Shurmur: Giants need to learn to “go out and take these wins”

The New York Giants couldn’t do enough things right to hang on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. At 5-10, they haven’t done enough things right to be in the playoff chase heading to the final week of the 2018 NFL season.

While they won’t get where they want to go this season, the Giants continue to believe that the arrow is pointing up for them as they try to build a brighter future.

“You’ve gotta go out and take these wins,” coach Pat Shurmur said on Monday. “Nobody gives you anything. It’s safe to say we’ve been in a handful of these this season where we’ve won a couple and we’ve let a couple get away from us.

“Nothing’s given to you in this league, you gotta go take it. When you’re close at the end you’ve gotta find a way to make enough plays at the end and take the victory.”

Shurmur was asked if the Giants, 3-13 a year ago, are still “growing up.”

“I think we’ve learned a lot of things together. Lot of new players, certainly. We’re down to about 12 guys who were on the roster (in 2017) and there’s a lot of new going on everywhere,” Shurmur said. “I’ve got a staff of coaches that there’s only one guy on the staff that I ever worked with. We’re battling through it.

“We’re doing some things that have put us in a position to win. We’ve won some games, but we haven’t won enough. That’s the growth that has to take place.”

Shurmur referred to that growth as “a painful process, until we get to that point where we’re winning all of these games at the end, not just a few of ‘em.

“There’s things we’re doing that are good enough, but right is right. We’ve gotta do ‘em throughout the game and we’ve gotta win ‘em.”

Here are a few other takeaways from Shurmur’s Monday media availability.

On the play Eli Manning ...

“I think Eli’s been doing some really good things. I think we as a team, and it’s fair to say about the quarterback, too, we’re real close and we’ve gotta find a way to take these wins at the end. I think he’s contributed in a really good way.”

Shurmur said Manning will start vs. the Dallas Cowboys and “we’ll have to see what the week brings” when it comes to the possibility of activating rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta for the season finale.

On the availability of injured players ...

“Just like every game, anybody that’s injured is doing everything in their power to get back and play this week.”