NY Giants: 5 things to know about offensive coordinator/QB coach Mike Shula

Pat Shurmur has decided on his offensive coordinator, and the name is certainly a familiar one.

The New York Giants are hiring Mike Shula, the son of Dolphins coaching legend and Hall of Famer Don Shula, to be Shurmur's offensive coordinator, a source confirmed to The Record and NorthJersey.com. Kim Jones of the NFL Network first reported the decision to go with Shula, most recently the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the last seven seasons, five as offensive coordinator before he was fired last month.

Shula, 52, is also expected to serve as the Giants' quarterbacks coach.

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was in Carolina for part of Shula's tenure.

Shurmur showed patience by waiting to hire his offensive coordinator until after Super Bowl LII, mostly due to the fact that his perceived initial target, Kevin Stefanski, was still under contract with his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, and was in consideration to be their OC.

That plan fell by the wayside when the Vikings, after hiring Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as Shurmur's successor, denied the Giants permission to interview Stefanski, essentially stonewalling their process and forcing an audible.

Other candidates such as former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley were mentioned as possibilities - the Giants would have had to receive permission from the Eagles to interview him, which was seen as unlikely. But the Giants end up with an experienced coach in Shula, whom they are expected to officially announce as the hire later Tuesday.

Here are five things to know about Shula:

Balancing act

When the Panthers reached Super Bowl 50 three years ago, Shula was named Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Pro Football Focus. He was on staff for the entirety of Cam Newton's time with the Panthers.

Philosophically, Shula appears to fit with what Shurmur wants from his offense.

"We’ve won a lot of games when we’ve had a good rushing average and good rushing efficiency, but I would say that’s going to come with balance and is more important with balance," Shula told the Panthers' team site last month prior to Carolina's playoff loss to New Orleans. "If we’re a balanced team and not predictable – and we’re not making unforced errors – that leads to us running the football well and hopefully leads to us winning the football game.”

The catch here, of course, is that Shurmur plans on calling plays with the Giants. Shula will maintain an integral role in developing the game plan and taking a global view of the offense, so clearly it's important that he and Shurmur are on the same page.

Failures with Cam

Shula's relationship with Newton certainly had its ups and downs. Three seasons ago, Newton set NFL records en route to league MVP honors. He finished with 50 total touchdowns and was considered the league's best offensive weapon.

Newton's 45 total touchdowns during the regular season marked the most touchdowns by a single player since 2013. But his play has dipped in recent years, in part due to injuries. Shula was tasked with taking advantage of Newton's arm as the Panthers hoped to limit his running, keeping him in the pocket.

The Carolina offense struggled through the air this past season and Shula - and QB coach Ken Dorsey - took the fall, losing their jobs shortly after the Panthers lost in the wild-card round to the New Orleans Saints.

Super season

Shurmur's commitment to run the football was obvious in Minnesota, and that has not been an issue for Shula when he's been in charge of the offense in Carolina.

The Panthers produced 30 consecutive regular season games with at least 100 rushing yards from Week 6 of 2014 to Week 3 of 2016, the longest streak in the NFL since the Pittsburgh Steelers recorded 43 straight from 1974-77.

No offense in the NFL was better three seasons ago when the Panthers made their run to Super Bowl 50. Carolina set team records with an NFL-leading 500 points and 59 touchdowns and gain a team-record 357 first downs before falling short to the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, Calif.

Good things in store for Engram

Shula's recent history with tight ends is potentially great news for Evan Engram.

Carolina Panthers tight end and Wayne native Greg Olsen enjoyed the best years of his career with Shula as Carolina’s offensive coordinator. From 2014-16, Olsen was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and became the only tight end in NFL history to record three straight 1,000-yard seasons.

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Playing days

Shula was the starting quarterback at Alabama for former Giants coach Ray Perkins from 1984 to 1986. The Crimson Tide went 24–11–1 (.681) with Shula under center, posting wins in the Aloha Bowl and the Sun Bowl. He was selected in the 12th round - the 313th overall pick of the 1987 NFL Draft - by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but lasted just one season in the league before turning to coaching.