LET'S TALK
Spags makes case for full-time job
No introductions were necessary Wednesday when Steve Spagnuolo interviewed for the Giants head-coaching job, a position he held on an interim basis for the final four games this season.
Spagnuolo met with general manager Dave Gettleman, co-owner John Mara and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams in the first of what will be a slew of candidates to meet with and try to impress the Giants’ brass. Co-owner Steve Tisch will meet with the candidates later in the process.
The Giants have put together a full schedule. On Thursday, they will interview Eric Studesville, the Broncos running backs coach and assistant head coach who was fired following this season. Studesville was the Giants running backs coach for Jim Fassel from 2001-03.
On Friday, the Giants’ contingent heads to Foxborough, Mass., to interview two Patriots coordinators, Josh McDaniels (offense) and Matt Patricia (defense). That should make for an exhausting and interesting day, as both Bill Belichick assistants figure to be in high demand throughout the league. In addition to the Giants, the Bears and Colts set up interviews with McDaniels and the Lions and Cardinals want to meet with Patricia.
Saturday, it is a meeting with Pat Shurmur, the Vikings offensive coordinator. The Giants sent a request into the Eagles to speak with their defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, and will meet with him over the weekend in Phila- delphia. An interview with Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks will take place early next week.
Spagnuolo, 58, has previous head-coaching experience, going 10-38 with the Rams and 1-3 as the Giants’ interim head coach.
His ties to the Giants are strong, as he was the defensive coordinator in 2007, when his unit surged to the finish and shocked the world by hammering Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII, setting the stage for a dramatic upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots. Spagnuolo returned to serve as defensive coordinator for Tom Coughlin in 2015 and was retained by Ben McAdoo. The Giants’ defense this season was a dismal failure, failing to live up to expectations and rife with controversy, as three cornerbacks — Dominique Rodgers-Cro- martie, Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple — served suspensions for conduct detrimental to the team.
There is no doubt Spagnuolo is an extreme long shot to get the job but he is widely respected inside the Giants hierarchy. He also has ties to two candidates on the Giants’ list. Shurmur was Spagnuolo’s offensive coordinator for two years (2009-10) in St. Louis with the Rams and when Shur- mur left to become head coach of the Browns, McDaniels took over in 2011 as Spagnuolo’s offensive coordinator.
That Abrams was included in the interviews along with Mara and Gettleman suggests an expanded role. Abrams is the Giants’ salary-cap expert and contract negotiator and he was a candidate for the general manager position that went to Gettleman.