With Time To Reflect Coach Pat Shurmur Tries To Find The Giant Answer

A 1-5 record is something no one was expecting from the New York Giants, certainly not the sportsbooks, which you can find on www.us-bookies.com.

But here it is, and John Mara spoke about it yesterday as did head coach Pat Shurmur.

“I am disappointed that we’re 1-5 and we’re working to correct that,” Shurmur said. “I’ve said this before, when we lose ball games, I’m disappointed for our players, our coaches, our fans, and also our administration and that includes John. I get it, I know the feeling, and those of us that have coached in this game long enough, we’ve won enough games to know how that feels, and we’ve lost games and gone through stretches where you’re trying to build something and you lose games and you know how that feels. I’ve mentioned it many times that there is an urgency in our gut to get it right and we are trying to do the things necessary to do that.”

With that urgency, the Giants desperately need a win and with the 2-6 Falcons on the docket, Big Blue has a decent chance for that win this week.

Of course, things need to change. The offense needs to perform better, that includes Eli Manning, who is looking very over the hill in the first six games.

And that also includes Odell Beckham, who hasn’t performed poorly, but opened his mouth up to ESPN causing tension.

“None of us have played or coached well enough to be where we want to be, so we own that,” Shurmur said. “Outside the building, it’s always giving praise and assigning blame. That’s the noise that happens outside the building. We correct each play specifically, each situation specifically, each event in a game specifically, with the idea that if a mistake is made, you correct it and move on. The goal is to not have it happen again. That’s where it is.”

Now with any new coach, there is an adjustment period and Shurmur has said he experience that so far. After six weeks, he has a better feel for this team than he did in Week 1.

“I think we have a much better feeling for who the players are and how they respond to a win and how we’re responding to losses, how hard guys work and their competitive spirit and all that, and then what guys can and can’t do,” he said. “As you know, we’re constantly changing up the roster, there’s been a lot of change from a year ago, and we just have to get everybody on the same page doing the things necessary to win games.”

With a longer week after playing last Thursday and now a game on Monday night, Shurmur had the time to reflect on that. 

And his thoughts?

“Some of it is, I think we need to play better, I think we need to coach better, and we’re certainly not happy with the record,” he said. “I feel like when you’re close in games, you look back on plays here and plays there, and close isn’t enough. We’ve got to try to find a way to get it over the top.”

Hopefully for the Giants, the coach has the answer this week.  

About the Author

Joe McDonald

Editor-in-Chief
Joe McDonald is the founder and former publisher of NY Sports Day. After selling to i15Media in 2020, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief and responsible for the editorial side of the publication. In the past, Joe was the managing editor of NY Sportscene magazine and assistant editor of Mets Inside Pitch. He has covered the Mets since 2004.

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