickly became very close to the people up there. Mark and Zygi Wilf, obviously Kevin Warren, Rob Brzezinski, George Paton, and then certainly along the way Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer. They are an outstanding organization. I want to thank the players, as well. They are an old‑school operation with an eye on the future, and they do it right. And if we’re going to get to where we need to be, at some point we’re going to have to play them and beat them. So that’ll be a challenge for us.

Now regarding me, you have hired a career coach. You’ve hired a guy that doesn’t know what he would do if he wasn’t doing this. You’ve hired a guy that wants every day to interact with the staff, the coaches, the players, and I really do feel like my role is to make everybody as good as they can be. And I think if we do that on a day‑to‑day basis, we’ll get to where we want to be, and that’s re-establish the winning tradition and put ourselves in a position to win championships. And I understand that’s a journey.

You’re going to try to all figure out who I am. Some would say I’m a little serious. Alright, I get that. But I do think this is a serious business. It’s played and coached by adults. We just happen to do it with a young person’s enthusiasm, and I think that’s important. Some will tell you I have a healthy sense of humor. Those are the people that know me. I’m okay laughing at myself, and I own all that. Most people will tell you that I’m competitive and gritty, and that’s the overachiever’s mindset in me. I feel like we don’t know it all, and I look forward to learning something new every day. Those of you that do know me, though, I have zero tolerance for people that don’t compete. I have zero tolerance for people that don’t give effort, and I have zero tolerance for people that show a lack of respect. And I think that’s something that you’ll know about me as we get to know each other better.

But the people and the players that know me know that I’m willing to give them a hug at the end of a hard day. That’s a little bit about me. I can’t wait to get going. As you know, we’re in the process of hiring a staff. Some of those names are public, so I have no problem commenting on that. As we put the staff together, we’ll try to get you that information in a timely way.

And I learned in my last shot at being a head coach, information travels off your thumbs very quickly, and we as coaches needed to learn ‑‑ in the old handbook it was, ‘Say nothing and be very guarded.’  I don’t feel like that’s necessary anymore. So I’ll try to answer your questions. Unfortunately, the answer to a question might be, ‘It’s between me and the player’, and then you can find out what the player thinks; know what I mean?  So I get that. But I’ll try to be open. We’ll try to answer your questions in really any situation, except for those things that involve Giants’ business that make no sense to be public.

That being said, certainly thrilled to be here, and I’m certainly thrilled to lead our organization back to the path of winning. With that, I’ll take your questions.

Q: What did you learn in your first stop (as a head coach) that makes you feel you’re better equipped to be in this spot the second time around?

A: Good question. I mentioned this one before, too. Everything Cleveland, I wish I knew then what I know now. I think when you’re doing anything for the first time, there’s things that happen that you adjust to that if you’ve done them before, and I’m being a little bit vague here. Some of it’s really not specific. But obviously once you’ve done it before, you have the resources, and you’ve made those decisions. You’ve made those calls. You’ve done the things that you say if I do that again, I’ll never do that again. And I think I learned that.

Q: What do you think your relationship with Eli Manning will be, and in the interview process how strongly were you saying, ‘I want this 37‑year‑old quarterback to be back here’?

A: Well, first off, I think the relationship is going to be very strong. I’ve watched him, competed against him, admired how he’s played over the years. Got to spend some time with him this summer in the Manning Academy setting. I’ve already spoken to him on the phone and he’s an outstanding football player, and I can’t wait to get to work with him. I’ve admired the way he’s handled things. I sort of like a calm approach to the position. Looking forward to getting to work with him.

Q: How do you win that locker room?  How do you get that locker room playing for you, playing hard?

