By Dan Duggan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Of the three finalists for the Giants' head coaching job, Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has generated considerably less buzz than Patriots coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia. Shurmur, 52, is a decade older than the Patriots assistants, who have a fistful of Super Bowl rings from their time under Bill Belichick in New England.

But Shurmur shouldn't be dismissed as a candidate. He has the most experience of the finalists, which has been an emphasis of co-owner John Mara during the search. And Shurmur's track record of grooming quarterbacks could set him apart as the Giants prepare to potentially draft Eli Manning's successor with the second pick in the draft.

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A true QB guru

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Bruce Kluckhohn | AP Photo

Unlike former Giants coach Ben McAdoo, who built his reputation as a quarterback guru working with future Hall of Famers Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning, or McDaniels, who has spent the majority of his career with the incomparable Tom Brady, Shurmur has a more impressive and extensive history of getting the best out of marginal quarterbacks. That's an important quality with the Giants in position to build around a young quarterback.

Here's a look at Shurmur's track record with quarterbacks:

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Donovan McNabb

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Chris Faytok | The Star-Ledger

McNabb was entering his fourth season with the Eagles in 2002 when Shurmur transitioned from tight ends/offensive line coach to quarterbacks coach. McNabb already was on his way to stardom, earning Pro Bowl selections in the two seasons prior to Shurmur becoming his QB coach. But Shurmur helped McNabb reach new heights.

McNabb had a career-best season in 2004, completing 64 percent of his passes for 3,875 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions to lead the Eagles to an NFC championship. He became the first quarterback to throw for more than 30 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions.

McNabb earned three Pro Bowl selections in his seven seasons working with Shurmur. McNabb set a career-high with 3,916 yards passing in his final season with Shurmur in 2008.

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Sam Bradford

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Andy Mills | The Star-Ledger

Shurmur left the Eagles to become the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2009. A rough first season with quarterbacks Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller and Keith Null resulted in a 1-15 record and the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft.

The Rams took Bradford with that pick and the Oklahoma quarterback had instant success under Shurmur. Bradford won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after completing 60 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while leading the Rams to a 7-9 record.

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Colt McCoy

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AP File Photo

Shurmur's success with the Rams paved the way for him to get the Browns' head coaching job in 2011. Shurmur inherited the worst quarterback situation of his career in Cleveland, but he still managed to get the most out of McCoy.

A third-round pick in 2010, McCoy won the starting job during the lockout-shortened offseason in Shurmur's first season. McCoy completed 57.2 percent of his passes for 2,733 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Browns went 4-9 in McCoy's 13 starts, losing the final three games after he suffered a season-ending concussion.

McCoy was replaced in 2012 by first-round pick Brandon Weeden, who completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 3,385 yards, 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 15 starts for the 5-11 Browns. Shurmur was fired after a combined 9-23 record in two seasons.

While the numbers posted by McCoy and Weeden weren't particularly impressive, neither quarterback ever became a full-time starter again, which demonstrates how little Shurmur had to work with in Cleveland.

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3 finalists emerge

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Nick Foles

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Michael Perez | AP Photo

After getting fired by the Browns, Shurmur returned to the Eagles as the offensive coordinator for Chip Kelly in 2013. The Eagles' up-tempo offense was a hit immediately, with second-year quarterback Nick Foles thriving at the commands.

A 2012 third-round pick, Foles took over for Michael Vick as the starter in Week 6. Foles went 8-2 in 10 starts, completing 64 percent of his passes for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions to set a record for the best touchdown to interception ratio that was broken by Tom Brady last season.

Foles wasn't able to duplicate that production in 2014 and the Eagles traded for Sam Bradford before the 2015 season. Reunited with Shurmur, Bradford completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2015.

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Case Keenum

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Brace Hemmelgarn | USA TODAY Sports

After one game as the Eagles' interim coach at the end of the 2015 season when Kelly got fired (a 35-30 win over the Giants), Shurmur landed with the Vikings as tight ends coach in 2016. He was promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the 2016 season after Norv Turner's abrupt resignation.

This season has perhaps been Shurmur's finest work. The Vikings rank 10th in the NFL in scoring with journeyman Case Keenum running Shurmur's offense after Bradford suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. Keenum has entered the MVP conversation for the 13-3 Vikings after completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 14 starts.

Shurmur and Keenum have been such a good pairing that there are reports that they could be a package deal if Shurmur gets a head coaching job. That option is likely less attractive to the Giants, however, as they can just keep Manning if they want a veteran to serve as a placeholder until a young quarterback is ready to take over.

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Belichick's coaching tree has been rotten

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Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.

