BIG BLUE HAS GM, NOW WHO WILL BE NEXT COACH?
Now that the Giants have hired Dave Gettleman as their next GM to succeed Jerry Reese, they need to interview and hire a head coach to succeed Ben McAdoo. Here is a list of the most likely candidates given Gettleman’s hiring:
Josh McDaniels, OC, Patriots
McDaniels, 41, is arguably the most attractive candidate if he wants to leave New England. The Patriots have a first-round bye in the playoffs, which means the Giants can request to interview McDaniels next week during the bye. McDaniels, who was fired in the second season of his only head coaching stint with the Denver Broncos (1117 record, 2009-10), hails from Canton, Ohio, and has been a part of all five New England Super Bowls. He is in his 14th season with the Pats and has been Tom Brady’s quarterback coach and longtime offensive coordinator.
Patricia, 43, is not mentioned as frequently as McDaniels but is just as hot a name on the coaching circuit. The Giants similarly could interview Patricia next week if granted permission. The Sherrill, N.Y., product is in his sixth year as D-coordinator and has been part of four of the current Patriots dynasty’s five Super Bowls. Since moving to defense in 2006, the Patriots had finished top-10 in fewest points allowed in 10 of 11 seasons entering 2017, including a No. 1 overall ranking in 2016 before a dramatic Super Bowl LI win over Atlanta. Patricia also interestingly worked as an aeronautical engineer for two years in the late 90s.
Bill O’Brien, HC, Texans
O’Brien, 48, is another Patriots connection. He has a job at the moment, but there is well-known friction between O’Brien and Texans GM Rick Smith, and if O’Brien is fired at the end of his fourth season as head coach, the former Patriots offensive coordinator no doubt would become a popular candidate for all openings across the NFL. O’Brien only has a 31-32 record in Houston with a 1-2 playoff record, and yet Deshaun Watson’s dominance early this season under O’Brien’s tutelage demonstrated maybe what O’Brien could do for the Giants’ next QB, whether it’s Davis Webb or the No. 2 draft pick this April.
Steve Wilks, DC, Panthers
Wilks, 48, is the most direct connection to Gettleman. The Panthers’ defensive coordinator this season replacing Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills) is a former assistant head coach with the Chargers (2011) and Carolina (2015-16) during its 2015 run to the Super Bowl. Wilks has extensive NFL experience coaching secondaries and defensive backs dating to 2006 with the Chicago Bears, and the Giants’ secondary is in turmoil. Gettleman could feel comfortable with himself and Wilks as a team that has a proven track record of success, given especially that Wilks helped Ron Rivera with day-to-day operations in both 2015 and 2016 as assistant head coach.
Pat Shurmur, OC, Vikings
Shurmur, 52, has head coaching experience and the Vikings’ offense has thrived in 2017 with Shurmur and quarterback Case Keenum at the helm. Minnesota will have a first-round bye if it beats Chicago in Week 17 so he could be interviewed next week, as well. Shurmur only has a 10-23 record as a head coach, a victim of the Cleveland Browns graveyard (9-23 from 201112) with one win as a Philadelphia Eagles interim head coach in 2015 (That win after Chip Kelly’s firing, in fact, was a 35-30 victory over the Giants). But the 19-year NFL veteran is respected and long has coached quarterbacks, including as Donovan McNabb’s QB coach in Super Bowl XXXIX. Shurmur, originally of Dearborn Heights, Mich., also has directed one of the NFL’s most pleasant surprise teams in 2017 despite losing stud RB Dalvin Cook early to a season-ending injury and working with Keenum, previously considered the No. 3 QB.
Frank Reich, OC, Eagles
Reich, 56, a 13-year veteran as a player at quarterback (1985-98), boasts 25 seasons of NFL experience as both a player and coach (2006-16), including as coordinator of the blossoming Eagles offense led by MVP candidate Carson Wentz. Reich also worked with Philip Rivers as both the Chargers’ coordinator and QB coach and with Larry Fitzgerald as the Cardinals’ wide receivers coach prior. Reich, a Freeport, N.Y. product, engineered the greatest comeback in NFL history in his first postseason start in the 1992 Wild Card round, bringing the Bills back from a 32-point deficit early in the third quarter for a 41-38 win. Maybe he could bring the Giants back from the dead.