A: Yeah, with regard to the players, I really do believe it’s about the players. We used to have a thing we said in Philadelphia, and then certainly when we went to Minnesota that, ‘It’s not the plays, it’s the players.’  I think what’s important is we’re going to establish the right way to do things. We’re going to establish what we want as a New York Giants football team. And what we’re going to do is we’re going to inspire the players to see it our way, and I think that’s an important thing. There’s reasons why the Giants slipped to 3‑13, and we’re going to find out what some of those reasons are behind the scenes, and we’re going to try to get them fixed at the beginning. Now, I will say this:  When it comes to coaching and playing, you work together, and I think what’s important is we establish at the very beginning the way we’re going to do things, what we expect, and then keep talking about why it’s important so that they believe it, as well.

Q: Are you planning to call the plays?

A: I do plan to call the plays, yes.

Q: What’s your plan offensive coordinator wise?

A: That’s a little bit behind the scenes right now. I’m not avoiding that. That’s a work in progress. But I’m going to hire ‑‑ with regard to all of our coaches ‑‑ here’s what I was looking for and some of them are here in the building. There’s not six or seven guys becoming head coaches every year, and I don’t think you need to sweep the whole place clean. There’s some really good coaches here, and I want to first keep them. There’s other guys we’re looking at outside the building that are, number one, career coaches, outstanding teachers, communicators, and so we’re looking for those type people. Some of them are currently not quite available, but we’ll make sure we get a staff full of guys that can inspire our players.

Q: I know you’ve been to Mobile, but how much have you looked at film of Eli Manning and Odell when he was healthy and really start studying this offense, and Davis Webb as well?

A: Yeah, I’m very familiar with the offense, very familiar with the players, and again, I look forward to visiting with them. Certainly this time of year we can’t talk schematics, but I’m looking forward to once we get through today, really getting a chance to get to know the players. I think what’s important is, you know, we’re all sort of what we believe and what our experiences tell us, and so I think what’s important when you’re talking with players that have had success, sit down and start to communicate – here’s the things that they did well, here’s the things that I believe in, and let’s do the things that work best for us. And so that’s going to be the process as I go through with all the players.

Q: When you look at this team last year at 3‑13, do you still see a lot of talent there? A lot of the same players returning from the 11‑5 year the year before. Or a lack of talent, or was it other issues that caused it?

A: Well, I think we’ll get into whether there were other issues. There are a lot of very talented players on this team. I think every team has that. And then every team goes through seasons. A year ago in Minnesota we had a lot of injuries, and again, they didn’t become part of the daily conversation, but we found our way to be 8‑8, dealing with a lot of adversity. This year we won 14, and we made some changes, although they may not have seemed to be big changes, that can do that. Now, I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen in a year, but I do know this:  Every year is different. Every year you have new players. You have new coaches. And the challenge is then when we get going here the first part of April is we work together to put together a team that has the chemistry to go out and compete and win, so that’s what we’re looking to do.

Q: What is your evaluation, following up on the Eli questions, about where Eli is at in his career, how much he might have left, and how that would factor into what might be done with the second pick in the draft?

A: Yeah, I think those are all questions for down the road. I’m sure we’ll talk about that up until the draft. You know, I watched Eli throw a little bit this summer, and I walked away saying, ‘He looked really, really good.’  He looked fit. He was throwing the ball well. The ball had good velocity coming off his hand. And again, I think he’s got years left. How much, I don’t know. But I think he has time left, and I look forward to working with him. With regard to who we’re going to draft, you know, I’m not ducking that question. I think that we’ve got to travel down that road of evaluation to see what happens there. But I think what’s important is we have a guy here that’s helped this organization win Super Bowls. He’s an outstanding player, and I’m really looking forward to working with him.

Q: I’m just wondering if you’ve given some thought to the type of identity, the type of culture you want to build within the locker room.

A: Yeah, I think what’s important, and I alluded to it, we need to have a tough, gritty team that knows how to compete. I think what’s important is when we put the roster together, we want to first accumulate 90 players that love to play football. Now, certainly they’re going to have to have the skill and ability to do it, but we want to put together a group of 90 and then eventually get to 53. I think sometimes the good answer for a young player is, ‘I really don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have this game.’  And I think it’s the absolute greatest game in the world. And so we need to find guys that love to play the game, and then we’ll decide whether they’re good enough, and then we’ll take it from there.

