They are not the worst, but they are close. And coach Pat Shurmur gets reminded of this giant-sized Giants failing too often for his liking.
Of the 32 teams that make up the NFL, the Giants are 31st in red-zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns just 40 percent of the time when they advance inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Only the Jets are worse.
Asked how he solves the problem that more than anything is responsible for his team’s 1-7 record, Shurmur could not resist smirking when he said: “We got to put the ball in the end zone.’’
Clearly, he is tiring of this.
“I think this is the 100th time I’ve answered that question,” Shurmur said Friday. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious we got to get the ball in the end zone. There’s other things that people that crunch the numbers will tell you that we’re doing much better than a year ago, but it comes down to scoring and preventing scores.”
The bye-week respite gave Shurmur and his staff a break, and they used it to study what has gone wrong with the offensive system. He said there will be “some tactical things and usage of players may be a little bit different.”
Will this be noticeable to fans looking in from the outside?
“If we have good results, it will be noticeable,” Shurmur said.
Offensive coordinator Mike Shula said rookie QB Kyle Lauletta has “been great” in his response since his arrest for traffic violations, resisting arrest and eluding police.
“He messed up and he’s got to prove that he’s going to do the right things each and every day, going to work that way,” Shula said. “As we all know at that position, you’re held to a higher standard, and that’s what you sign on for. That’s what he’s got in his mind moving forward.”
Thomas McGaughey is the special teams coordinator, but he is not in charge of the roster. So, when Quadree Henderson was released to make room for guard Jamon Brown, it was not a move McGaughey wanted to see.
“I don’t make those decisions,’’ he said.
Henderson added some stability and yardage to the sagging return game. He was re-signed to the practice squad, but that does not help the Giants on Monday night in Santa Clara, Calif.
“Next guy up, whoever that guy is,” McGaughey said.
It likely is Jawill Davis, who practiced fully coming out of the concussion protocol. Odell Beckham Jr. has a team-high seven punt returns, but there is not a groundswell of support from Shurmur to make him the permanent returner. The coaching staff has a hard time convincing Beckham to call for a fair catch because he is always eager to make a play.
“I’ve been around this kid since he was 18 years old, I know him pretty well,” McGaughey said. “His natural instinct is to make a play. It’s always going to be one of those deals where you have to see the situation for what it is during the game and you’ve just got to manage it accordingly.”