G in G-men now stands for gritty.
Afew minutes after the Giants had completed a 27-22 victory over the Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium, head coach Pat Shurmur huddled his team together to emphasize how his players had overcome the adversity of an 0-2 start to capture a win on the road against a team as desperate as they were.
“The one thing I’ve always known is you guys are tough and I’ve always known you’re gritty, and now we made enough plays to beat a pretty good football team,” Shurmur told his troops. “This feeling that we have has to be like that weird drug you can’t get enough of. Some day when you can’t play this game anymore, this is what you’re going to miss.” He was talking about the feeling of victory. It’s something rookie offensive guard Will Hernandez hadn’t felt since his junior year in college before going winless at UTEP his senior year. It’s something Odell Beckham Jr. hadn’t experienced since 2016 after being injured early in 2017. For this Giants team, it’s the first time the players could celebrate together, a reward for a week of hard work and preparation. In the midst of the jubilation, Shurmur tried to drive home a theme that is sure to be repeated not just this week, as they prepare for Drew Brees and the Saints at MetLife Stadium, but repeatedly throughout his tenure as head coach. Analytics and the latest offensive and defensive schemes are all well and good, but football is played as much with the heart as the head, something the Giants displayed in beating the Texans. Ask Shurmur what impressed him most about his team and the answer is the “toughness and grit” his players displayed. Those two words could determine whether the Giants are consistent winners this year. “You can be smart, you can be well dressed, you can be well spoken, but at the end of the day and it’s absolutely demanded in our sport is your ability to be tough and gritty,” Shurmur said Monday during a conference call. “Those are the attributes in people, and especially football players, that’s an absolute necessity.” To drive home the point, the first game ball on Sunday was awarded to general manager Dave Gettleman, the man responsible for putting the team together. He didn’t make the road trip as he continues to undergo treatment for lymphoma. No one has shown more toughness and grit than Gettleman has these last few months.
“He’s been doing his job fighting for his life,” Shurmur said after the game. “He’s feisty as hell.”
Here’s how the Giants were tough and gritty on Sunday. Running back Saquon Barkley shook off a hard hit on his knee early in the game and came back to show why he was a worthy No. 2 pick in the draft. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard redeemed himself after being called for a taunting penalty early the game to score the game-winning touchdown. Linebacker Alec Ogletree, who had struggled in pass coverage, made a game-saving interception. Defensive end Kerry Wynn filled the stat sheet with five tackles, one special teams tackle, two assists, one forced fumble, one pass breakup, one quarterback hit and one quarterback pressure.
Tough and gritty is tight end Rhett Ellison stepping up after Even Engram went down with a knee injury. And right tackle Chad Wheeler doing all he could to control one of the best pass rushers in football, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. It’s third-round pick defensive lineman B.J. Hill getting his first career sack one play before Ogletree made his interception. That’s being tough and gritty.
“At the end of the day, football is exactly that,” said Wynn, who should be a strong candidate for NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. “Football is a tough sport. It’s a gritty game. Often times, the grittier, tougher, the more hungry team comes out on top at the end. It’s going to take that every Sunday to stack these wins.”