Q: I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about your defensive coordinator James Bettcher and what you think he’s going to bring to the team.

A: Yeah, I’ve known James for a while, and I think he’s a rising star in the profession. He’s played ‑‑ they’ve played outstanding defense in Arizona for a very long time. He’s a little bit multiple in his scheme, which I think is good. Everyone I’ve talked to, he inspires the player. He’s got a great presence, and we’re really, really fortunate to have him be with us. Very hard to score against. They find a way to put pressure on the quarterback. They do a good job in their coverage schemes, and they’ve been good at stopping the run. He’s had a top‑six defense the last three years, and for whatever reason on the teams I’ve been on, I’ve crossed over against them.

Q: You say he’s multiple in his schemes. Do you envision more of a three‑man front here?

A: I think that’s talked about often, three‑man front, five on the line, four‑man front. I think all defenses play a version of that throughout the game. Even teams that play five on the line, you know, they’re in nickel 60 percent of the time, so it’s a four‑man front. So the ability to be multiple in my opinion, as long as you can still remain fundamental, is something that’s hard on an offense, and I’ve faced that through the years.

Q: What would you say to a Giants’ fan base that isn’t disappointed with the past season, it’s furious and expects a quick turnaround?

A: I get furious. I get quick turnaround. I do know that what’s important is we get better every day. With regard to players, if each player swaps, so to speak, makes us incrementally better, that’s what we’re looking to do. You know, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. So we’re going to do that. And I think what’s important is we just every day work toward where we need to be. Then it won’t be a three‑pointer at the buzzer. Then we will have established a team that can sustain that over time.

Q: Do you have a philosophy at all in dealing with a locker room where probably a result of the losing was the in‑fighting, the back‑biting, the players not getting along and that becoming public here?

A: Yeah, I think ‑‑ well, first off, I admire how resourceful people are at getting information, so I don’t really believe there’s any secrets. Okay, so I think what you do is you start initially with the locker room by developing relationships with those guys that love to play football, and you’re constantly talking to them about what it means to be a good pro. For a receiver to be a good pro sometimes is even though you’re frustrated that you didn’t get the ball, you’ve got to make sure you keep that in check. Or for whatever reason. Maybe you’re a defensive lineman that’s not getting as many sacks. They need to understand that the pressure you’re putting on the quarterback, even though you didn’t sack him, is just as important. Two quick examples of being able to just constantly communicate with the players. We as coaches are educators. We work with the players, and it’s important that we inspire them to play their very best. And some of that is going and talking about those types of issues.

Q: We talk about Odell Beckham Jr., here, and the role he has in this offense. I know you have a previous relationship with Eli. Do you have a previous relationship with Odell?  Have you had a chance to talk to him yet, and what do you envision for him in your offense?

A: Well, he’s a tremendous player. I went through the evaluation process at the time I was in Philadelphia and he was high on our draft board. We loved him as a player, and really pre‑draft stuff, we loved everything about him. I’ve watched him play and compete, and when you throw all the other stuff out and you watch him on the field, he’s outstanding. So it makes sense to throw him the football. I’m just going to say that right away. If I didn’t acknowledge that, then you’ve definitely got the wrong guy up here. But I think what needs to happen now is I need to get to know him. I need to get to know what makes him tick, and I get to ‑‑ I need to talk to him about what it is that we’re looking for for a guy that plays for the New York Giants. And I think those are the things that go back to relationship building that need to happen very, very soon.

Q: John Mara mentioned that you and Dave Gettleman have kind of a similar philosophy how to build a team, and when you were sitting in that interview, as the Giants were saying, ‘This could be our guy’, what were you saying, specifically talking to Gettleman about building a team, what made you say, ‘This is for me’?

