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Giants Fire Shurmur, Shake Up Front Office, Hire New Head Coach
After three years, former University of South Florida head coach Charlie Strong is headed to the NFL.
“It was a tough decision,” Strong explained. “My family has been so well taken care of by the university and the community, we're part of the fabric there. Ultimately we decided it was time for a new challenge and the Giants made us feel very comfortable and made a very competitive offer."
Many folks associated with the Giants felt that Pat Shurmur was a poor fit. With a record of 15-32 it's not hard to see why. Also an unnamed source recently leaked to TMZ that several members of the Giants front office as well as a number of players described Shurmur as “too gutless” and that he “made me feel very uncomfortable.” One player reportedly went as far as to threaten retirement.
Strong is known as a straight shooter who often provides candid insights into his processes. He has not been afraid to voice his opinions on players, opponents, officials and the media in the past. In New York that formula could be perfect or highly volatile. That much remains to be seen.
In the past Strong has used an Air Coryell style passing attack and a zone running game. He has primarily used a 4-3 based defense. Strong has stated he will compromise with whatever works for the Giants without "forcing a square peg into a round hole" immediately. Most college teams are typically in a nickel set of some sort more often than their base defense.
The Giants also announced that Amy Trask officially joins the New York Giants as President of Football Operations. Trask reports directly to Co-Owners Steve Tisch and John Mara. Executive Vice President and General Manager Dave Gettleman is retained and while he still reports to Tisch and Mara, he will also reports to Trask.
Trask, a former CEO of the Oakland Raiders, decided to return to football after the Giants had an abysmal 5-11 season. “I've seen this team continue to collapse season after season and I said to myself, ‘I'm going to fix this,’” said Trask Thursday. The She told Peter Schrager of NFL Insider “I’m always going to be aggressive with drafting and free agency, but I’m always going to be looking out for the fans here because I know what they want. They want this franchise to have another Super Bowl to add to the trophy case. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that happens.” All Giants fans hope this new era brings the success they have been craving for a long time.
While Giants fans are aware of Trask's long-standing nickname “The Princess of Darkness,” there's no doubt that the new boss will bring with her the Raiders edge.
Dave Gettleman echoed Trask's sentiments.
“The goal is to get the Giants back to respectability. While many think this is a demotion for me, it's refreshing to have another voice in the room to make key decisions with the staff and roster. I welcome Mrs. Trask to the Giants with high respect for her profession.”
Despite the very late start Strong said he was pleased the the main components of the roster and does not envision himself making wholesale changes, although he expects there will be some new faces coming in during camp.
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