Pat Shurmur has told us preseason games are important “because you learn about your team.”

Well here’s what we’ve learned about Shurmur after the Giants’ 20-10 loss to the Browns on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, his first preseason game as head coach.

Shurmur will keep secrets

He said he made up his mind up long ago wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wouldn’t play in the first preseason game, but kept it to himself.

“I’m going to be smart with his recovery and I never intended playing him,” Shurmur said, adding it had “nothing” to do with Beckham’s contract status.

Now we know when Shurmur says he hasn’t made up his mind, he probably already has.

He’s organized

You have to be organized to be a good leader. So far, so good with Shurmur. From his team being flagged just four times against the Browns to the coaching staff being in synch in its debut, there are plenty of positive signs from Shurmur’s leadership style. The coach pointed to a late substitution in a punting situation as the only time there was confusion.

“There are a few things we can clean up as coaches, but our process was actually better than I thought it would be,” Shurmur said.

He likes his running backs

Though Shurmur kept Beckham out of action, he didn’t hesitate to give the ball to rookie running back Saquon Barkley, who ran 39 yards on his first carry. Shurmur also liked the work of Robert Martin (39 yards), the rookie back from Rutgers, and Jalen Simmons (38), a free agent.

The Giants averaged 5.8 yards per carry against the Browns. The new coach said he wants to see more completions, but it’s clear the running game will be an important part of the Giants’ attack this year.

“You need to have explosive gains,” he said.

He’s a player’s coach

Sometimes that sounds like the players are running the team, but Shurmur isn’t going to be overly critical. Take his comments on quarterback Davis Webb and blaming his 9-of-22 for 70 yards on being too amped.

“Wanting to do well is a good thing,” Shurmur said. “I think we as coaches can help him with that.”

Yet he can point out a mistake without calling someone out.

“It was a corner route and we missed it,” he said of Webb’s errant throw to Kalif Raymond in the end zone when someone asked for explanation.

He’s also a teacher

Shurmur barely mentioned losing the game to the Browns.

“There’s that feeling of disappointment,” he said. Instead, he focused on the learning process.

“There’s a lot we can learn from,” he said. “The guys that played got better.”

This job isn’t too big for him

Shurmur has been part of teams that qualified for nine postseason appearances, won seven divisional titles and advanced to a Super Bowl. He coached the Browns from 2011-2012 and was the interim head coach when the Eagles beat the Giants after firing Chip Kelly. He’s experienced and isn’t overwhelmed by the media. We’ll see if this changes as the year goes along.

What you see is also what you get

Ben McAdoo used so many self-help terms mixed with coach-speak it was like he was reinventing the game. A linebacker, guard and center during his All-Big Ten years at Michigan State, Shurmur comes off as old school talking up the running game and the Giants’ run defense. Yet he’s new school enough to have his receivers practice catching the ball one-handed. Listen to him talk about turnovers and you hear the voice of Bill Parcells: “What’s most important is what you do after turnovers,” Shurmur said pointing to the recovered fumbled punt that led to a Giants touchdown against the Browns. “That’s a good team thing.”

His preseason debut as the Giants head coach didn’t end in victory, but so far Shurmur is looking like a winner.