A: As soon as he said, ‘Everything starts with the offensive line.’  And I think there’s a great example of that, what we went through in Minnesota. We didn’t change the oil up there, we changed the transmission. We went and got two free agent offensive linemen, we drafted a center that played like a veteran, and we transformed the offensive line that helped us do the things that helped us win 14 games. And so I think it’s very important, no matter how good your offensive line is and your defensive line, you have to address those issues constantly because if you can’t block them and you can’t pressure the quarterback, this game gets really, really, really hard. I know that about Dave. I know we have a serious mindset when it comes to doing what we can to upgrade in those areas. And some of it may be just inspiring a player on the roster to play better than he’s played, you know, and that comes back to coaching. And then we all know that every once in a while, you need to get some new players.

Q: What’s your first priority here, first couple priorities once you’re done here today?

A: Well, there’s a lot kind of running parallel right now. I certainly want to get a feel for the passion in the building. I came in yesterday, and I had an opportunity to walk around the building. There’s a lot of people here that when you shake their hand, you know that they’re fully committed to us winning. So keep that going. We’re certainly in the process of putting our staff together, and then we’re also running parallel with that. The player evaluation phase as well as the player acquisition phase, which is free agency and the draft. All that runs parallel. Once I get the full staff in place, then we’ll start talking about our scheme behind the scenes, and believe it or not, there’s a lot that goes on, and we’re just a few weeks behind that.

Q: Did you look at this as inevitable becoming a head coach again, or did something spark interest again this season?

A: What I learned about life is nothing is inevitable, and there’s no use planning for it. But I’m thrilled to be here. I feel much more prepared to do this than the first time around. And again, I try to learn something new every day, and I’m learning something about this situation that will help me as we get our team ready to play.

Q: Am I correct that in Cleveland you called the plays the first year and turned it over the second year?

A: Yeah, but I was still involved the second year, as well.

Q. Is there anything concern about the head coach with this look (holding play sheet in front of face), not seeing?

A: What look is that?

Q: You know, having that play sheet in front of you and not being involved with the whole thing.

A: No, not at all. I think when you put a staff together, there’s people upstairs ‑‑ there’s constant communication ‑‑ the reason we wear headsets is we’re talking to each other, and if it was just the head coach and nobody else, then I would say, yeah, that’s tough. But the way that we’re going to put the staff together, there’s constant communication, and we’ll have experienced people in all the roles necessary. It’s been done before. You see teams around the league doing it. Why guys do it and then eventually give it up or whatever, that’s their decision. You know, it’s football.

Q: Is there anything that intimidates you about coaching this hallowed franchise or working in this number 1 media market?

A: No, I’m not intimidated. I’m only ‑‑ I would say this:  The only thing that frightens me is anything that affects the health and welfare of my kids and family. Other than that, have at it. I’m ready to go.

Q: Most people when they look at the Giants, all they care about is ‘Are they getting back to the playoffs, when is it happening’, or are you just going into this year saying, ‘Let’s be competitive again and we’ll take it from there’?

A: Like I said, we’re going to do what we can to get better each day, and how fast that happens, I’m as impatient as the fans, and I understand that. But we’re going to try to get better each day. As I mentioned, we have a lot of really good players on this team. We’re going to get some new ones, and we’re going to try to put together a team that can go out next year and win games.

Q: You mentioned throwing out all the other stuff. When it comes to Odell that hasn’t been easy. How will you handle a player whose behavior hasn’t always reflected positively on the organization?

A: Yeah, well, this is sort of a clean slate deal right now. As I mentioned, we need to sit down and talk. When things happen, there’s typically reasons for it. I learned that by coaching the quarterback. You know, I was ‑‑ I’ve said this, I’m at peace with a wide range of emotions, and so when you coach other positions, you can kind of fly off the handle and that sort of works. With a quarterback you’ve got to constantly keep saying to him, and this helped me when I started coaching quarterbacks, what did you see, why did you do that; all right, let’s talk about it. And I think with all things Odell, we just need to start talking and find out why things happened, and if they’re not what is by our standards, then we’ve got to find a way to get him fixed.

