It’s going to be a grand opening for Giants coach Pat Shurmur, and his New York Giants are going to be looking to rebound after a disappointing 2017.
But it should be a better year for Big Blue, even oddsmakers like AceOdds are saying so. After all, new general manager Dave Gettleman rebuilt the offensive line, drafted Saquon Barkley and hired Shurmur.
It’s something that makes this opening day special for the coach.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do this a very long time. I told the players, game day and game weekend never gets old,” Shurmur said. “I love the rhythm of a Friday, I love the rhythm of Friday evening, the mock game on Saturday, the lead up to the night meetings, I’ve always enjoyed the night meetings, and then certainly game day has never gotten old for me. The anticipation when you wake up Sunday to play in the game, and I’ll bet you – and when I mention this to the players, they all start to nod, especially the ones that don’t play anymore – that’s what players miss. I think when they’re not playing anymore, I’m sure that’s what they miss. It’s important to stay in the moment and enjoy each Sunday.”
Not to be the nervous nelly, Shurmur also has to be concerned this year because he has four rookies, like Barkley, playing big roles with the team. Some are starting and some are going to be in big situations.
“I think the big thing is just try to keep them calm,” Shurmur said. “Because it’ll be the first time in the shiny pants, the game uniforms, on a Sunday for real, I’m sure their emotions will run; but most of these guys have played in front of large crowds before in big games, so they’ll just lean on those experiences and then we’ll help them do it.”
And for Shurmur, this will be the first time running out as a Giant, so did John Mara give him any advice?
“Just normal issues of the day,” Shurmur said. “Fortunately here, and that’s part of what’s great about working here is we get a chance because we work together on a daily basis to visit often, which is good.”
And that should be good for Shurmur and the Giants, who hope that this game on Sunday will be the first of many for the new coach and his career with Big Blue.
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