On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers parted ways with long-time head coach Ron Rivera, ending a tenure that began in 2011 and resulted in a 76-63-1 record along with one Super Bowl appearance.
Sure, Rivera had his shortcomings, but for the most part, he did a fine job with the Panthers, and now, he is a free agent and will surely draw interest from teams looking for a new coach.
The New York Giants could be one of those clubs.
The Giants hired Pat Shurmur as their head coach heading into 2018, but in nearly two full seasons with the squad, he has been nothing short of a disaster, as he has gone 7-21. To be fair, he hasn't had a ton to work with, but he also made his fair share of strange decisions that have left many scratching their heads.
At this point, firing Shurmur seems like the best option for Big Blue going forward, and that could mean a reunion between Rivera and Giants general manager Dave Gettleman.
Remember: Gettleman was general manager of the Panthers from 2013 through 2017, and while he did not hire Rivera, he and Rivera seemed to build a good relationship and worked well together during Gettleman's five-year stint there.
The last couple of coaches the Giants have hired have been guys with limited experience. First, there was Ben McAdoo, who had a strong debut season in 2016 before completely losing control of the locker room the following year, leading to his dismissal.
McAdoo had never been a head coach prior to his short stint as the main man in New York, as he entered the NFL as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints in 2004 and eventually became the Giants' offensive coordinator in 2014.
Then, New York hired Shurmur, who spent two years as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2011 and 2012 and went 9-23. He also coached the Philadelphia Eagles for one game in 2015 on an interim basis.
It's about time the Giants hire someone with hefty experience again, much like they did with Tom Coughlin back in 2004 (and that resulted in a pair of Super Bowl championships). While there is still plenty of time between now and the offseason, Rivera currently seems like the best available choice.
Rivera isn't Bill Belichick, but he does seem to get a lot out of his players. He helped turn Cam Newton into a terrific NFL quarterback (in his prime), and Carolina was generally always at least a playoff contender during his time with the club.
The Giants are starving for success. They have made the playoffs just once since last winning the Super Bowl in 2011-12. They won three games in 2017. They went 6-10 last year. They are currently 2-10 in 2019.
This team has been bad for a long time, and much of that has to do with the fact that it has not found the right man to lead the roster.
Obviously, New York needs to do a better job of assembling talent, but recently, it has put together some nice young pieces like Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard. It just needs a head coach that fits.
Why not Rivera?
Follow Us
Subscribe