Q: How do you envision the offense that ‑‑ how would you describe the offense that you’re bringing in?  You have a West Coast background, but you’ve obviously ‑‑ how would you describe your own offense?

A: I don’t know, we were a top‑10 offense this year. I think we have an offense that we’re going to constantly try to do the things that our players can do well. So once we quickly learn what our players are good at, then we’ll ‑‑ but I do have a West Coast background. My last three years in Philadelphia, I was with Chip Kelly, and so the tempo and being able to play fast, there’s advantages to using that strategically. When you can run the ball like we did this year, and we developed a core set of runs, then the play actions are meaningful and that’s how you can drive the ball down the field. So try to use all those things. And then when they’re trying to destroy our quarterback, certainly the screen game is something that’s very important. So I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s a label for it. We want to play good offense. We want to play New York Giants offense.

Q: You seem to be smitten with Eli. What were your thoughts about Davis Webb when he was eligible?

A: Yeah, good question, Davis Webb. We went through the process on Davis Webb, and we thought he was an outstanding player. We liked how competitive he was. He’s got size. He’s got good arm strength. We felt like he was a guy worthy of being drafted and having a chance to be a starter someday. Again, beyond that, I don’t know much about him. There isn’t much tape out there on him that I was able to see, and so he’s another player that I’m looking forward to getting to know.

JOHN MARA’S POST-PRESS CONFERENCE REMARKS…
The transcript of team President and CEO John Mara’s post-introductory press conference remarks is available in The Corner Forum. The video is available at Giants.com.

STEVE TISCH’S POST-PRESS CONFERENCE REMARKS…
The transcript of team Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch’s post-introductory press conference remarks is available in The Corner Forum. The video is available at Giants.com.

DAVE GETTLEMAN’S CONFERENCE CALL…
The transcript of General Manager Dave Gettleman’s conference call with the media is available in The Corner Forum.

ARTICLES…

Jan 102018
 
Steve Wilks, Carolina Panthers (September

Steve Wilks – © USA TODAY Sports

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GIANTS HEAD COACHING SEARCH UPDATE…
The New York Giants have officially announced that team President/CEO John Mara, General Manager Dave Gettleman, and Assistant General Manager Kevin Abrams have interviewed the following head coaching candidates:

  • New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (on January 3)
  • New England Patriots Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia (on January 5)
  • New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels (on January 5)
  • Minnesota Vikings Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur (on January 6)
  • Carolina Panthers Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks (on January 9)
  • Denver Broncos Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville (on January 10)

Team Chairman/Executive Vice President Steve Tisch was also present for the interview with Wilks.

As of today, no other interviews are known to have been scheduled.

The 43-year old Patricia has spent his entire professional coaching career with the Patriots (starting in 2004) and has been New England’s defensive coordinator since 2012. The Detroit Lions are said to be front runners for Patricia’s services, although SI.com is reporting that Patricia favors the Giants.

The 41-year old McDaniels not only has served as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator and quarterback coach (2006-2008, 2012-2017) in recent years but he also was the head coach of the Denver Broncos (2009-2010) where he compiled an 11-17 (.393) record. The Indianapolis Colts are also interested in McDaniels.

In recent years, the 52-year old Shurmur has served as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach (2002-2008), St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator (2009-2010), Cleveland Browns head coach (2011-2012), Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator (2013-2015), and Vikings tight ends coach (2016). Shurmur was promoted to Vikings offensive coordinator in 2017. He also served as interim head coach for the Eagles in 2015. Shurmur has drawn interest from the Lions and Arizona Cardinals.

The 48-year old Wilks has served as as a defensive backs coach with the Washington Redskins (2005), Chicago Bears (2006-2008), San Diego Chargers (2009-2011), and Panthers (2012-2016). He was also named an assistant head coach of the Panthers in 2016 and promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017. Wilks was scheduled to interview with the Cardinals on Wednesday and the Colts on Thursday.

