The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Shurmur makes his case
The New York Giants interviewed Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur on Saturday for their vacant head coaching job.
Shurmur met with coowner John Mara, general manager Dave Gettleman, and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams in Bloomington, Minn.
The Vikings (13-3) have a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The 52-year-old Shurmur, who had a two-year stint as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach, was the fourth person the Giants have spoken in their search to find a replacement for Ben McAdoo, who was fired on Dec. 4 after less than two years on the job.
Giants interim Steve Spagnuolo was interviewed Wednesday and New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were interviewed Friday in Foxborough, Mass.
Shurmur has been a part of teams that have qualified for the playoffs nine times and won seven division titles. He was Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach when the Eagles played in the Super Bowl against New England in the 2004 season.
Shurmur is finishing his second year with the Vikings. He began last season as the tight ends coach and for the final nine games was also the offensive coordinator, the title he retained this season.
The Vikings finished 10th in the NFL in scoring (23.9 points), 11th in total yardage (356.9), and seventh in rushing yardage (122.3) this season. He also helped quarterback Case Keenum have a career year.
Shurmur posted a 9-23 record in his two seasons (11-12) with the Browns, going there after a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator with the Rams. He spent three seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator after being fired.
Shurmur’s NFL coaching career began with a 10-year run (1999-2008) in Philadelphia. He coached in college at Stanford and Michigan State.