EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Co-owner Steve Tisch is looking to take a greater role in the daily operations of the New York Giants as the organization begins a third coaching search in four years and faces criticism for retaining the general manager who hired the last coach.
The Giants fired Coach Pat Shurmur on Monday and elected to keep General Manager Dave Gettleman, despite the two combining for nine victories over the past two seasons.
Co-owner John Mara said it was a gut instinct to fire Shurmur after the Giants (4-12) lost their regular-season finale to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Mara added the decision to keep the 68-year-old Gettleman was based on giving him the chance to finish a major overhaul of the roster and the scouting system, and to increase the use of analytics.
Gettleman has been criticized for some questionable trades (Odell Beckham Jr. and Leonard Williams) and his hit-and-miss free agent signings, led by tackle Nate Solder, who has been inconsistent.
"He does know his batting average has to increase going forward," Mara said in putting Gettleman on the spot for next season.
Mara, Tisch and Gettleman met with Shurmur on Monday morning and informed him he was being let go with three years left on his contact. Mara added there is no denying the team made the wrong choices in hiring Ben McAdoo in 2016 and Shurmur in 2018.
"I think there are some very attractive candidates out there who will have interest in this job, and I think we will get it right this time," Mara said of the next coach.
Tisch, who has been somewhat of the silent co-owner working on the West Coast, plans to be more active after too many frustrating seasons.
"I am involved, and I would like to be more involved. I will become more involved moving forward in 2020," said Tisch, adding he and Mara have a good working relationship and always reach an agreement after sharing their different opinions.
Both felt it was in the best interest to fire Shurmur and keep Gettleman. They also shared the responsibility for the team having 12 victories over the past three seasons. The four-time Super Bowl champions have missed the playoffs seven times in eight years.
Mara and Tisch believe Gettleman has assembled a good nucleus of young players led by running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones.
"We believe it would be a mistake to pull the plug on that after two years, particularly when you consider Dave spent a major part of the first year fighting for his life," Mara said, referring to Gettelman's battle with cancer.
Shurmur had refused to speculate about his future after Sunday's game. He felt the franchise was in better shape than when he took over in January 2018. He noted the organization now has salary cap room for free agency and draft picks, including the No. 4 overall selection in 2020.
The Giants' victories this past season were not impressive. They beat Washington (3-13) twice, Miami (5-11) and Tampa Bay (7-9).
"It's been a very frustrating four years, certainly the record indicates that, those numbers don't lie," Tisch said. "Going forward, John and I want to make sure that those numbers change in the next season dramatically."
Shurmur came to the Giants after a successful stint as the offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings, where he turned Case Keenum from an average player into a star for a year. It was hoped he would revive Eli Manning's fortunes but it never happened. The two-time Super Bowl MVP was reduced to a backup role when Jones, the No. 6 pick overall in the 2019 draft, was made the starter in Week 3 this season.
Jones was disappointed by the firing.
"Coach believed in all of us, and it's disappointing," Jones said. "I'm grateful to him for the opportunity."
Manning, in the final year of his contract, also felt for Shurmur. He said the two had a great relationship and described the 54-year-old coach as a wonderful man.
Manning said he will decide his future down the road and is considering all his options, including retirement. He said it was doubtful he would return to the Giants in a backup role.
Sports on 12/31/2019