New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is a nice guy — a very nice guy. Unfortunately, that may be his downfall as a head coach, but for a fleeting moment on Sunday afternoon, he threw caution to the wind and let his emotions come out.
Following a 31-26 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8, a frustrated Shurmur uncorked an exceptionally unusual expletive — for him, anyway — when answering questions about rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, who fumbled the ball in the first quarter, giving Big Blue 19 turnovers on the season and matching their total from 2018.
“He fought hard,” Shurmur said. “It’s not his fault he got [expletive] hit and the ball popped out.”
Shurmur almost immediately reeled himself back in and apologized for the “unprofessional moment” before continuing with his postgame press conference. However, after the conference had ended, a seemingly embarrassed Shurmur continued to profusely apologize to the media.
If that’s not a sign of the times, I am not sure what is.
These Giants need an edge. Shurmur needs an edge. It may not be PC by today’s standards, but it would behoove both Shurmur and the team for him to drop the good-guy act and let those emotions come streaming out from time to time. After all, could it really hurt at this point?
Seeing their head coach get emotional may be the exact boost this team needs. They will emulate their leader and now more than ever, this team needs a hard-nosed Tom Coughlin type.
Take the criticism, Shurmur. Let your emotions and expletives fly. I guarantee you your team responds positively.
