Mike Shula could bring run-heavy offense to the New York Giants

The New York Giants hired Mike Shula as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Tuesday. Shula could bring a run-heavy offense to Big Blue.

After spending the last five seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, Mike Shula will take the same position with the New York Giants. Shula will also be the quarterbacks coach for Big Blue.

Shula had a successful tenure in Carolina with his best season coming in 2015 when the Panthers made a run all the way to the Super Bowl and Cam Newton won MVP.

What stood out from Shula’s offenses in Carolina was that they were run-heavy. Having a mobile quarterback like Newton certainly played a role in that, but Shula likes handing the ball to his running backs.

From 2013-2017 (Shula’s tenure), the Carolina Panthers never ranked lower than 11th in the league in rushing yards and ranked in the top five in 2015 and 2017.

As far as passing yards go, Carolina never ranked higher than 19th. In Carolina’s big 2015 season, they ranked just 24th.

Despite a below-average passing attack, the Panthers still led the league in scoring in 2015 with 31.3 points per game. In the rest of Shula’s four seasons as offensive coordinator, the Panthers averaged between 21 and 23 points per game and landed in the middle of the league rankings.

The New York Giants offense certainly needs a boost, as evidenced by NFL.com’s Kimberly Jones. Shula should be able to improve Big Blue’s 26th ranked rushing offense from 2017, even if head coach Pat Shurmur is calling the plays.

Shula always had two capable running backs while with Carolina. Whether it was DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, Stewart and Mike Tolbert, or Stewart and Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers always had two backs sharing the load.

This could mean the Giants will re-sign Orleans Darkwa to split carries with Wayne Gallman. It could also mean the Giants will target Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick in the draft. One way or another, New York will be adding a running back to join Gallman in the backfield.

Cam Newton also averaged 115 carries per season under Mike Shula. Eli Manning certainly can’t do that. Could the Giants target a quarterback who could?

More from New York Giants

The Buffalo Bills are expected to move on from Tyrod Taylor this offseason. It’s intriguing to think that Shula could turn Taylor into Newton, but it’s highly unlikely New York would target Tyrod if or when he hits the market.

As far as the NFL Draft goes, Baker Mayfield is mobile and could be the perfect successor to Manning. Lamar Jackson is another potential option. The most exciting part of Jackson’s game is his running ability and he could certainly use time behind Manning to bulk up and work on his passing.

The Giants certainly can’t draft both Barkley and Mayfield but it’s not out of the question for Jackson to fall to pick No. 34. Mike Shula would definitely enjoy pairing Barkley and Jackson in New York’s future backfield, which would be scary for opposing defensive coordinators.

It’s tough to predict how the New York Giants are going to approach the draft. They have a new general manager, head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator, so past draft strategies are out the window. They will also fill some of their current holes in free agency and create new ones by cutting players to create cap space.

Mike Shula may have no effect on the Giants draft strategy. However, he will have an effect on Big Blue’s offense. Having a weapon like Odell Beckham Jr. means the Giants will still throw the ball plenty, but Shula loves running the football. He may not be calling the plays but he’ll have a say in how the offense is designed.

Next: New York Giants 3-round mock draft 4.0

Getting back to having a smash mouth running game and shutdown defense is just what the New York Giants need. Especially as they experience an inevitable transition at the quarterback position in the near future.

Home/New York Giants