Giants Hire Mike Shula As Offensive Coordinator

The Giants have hired Mike Shula as offensive coordinator, according to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (on Twitter). An official announcement is expected later today. Mike Shula (vertical)

Shula spent seven seasons with the Panthers before he was fired in January. His longstanding relationship with former Panthers GM and current Giants GM Dave Gettleman helped him land a new OC gig in New York.

Last year, Carolina placed 19th in total offense (323.7), 17th in offensive DVOA, fourth in rushing offense (131.4), 28th in passing (192.3), and 12th in points (22.7). Ultimately, it wasn’t good enough as the Panthers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Giants believe that Shula can deliver better results for them in 2018.

Along with his role as offensive coordinator, Shula is expected to assume the role as the Giants’ quarterbacks coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Shula, 52, the son of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, previously worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Jaguars and four seasons as the head coach at Alabama before landing his job with the Panthers. He’s also previously worked as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers (1996-1999).

The Giants ranked 21st in the NFL in total yards per game (314.2) under last season’s offensive coordinator, Mike Sullivan, who was given the chance to pursue other opportunities after the hiring of Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur and is now serving as the Broncos quarterbacks coach.

Three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham. was limited to just four games last season and Eli Manning was benched for a contest in favor of Geno Smith. Mike Shula will also be tasked with helping the Giants jumpstart their ground game as they ranked 26th in the league at 96.9 yards rushing per game.

Shurmur now has the offensive and defensive coordinators for his new staff, with the Giants agreeing to terms with former Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher in late January. The team was also looking to potentially hire Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski as offensive coordinator but were denied a request to interview him.

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