Pat Shurmur is not nervous.
If you’re a skeptical Giants fan who’s ticked off about the team having been to the playoffs only once in the last six seasons and you’re waiting for Shurmur to blink, you might be waiting a while.
If you’re a Giants fan who’s skeptical about Shurmur based on his two years of head-coaching experience having produced a 9-23 record, never mind. That took place in Cleveland with the hapless Browns, so it doesn’t count.
Though Sunday’s season opener against the Jaguars at MetLife Stadium represents Shurmur’s debut as Giants head coach, his players already know exactly what to expect from their new leader, and there’s some confidence and comfort that comes from that.
“Calm, cool, relaxed,’’ safety Landon Collins told The Post Friday.
“Very, very even-keel and straight-forward,’’ linebacker B.J. Goodson said.
“He’s very decisive,’’ veteran long snapper Zak DeOssie said. “I feel like we’ve got the right guy, absolutely.’’
Shurmur has not won a game as Giants head coach yet. But he hasn’t lost one, either. What he has done is restore order to a Giants organization that had become as wayward as a swerving car barreling down the Jersey Turnpike. He’s straightened it out, returned it to the center lane.
Shurmur was hired in January to replace Ben McAdoo, who had driven the franchise into a guardrail, having allowed the inmates to run the asylum inside the locker room. He’s instantly added some adult leadership to what had become an NFL version of Romper Room.
Based on what we know of him now, Shurmur appears to possess the perfect personality for the frenzied and demanding New York market.
“He stays calm through everything,’’ Eli Manning told The Post after practice. “He tries to keep the game simple. It’s been fun to be around him and learn from him. His personality is probably somewhat similar to mine in that we don’t get too concerned with things you can’t control or too worried about controlling every possible thing.
“Control what you can control and have a positive outlook on everything. Work hard and prepare and go out there and do what you do.’’
This is what has Shurmur so calm on the eve of his Giants debut.
“I don’t get nervous,’’ Shurmur told The Post. “I look forward to the game. I want our players to perform well, because they’ve trained so hard, and I want our players and our fans and our organizations to experience victory. That’s where my thoughts are.’’
Asked if his even-keel manner is inherent or learned, Shurmur said, “We become who we are from what our experiences have told us, and over time I’ve realized that the players’ emotions run hot, so I think it’s important that I remain calm.
“I think it’s important when you’re sort of steering the ship that you remain calm. That’s just something that’s probably both who I am and what I’ve learned.’’
In a relatively short period of time — spanning offseason workouts, minicamps and training camp — the players have grown to trust Shurmur.
Tight end Rhett Ellison knows him better than any other Giants player because Shurmur was his position coach in Minnesota in 2016.
“Even-keel is the best way to describe him as a coach,’’ Ellison said. “He doesn’t let things get out of control.’’
Guess what was out of control under the watch of McAdoo last year? The better question is: What wasn’t out of control?
“Pat is Pat, and that’s why guys have responded so well to him, because he is who he is,’’ Ellison said. “Just because he’s a head coach, that doesn’t change who he is. With a lot of guys in any business sometimes the power goes to their your head. Pat is not that way at all.
“He treats you like an adult. He respects us as adults, and you can tell that the players respect him for it.’’
DeOssie said Shurmur “does a great job of connecting with the players, harping on what is important and nothing else,’’ adding, “I think there is something to be said about this particular style. That’s what you look for in a head coach.’’
Said linebacker Kareem Martin: “The good thing with coach Shurmur is there’s no panic. Football is a chaotic sport. There’s a lot going on and he stays even-keel and doesn’t panic. When you see the guy who’s leading your team have that type of mentality and that kind of composure, I think it trickles down throughout the team and settles everybody down.’’
That’s why Shurmur’s not nervous on the eve of his Big Blue debut. Nor are his players. If all works out to plan, eventually that sense of calm and confidence will trickle down to expectant Giants fans.
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