The 50-year old Studesville served as the Giants’ running back coach under Head Coach Jim Fassel (2001-2003) before going on to hold the same position with the Buffalo Bills (2004-2009) and Broncos (2010-2017). Studesville also served as interim head coach of the Broncos for four games in 2010 and became an assistant head coach in 2017.

GIANTS COACHES MOVING ON…
Members of Ben McAdoo’s coaching staff have begun moving on to new jobs:

  • Denver Broncos have hired Giants Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan as their quarterbacks coach.
  • Green Bay Packers have hired Giants Quarterbacks Coach Frank Cignetti, Jr. as their quarterbacks coach.
  • Green Bay Packers are interviewing Giants Defensive Line Coach Patrick Graham.

GIANTS SIGN THREE MORE TO RESERVE/FUTURES CONTRACTS…
The New York Giants have signed running back Jalen Simmons, offensive tackle Laurence Gibson, and linebacker Thurston Armbrister to reserve/futures contracts.

Simmons was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Carolina Panthers after the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent the 2016 on the Practice Squad of the Panthers and spent time in 2017 on the Practice Squads of the Panthers and San Diego Chargers. Simmons is a short, stocky running back who lacks ideal speed, but he plays with a low center of gravity and good vision.

Gibson was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He has spent time with the Cowboys (2015), Chiefs (2015), Falcons (2016), Bears (2016), Giants (2016), Texans (2016-2017), and Browns (2017). The Giants signed him to their Practice Squad in September 2016 and cut him a few months later in December. He has yet to play in a regular-season game. Gibson is a very athletic lineman with good height and long arms. A better testing athlete than football player so far, Gibson needs to play with more strength and power.

Armbrister was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2015 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Jaguars (2015) and Detroit Lions (2016-2017). Armbrister has played in 30 regular-season games with five starts, and has accumulated 38 tackles and one pass defense. He did not play in a regular-season game in 2017. Armbrister lacks ideal size and athleticism, but he is a good run defender with fine intangibles.

ARTICLES…

Nov 062016
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (November 6, 2016)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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NEW YORK GIANTS 28 – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 23…
The New York Giants defeated division rival Philadelphia Eagles 28-23 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. With the victory, the Giants improved their overall record to 5-3 and their division record to 2-1.

The Eagles out-gained the Giants in first downs (21 to 16), total net yards (443 to 302), net yards rushing (96 to 54), and net yards passing (364 to 257). Both teams turned the football over twice. But the Giants blocked a field goal and also stopped the Eagles three times on 4th down, twice within the red zone.

The Giants took a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter after two Eagles turnovers. After the Giants started the game with a three-and-out, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz’s second pass was intercepted by safety Landon Collins, setting up the Giants at the Eagles 31-yard line. On 2nd-and-5, quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. over the middle for a 26-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The Giants got the ball right back again when safety Andrew Adams intercepted an overthrown Wentz pass and returned it to the Eagles 30-yard line. On 3rd-and-10, Manning hit wide receiver Roger Lewis, Jr. for a 30-yard touchdown.

The Eagles mounted their first scoring drive on the ensuing possession by driving 59 yards in 10 plays to set up a 34-yard field goal. After two Giants punts and one Eagles drive being stopped on 4th-and-2, the Eagles were able to strike quickly with a 3-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, aided by a 58-yard pass. The Giants now only led 14-10.

The Giants responded with a quick strike of their own. A 46-yard pass by Manning to wide receiver Victor Cruz set up the Giants at the Eagles 9-yard line. Two plays later, Manning hit Beckham for a second touchdown and the Giants extended their advantage to 21-10.

The Giants and Eagles exchanged punts with the Eagles gaining the advantage after a 66-yard punt return by running back Darren Sproles set the Eagles up at the Giants 15-yard line. But Sproles was stuffed on 4th-and-1 at the Giants 6-yard line. After another New York punt, another Eagles scoring threat was stymied when defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a 40-yard field goal with just over a minute to play before halftime. At the intermission, the Giants led 21-10.

