There will be no banging on the door of John Mara imploring him not to fire Pat Shurmur over these last days of another godforsaken season.
But don’t underestimate the support Shurmur still has in his locker room.
The Post asked Sterling Shepard what his message to ownership about Shurmur would be.
“Keep him,” Shepard said. “Everybody’s adjusted to this offense. He’s a great players’ coach. It’s a tough position he’s in, it is. But we’re gonna win games, we’re in the right direction.”
Daniel Jones seconded that emotion.
“Coach has been great for me since I’ve gotten here, and he’s supported me,” the rookie quarterback said. “I think he’s been critical in my growth and development, and I fully support him and believe in him.
“I think he’s an excellent head football coach.”
So you would say keep him?
“Yeah, certainly,” Jones told The Post.
Shurmur, remember, turned to Jones to replace Eli Manning after Week 2.
“I think he’s a great coach, particularly for a young quarterback, the opportunity to work with him, as he’s kind of installed his offense and how he sees it, and how he’s coached me has been very important for my development as well as Coach [Mike] Shula, so very grateful to have the opportunity to work with him,” Jones said.
Saquon Barkley reiterated his belief the Giants would begin winning, and soon, and his belief in Shurmur and the coaches.
“It’s easy to point the blame at one person,” Barkley said, “and that’s what we kinda do. I know this business is a result business, but at the end of the day, it’s not only on one person why we haven’t been successful these last two years. I’m not one to just give up on somebody.”
Asked if this team is closer to being a playoff team than it was a year ago, Barkley said: “Yeah, I would say so. Every week we’re growing. We’re a young team. That’s an excuse that I don’t want to use, but it’s just what it is I guess you can say.”
Shurmur added the word “yet” while again emphasizing his young team had not started winning. He was asked whether he expected to be coaching his young team next season.
“That’s probably a question for later on, we’ll see. My focus quite frankly is we got a short horizon. My focus is on Sunday,” Shurmur said.
Antoine Bethea likes that Shurmur listens to the players.
“I don’t think anybody in this locker room will have anything negative to say about coach,” Bethea said.
Said Russell Shepard: “He’s very easy to talk to. If we have concerns with practice, the schedule, the things that he creates as a coach, we can talk to him. Some things he gives in, some things he doesn’t. I think everybody in here respects his offensive mind. He’s a helluva offensive coordinator, helluva offensive play-caller. He has a track record showing that.”
Alas, 9-22 does not make him a helluva head coach.
“The guys in this locker room love their coach. We love our coach,” Shepard said. “The guys in the locker room aren’t quitting because we like our coach. Everybody here’s still fighting hard for him.”