PAT LEONARD JAN 10, 2018 11:58 AMA rocket scientist has blasted his way into the lead to be the Giants' next head coach.
The Daily News has learned that all signs are pointing to Matt Patricia, the New England Patriots defensive coordinator with a degree in aeronautical engineering, as the man the Giants will hire to point Big Blue back in the right direction.
The Giants' glory days saw Bill Parcells, a coach with defense as his backbone, patrolling the sidelines at the Meadowlands, with Bill Belichick as defensive coordinator, winning the franchise's first two Super Bowls in 1986 and 1990, setting the standard in North Jersey.
But since Parcells, the Giants have hired five head coaches all with offense as their calling card: Ray Handley, Dan Reeves, Jim Fassel, Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo.
Coughlin won the Super Bowl twice in 2007 and 2011, but even in '07 succeeded and ruined New England's perfect season thanks largely to Steve Spagnuolo's rabid pass rush led by Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck.
Great defense defines the Giants at their peak.
And while improving the offense and developing a young quarterback to succeed Eli Manning are priorities in this coaching search, Patricia feels like too good of a fit and could bring an offensive coordinator to address those needs, perhaps Alabama's Brian Daboll, 42, who overlapped with Patricia for seven seasons in New England.
Patricia, 43, as the Daily News has written a few times the last couple days, is not a done deal to the Detroit Lions as several reports had claimed coming out of his interviews last weekend with the Giants, Lions and Cardinals (oh my). In fact, there are indications he prefers the Giants to the Lions.
Maybe the Giants would need to get used to his unkempt sideline appearance — backwards hat, pencil behind the ear, with a bushy beard. But what matters is what's between Patricia's ears.
The NFL's tampering policy dictates that the Giants and Patricia technically would not be permitted even to make an "agreement to execute a contract," let alone sign one, "until after the conclusion of the employer club's playing season" — or until after the Patriots' postseason ends.
But teams find a way of locking up their guy. In 2014, it was an open secret that Seattle Seahawks D-coordinator Dan Quinn was leaving to become the Atlanta Falcons head coach going into the Super Bowl. And last year, the same went for Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and his future head job with the San Francisco 49ers.
This year, if the Patriots return to the Super Bowl, the Giants actually would be permitted a second interview with Patricia if the Patriots again granted permission, to be conducted no later than Jan. 28 or a week before the game.
Josh McDaniels, 41, the Pats' offensive coordinator, is down to being a candidate for the Colts and the Giants, or staying in New England. But Indianapolis is considered the more likely landing place if McDaniels does leave, after the Colts' reported first choice, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, took the Bears job.
Vikings OC Pat Shurmur, 52, emerged from his Saturday Giants interview as a stronger candidate than many believed when this process began. And like McDaniels he has the NFL head coaching experience that John Mara is looking for.
But is Shurmur's 9-23 record in two seasons as Cleveland Browns head coach (2011-12) and one impressive year of winning with journeyman QB Case Keenum in Minnesota enough to land the coveted Giants' head coaching job? That's hard to see, and that hire might not make a ripple in the Big Apple, frankly.
Patricia, however, might have found a kindred spirit in new Giants GM Dave Gettleman and a perfect fit in the organization's preferred identity. And that's despite famously wearing that Barstool Sports T-shirt of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with a clown nose after the Patriots' latest Super Bowl win. Mara no doubt would be able to laugh that off with Patricia in the name of a good start with the Giants.
Gettleman, 66, is old-school, in the good way that he wants the Giants to be the Giants again.
He stepped to the podium on Dec. 29 after being hired and began talking about running the football, stopping the run and getting to the quarterback. He said he believes "big men allow you to compete," an old Coughlin line. He said fixing the offensive line and improving the culture were priorities.
Gettleman did not hire Ron Rivera as Panthers head coach, but in his four years as Carolina's GM (2013-16) won with the defensive-minded Rivera at the helm, including a 15-1 season and a Super Bowl trip in 2015, losing only to Von Miller and Denver's ferocious D.
Patricia's background and priorities suggest he and Gettleman and the Giants would be a great team.
ESPN reported Sunday that Patricia "likely" will become the Lions' next head coach once the New England Patriots' season is finished.
This has been the widely held belief in NFL circles for some time, though reports last week suggesting that Patricia would favor the vacant New York Giants' job clouded matters.
Still, all signs continue to point to the Lions hiring Patricia, and this is the strongest indication yet that it will indeed happen.
The Lions haven't interviewed anyone since Jan. 5, when they flew to New England to sit down with Patricia. They haven't made any moves on their No. 2 choice, Mike Vrabel, even though he's eligible to be hired at any moment. They haven't even brought any of their other candidates in for a second interview.
