If Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is trying to recreate some of the NFC championship magic he had in Carolina, he has one more rabbit to pull out of his hat.

With the hirings of offensive coordinator Mike Shula and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey to head coach Pat Shurmur's inaugural staff, the Giants have a distinct Panthers North-feel. Both assistants worked under Gettleman when he was in charge in Carolina.

But will it help make free agent All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell feel at home with the Giants?

That's the prize that could swing the Giants offseason in one direction or the other, especially given the dearth of top-end offensive linemen available on the free-agent market.

Shula is the only offensive coordinator that Norwell has known during his four-year NFL career. He inserted the undrafted Ohio State product into the starting lineup in Week 7 of his 2014 rookie season and never removed him with the exception of three games lost to injury in 2015.

Shula already has described Norwell as a "giant" ... in stature.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Norwell is known as the type of old-school nasty offensive lineman that Gettleman wants to bring to a remade unit with the Giants. Gettleman found him on the free agent market once before -- in the minutes after the 2014 NFL Draft ended.

How did it work out? Take this one example:

In the NFC Divisional Playoffs win against Seattle en route to an appearance in Super Bowl 50, Norwell credited Shula and Panthers offensive line coach John Matsko for the amount of time spent developing the game's first play.

The result was a tone-setting 59-yard run by Jonathan Stewart, the longest allowed by the NFL's top rushing defense that entire season.

"Norwell actually threw three blocks on that play," coach Ron Rivera said afterward. "He worked off of his double to the next level, bumped the linebacker and went into the (cornerback)."

If you prefer the bigger picture...

In 2017, including the playoffs, Norwell didn't allow so much as a hit (forget sacks) on quarterback Cam Newton. He yielded only 15 pressures on 1,140 snaps in 17 games, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Giants will have no shortage of suitors for Norwell -- the Panthers aren't out but are paying top dollar to two other offensive linemen (Matt Kalil and Trai Turner) -- for Norwell.

Maybe Shula is their difference-maker.

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.

