Pat Shurmur: 5 things to know about the Giants new head coach

The New York Giants have officially hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as their next head coach.

The New York Giants made things official on Tuesday, naming former Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as their next head coach.

Some Giants fans may be excited about the hire. Others may have wanted someone else. And then there are plenty of fans who don’t know much about Shurmur.

So who is Pat Shurmur? Here are five things to know about the new head coach of the New York Giants:

Shurmur was a four-year letterman at Michigan State.

Pat Shurmur played football at Michigan State in the late 1980s. He was a guard and linebacker his freshman year and the starting center the three years after that.

Shurmur was All-Big 10, honorable mention All-American, and co-captain in 1987, his senior year.

Hopefully, Shurmur’s experience on the offensive line will help him improve that of the New York Giants, which is their biggest weakness.

Shurmur has been an NFL coach since 1999.

Pat Shurmur broke into the league with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 as their tight ends and offensive line coach under head coach Andy Reid.

Shurmur became the Eagles quarterbacks coach in 2002 and was responsible for developing Donovan McNabb, arguably the best QB in Philadelphia history.

Hopefully, Shurmur will develop the New York Giants future quarterback in a similar way, whether that be Davis Webb or a future draft pick.

Shurmur was hired by Steve Spagnuolo for his first coordinator job.

In 2009, Steve Spagnuolo hired Pat Shurmur to be his offensive coordinator when Spags was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Shurmur helped Sam Bradford win AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010. He seems to have a way of getting the best out of his quarterbacks.

Shurmur’s time and relationship with Spagnuolo could also mean that Shurmur will keep Spags on his staff as Giants defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo is just one year removed from leading one of the league’s best defenses.

Shurmur’s only true head coaching experience is with the Cleveland Browns.

Pat Shurmur was the head coach of the Browns from 2011-2012. Shurmur went just 9-23 and was fired after the 2012 season.

Fans should take Shurmur’s lack of head coaching success with a grain of salt because of the lack of talent and front office stability in Cleveland.

When it comes to stability, the New York Giants are pretty much the opposite of the Cleveland Browns so hopefully, Shurmur will realize his true head coaching potential with Big Blue.

Shurmur was also the interim head coach of the Eagles for one game in 2015 after Chip Kelly was fired. The Eagles won that game, defeating the Giants 35-30.

Shurmur continued to be a quarterback whisperer in Minnesota.

Pat Shurmur was named the interim offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016 after Norv Turner resigned midseason.

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Working with Sam Bradford again, Shurmur helped Bradford set the NFL record for completion percentage after he completed 71.6% of his passes for 3,877 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.

Shurmur got the full-time gig as offensive coordinator for the 2017 season and after Bradford went down with a knee injury, he turned Case Keenum from a game manager to one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

Keenum started 14 games for the Vikings, completing 67.6% of his passes for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions.

Shurmur and Keenum also pulled off the Minneapolis Miracle.

Keenum, a free agent at season’s end, could even follow Shurmur to the New York Giants.

Next: Revisiting the New York Giants 2012 NFL Draft

Now that you know a little more about Pat Shurmur, you can form a better opinion on the hire.

The New York Giants needed a change after Ben McAdoo and now they have one.

Odell Beckham Jr. is excited. Are you?

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