Giants coach Pat Shurmur responds to owner John Mara's comments
Coach Pat Shurmur watches last Thursday during the 34-13 loss to the Eagles that dropped the Giants to 1-5. Credit: JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutter
John Mara said he is “embarrassed” by the Giants’ 1-5 record.
“I don’t like it either,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur said Tuesday. “I’m disappointed that we’re 1-5 and we’re working to correct that. I’ve said this before: When we lose ballgames, I’m disappointed for our players, our coaches, our fans, and also our administration. And that includes John.”
But Shurmur did not use the word “embarrassed.” And neither would a number of players in the locker room who were asked about the comment from the team’s co-owner shortly after he made it Tuesday at a league meeting in Manhattan.
Frustrated? Yes. Disappointed? Absolutely.
“I get it,” Shurmur said. “I know the feeling. Those of us who have coached in this game long enough, we’ve won enough games to know how that feels. And we’ve lost games and gone through stretches where you’re trying to build something and you lose and you know how that feels. I’ve mentioned many times that there is an urgency in our gut to get it right, and we’re trying to do the things necessary to do that.”
Mara did say he has faith in Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman to make things right, and he expressed some level of confidence in quarterback Eli Manning. When a team is 1-5, there is plenty of blame to go around, and it certainly is.
“That’s for people outside the building,” Shurmur said of trying to pinpoint who is responsible for the 1-5 record. “None of us have played or coached well enough to be where we want to be. We own that. Outside the building, it’s always giving praise and assigning blame. That’s the noise that happens outside the building. We correct each play specifically, each situation specifically, each event in the game specifically, with the idea that if a mistake is made, you correct it and move on. The goal is to not have it happen again. That’s where it is.”
Notes & quotes: The Giants placed WR Cody Latimer (hamstring) and LB Ray-Ray Armstrong (concussion) on injured reserve and waived CB Donte Deayon. They signed free-agent WR Bennie Fowler and promoted LB Ukeme Eligwe and CB Grant Haley from the practice squad . . . LB Olivier Vernon, T Nate Solder and LB Connor Barwin did not participate in the light practice. The Giants begin their preparations in earnest on Thursday for Monday night's game against the Falcons . . .TEs Evan Engran and Rhett Ellison practiced after missing the game against the Eagles. “We’re hopeful they’ll be back and ready to roll on Monday,” Shurmur said.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