Philadelphia tightened the game against on their first possession of the second half by driving 70 yards in six plays for a touchdown that cut the score to 21-17. New York responded with a 10-play, 75-yard effort that culminated with a 32-yard touchdown from Manning to wide receiver Sterling Shepard. The Giants now led 28-17.

The Eagles and Giants exchanged punts before the Eagles mounted a 14-play, 80-yard march that resulted in a 26-yard field goal early in the 4th quarter. Giants 28 – Eagles 20. The Eagles got the ball back after Manning’s pass intended for Beckham was intercepted at the Philadelphia 40-yard line. Both teams then exchanged punts again before the Eagles cut the Giants advantage to 28-23 after an 8-play, 26-yard drive set up a 38-yard field goal with less than four minutes to play.

The Giants offense was able to pick up one first down before Manning was intercepted on 3rd-and-4, setting up the Eagles on the Giants 34-yard line with 1:48 to play. A 17-yard pass moved the ball to the Giants 17, but the game ended with four straight Wentz incompletions.

Offensively, Manning finished 22-of-36 for 257 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. No receiver had more than 50 yards but Beckham (2), Lewis, and Shepard all had touchdown receptions. The running game struggled with Paul Perkins gaining 32 yards on 11 carries and Rashad Jennings 26 yards on 11 carries.

Defensively, Landon Collins led the defense with 12 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 interception. Defensive end Olivier Vernon was credited with the team’s other sack. Andrew Adams had the other interception.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INACTIVE LIST AND INJURY REPORT…
Inactive for the game were quarterback Ryan Nassib (elbow), safety Darian Thompson (foot), cornerback Leon Hall, defensive end Kerry Wynn (concussion), offensive tackle Will Beatty, wide receiver Tavarres King, and linebacker Deontae Skinner.

Left guard Justin Pugh (knee) and wide receiver Victor Cruz (ankle) left the game in the second quarter with injuries. There is no word yet on the severity yet.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Ben McAdoo and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

POST-GAME NOTES…
The Giants five victories have been by a combined 20 points.

The Giants broke a 4-game losing streak to the Eagles, and improved to 2-5 in MetLife Stadium vs. Philadelphia.

The Giants are 3-1 at home, where they finished 3-5 in each of the previous two seasons.

QB Eli Manning’s 257 yards increased his career total to 46,428. That moved him past Vinny Testaverde (46,233) and into ninth place on the NFL’s career list.

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Oct 312016
 
Jerry Reese, New York Giants (February 25, 2016)

Jerry Reese – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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OCTOBER 31, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
Safety Darian Thompson (foot) and offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse (calf) practiced on a limited basis on Monday.

“I practiced a good amount,” Thompson said. “I was out there the whole time. Close to 10 team reps on the scout team and a little bit on defense. I knew the plan today was going to be limited regardless of how I felt… I don’t know about 100 percent, but I’m on the right track.”

“(Newhouse) was limited today,” Head Coach Ben McAdoo said. “We’ll know more on Wednesday.”

THE PAPA CAST – GIANTS CAST WITH BBI…
BigBlueInteractive (BBI) was interviewed by Bob Papa on his ThePapaCast-GiantsCast last week. We discussed the state of the Giants as well as the BBI culture.

GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE…
The transcript of Jerry Reese’s press conference on Monday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Monday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

JOHN HICKS PASSES AWAY…
Former New York Giants offensive lineman John Hicks (1974-1977) has passed away due to complications from diabetes. Hicks was 65 years old.

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WHAT’S UP NEXT…
There is no media availability to the Giants on Tuesday. The Giants return to practice on Wednesday.

