Gilbride defends himself, says Mara delivered ‘cheap shot’

Not long after longtime offensive coordinator Kevin Gil♔bride announced his retirement, general manager Jerry Reese said it was time for “a change’’ in the direction of the Giants offense. Gilbride, who insists he left of 𒉰his own accord, was .

“I’m kind of surprised to hear him say that,” Gilbride said Thursday night at the PKD Foundation be🦹nefit in Manhattan, according to NJ.com. “No one had figured that offense out for 24 years. To think that they figured it out this year woul✤d be pretty ludicrous. I think it was pretty obvious what the problems were. We had a confluence of injuries, we were very weak on the offensive line. We had some guys who struggled. We started six different offensive tailbacks, three different fullbacks, three different right guards, four different centers. You can say it’s the offense, but it’s pretty clear what the problem was.”

Gilbride, 62, said he had planned to retire after the 2013 season unless he wa🥃s able to land an NFL head coaching job – something that had eluded him ever since he was the head coach of the Chargers in 1997-98. The Giants went 7-9, their offense went kaput and a head coaching position wasn’t coming Gilbride’s way.

The sliꦜde did not shock Gilbride, who said he saw the decline in the talent on the roster for a few years.

“I certainly have expressed those concerns for a number of years,” Gilbride said. “It wa🗹sn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when it was going to 🗹happen.”

Gilbride also admitted he thought it was a “cheap shot’’ by co-owner John Mara to criticize the coaching staff for waiting so long to get receiver Jerrel Jernigan on the field. Mara said he did not know why it took three years for Jernigan — who posted big numbers in the final three games of the season — to get his chance.

“I didn’t understand it,” Gilbride said of Mara’s comment. “Because [Jernigan] had chances as a kick returner a🧔nd he’d played before and hadn’t played well. I think it’s a great tribute to [wide receivers coach Kevin M. Gilbride, the son of the former offensive coordinator] and 💮[quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan] that developed him and that he got on the field.”