The favorite all along just left his nearest competition in the dust or, more specifically, in Arlington, Texas. There is now a clear front-runner for the Giants’ head coaching job, even though he hasn’t yet interviewed for the position.
If Matt Rhule is not signed by the middle of this week, something has gone very wrong in the Giants’ replacement plan.
Mike McCarthy getting hired Monday morning by the Cowboys did not blindside the Giants. If they were hot for him they would have made him an offer last Friday after sitting down with the former Packers coach for a formal interview. McCarthy’s resume and credentials are formidable and the Giants knew they needed to take his candidacy seriously. They also knew if they allowed him to leave the room without an offer he could get scooped up by another team, and they were willing to accept that scenario – even if it meant McCarthy would land with the rival Cowboys.
This does not mean McCarthy did not ace his interview or the Giants were not impressed with him. He did not win the day to the extent that John Mara, Steve Tisch and general manager Dave Gettleman decided on the spot they had to hire him without hearing from the other candidates on the list.
Rhule, 44, is meeting Monday with the Panthers. He interviews Tuesday with the Giants and, unless he walks in wearing a “John Mara Must Go” t-shirt or a “I hated Forrest Gump” hat (Steve Tisch produced and won an Oscar for that blockbuster), the talks should lead to negotiations to make him the 19th head coach in franchise history and the successor to Pat Shurmur, fired two years into a five-year contract.
There are some issues to overcome with Rhule, though. He has a pricey buyout from Baylor – presumed to be over $15 million – and the Giants need to be assured he can assemble a quality staff intermixed with college and professional assistants. Rhule turned around programs at Temple and Baylor but has only one year of NFL experience, as an assistant offensive line coach with the Giants in 2012. The Giants are sure to insist he brings in at least a few proven NFL coaches, especially at the coordinator positions. The Giants learned the hard way the coaching staff Shurmur put together was not high-quality across the board.
McCarthy, 56, went 125-77-2 in 13 seasons with the Packers, winning one Super Bowl and qualifying for the playoffs eight consecutive years. The Giants respect that resume but all along were more intrigued with Rhule, which is likely to irk some fans who wanted the proven commodity rather than the unknown.
Rhule is 47-42 as a head coach in his two college stops. He takes programs at the bottom and quickly makes them competitive and then robust. He is not a hot coordinator especially skilled at offense or defense. More so, he is a CEO-type, born and raised in New York City and has the personality and enthusiasm the Giants are seeking after two years of Shurmur.
The offensive linemen Rhule worked with in 2012 – Chris Snee, David Diehl and Kevin Boothe – have high regard for him even though Rhule never coached that position before coming to the Giants, hired by Tom Coughlin.
The Giants on Monday will interview their fifth candidate, Joe Judge, the Patriots special teams coordinator. Judge, 37, is an up-and-comer and has worked with Bill Belichick with the Patriots and Nick Saban at Alabama. He is reportedly a favorite to become the next head coach at Mississippi State.
On Tuesday, the Giants talk to Rhule, candidate No. 6 to be interviewed and clearly their top choice all along. There is an interview scheduled Wednesday with Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. That meeting may or may not even come off, depending on how quickly the Giants move on Rhule.
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