Giants Head Coaching Candidates

With Dave Gettleman now set as the Giants new General Manager, the search for Big Blue's next head coach begins in earnest. There are a number of potential candidates, and the Giants look poised to fill the position as soon as they can.

Jim Schwartz - Defensive Coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles. Schwartz is the favorite for the job ... at least right now. He has done a great job rebuilding his resume in recent years as the D-Coordinator for both the Bills and Eagles. This season, the Eagles are ranked second in yards and points allowed. Schwartz has the head coaching experience that the Giants are looking for having coached the Lions for five seasons. While he is 29-51 all time as a head coach, the Lions were a better watch then they had been in the past, the team even made the playoffs in Schwartz's third season.

Steve Wilks - Defensive Coordinator, Carolina Panthers. Wilks has been with the Panthers since 2012 and is very familiar with Gettleman. In fact, the Giants GM is quiet high on Wilks. In addition to being Carolina's defensive coordinator, he is their assistant head coach. Expect him to get an interview and strong consideration, even though the Giants prefer a head coach with experience.

Josh McDaniels - Offensive Coordinator, New England Patriots. If the Giants hire McDaniels, then these are truly dark days for Giants football. Yes, McDaniels comes with great credentials in New England, and yes, he's won Super Bowls, but keep in mind his quarterback is Tom Brady. When McDaniels was a head coach in Denver, he rubbed everyone the wrong way and nearly destroyed that franchise. McDaniels is known for a rough personality that will not rub well in  New York. Giants should stay away.

Bill O'Brien - Head Coach, Houston Texans. It remains unclear what O'Brien's future will be in Houston. Early Sunday morning, the word was that the Texans would keep O'Brien, while either firing or demoting General Manager Rick Smith. We shall see.  O'Brien has a record of 31-32 in four seasons in Houston. His teams have never lived up to lofty expectations, going no better than 9-7 every year. He is also responsible for the Brock Osweiler mess that blew up in the Texans faces last season. O'Brien also did little to shut down a near mutiny in his clubhouse when the Texans players took some comments from owner Bob McNair about "lunatics running the asylum" way too literally. It's unbelievable this guy wasn't fired mid-season. Not an ideal candidate if he hits the market.

Pat Schurmur - Offensive Coordinator, Minnesota Vikings. Can't get much duller than Pat Schurmur. The low-key coach has been a big part of the Vikings renaissance this season with Case Keenum leading the Vikes to the playoffs at 13-3. Schurmur has experience as a head coach, albiet with the Browns, where he was 9-23 in two seasons. Then again, considering the Browns are about to go 1-31 with Hue Jackson in two years at the helm, 9-23 doesn't sound so bad. Schurmur was also an interim head coach for the Eagles in 2015, where he won one game ... against the Giants.