Jan 132016
 
Steve Tisch, New York Giants (September 13, 2015)

Steve Tisch – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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STEVE TISCH: GIANTS HOPE TO HAVE NEW COACH BY END OF WEEK…
New York Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch told reporters at an NFL meeting on Tuesday night that the team hopes to have selected its new head coach by the end of this week. All New York Giants coaching interviews have been jointly conducted by team President/CEO John Mara and Senior Vice President/General Manager Jerry Reese.

“We’ve seen about six great candidates,” Tisch said. “John and I hope to resolve it by the end of the week, and I think we can… I’ve been talking to Jerry every day. John and Jerry have been, you know, handling the actual on-site interviews and I’ve been brought up to date every day. John and I are going to have a long conversation (on Wednesday).”

The Giants have interviewed six candidates:

  • New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo
  • New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo
  • Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin
  • Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase
  • Jacksonville Jaguars Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Doug Marrone
  • Former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith

Gase has already been hired by the Dolphins.

“I have a couple candidates who I think will be potentially really good head coaches, but I want to reserve expressing my thoughts to you until John, Jerry and I have a chance to talk later in the week,” Tisch said.

HUE JACKSON HIRED BY BROWNS…
The New York Giants interview of Bengals Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson never occurred. Jackson, who reportedly was set to interview with the Giants on Wednesday, was hired by the Cleveland Browns as their new head coach on Wednesday instead. Jackson had also interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers.

GIANTS POSITION COACHES INTERVIEWING ELSEWHERE…
Although all of the New York Giants assistant coaches have 1-year remaining on their contracts, the team has apparently given permission to some, if not all, of them to interview elsewhere.

  • Wide Receivers Coach Sean Ryan is interviewing with the Houston Texans for the same position.
  • Offensive Line Coach Pat Flaherty has interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings for the same position.
  • Linebackers Coach Jim Herrmann has interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts for the same position. The Colts hired Herrmann on Wednesday.

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Jan 122016
 


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(The Hue Jackson interview has reportedly been moved up to Wednesday now).

GIANTS TO INTERVIEW HUE JACKSON ON WEDNESDAY…
According to multiple press reports, the New York Giants will interview Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson on Wednesday for the team’s vacant head coaching position. All New York Giants coaching interviews have been jointly conducted by team President/CEO John Mara and Senior Vice President/General Manager Jerry Reese.

The 50-year old Jackson was interviewed by the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns on Sunday for their head coaching vacancies. The Browns are said to be very serious contenders for his services but the 49ers interest has apparently waned.

As previously reported, the Giants have already interviewed the following six candidates:

  • 38-year old New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo, who interviewed on January 5th. McAdoo has also interviewed with the Eagles.
  • 56-year old New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who interviewed on January 7th.
  • 50-year old Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin, who interviewed on January 7th. Austin has also interviewed with the Browns.
  • 37-year old Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase, who interviewed on January 8th, but was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their new head coach the following day.
  • 51-year old Jacksonville Jaguars Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Doug Marrone, who interviewed on January 9th. Marrone has also interviewed with the Browns.
  • 56-year old former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith, who interviewed on January 11th.

PAT FLAHERTY INTERVIEWS WITH VIKINGS…
FOXSports is reporting that New York Giants Offensive Line Coach Pat Flaherty interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday for their vacant offensive line coach position. The Indianapolis Colts have also expressed interest in Flaherty and he may have interviewed with the Colts last week. Since Flaherty is still under contract with the Giants, teams must receive the Giants permission to interview him.

JIM HERRMANN INTERVIEWS WITH COLTS…
FOXSports is reporting that New York Giants Linebackers Coach Jim Herrmann is interviewing with the Indianapolis Colts for their vacant linebacker coach position. Since Herrmann is still under contract with the Giants, teams must receive the Giants permission to interview him.

49ERS INTERVIEW TOM COUGHLIN…
According to multiple press reports, the San Francisco 49ers interviewed Tom Coughlin on Tuesday for their head coaching vacancy. Coughlin resigned as the Giants head coach last week. He interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Since Coughlin still has one year on his contract with the Giants, other teams must receive permission from the Giants to interview him.

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