Allen Park — In an alternate universe, Pat Shurmur and Matt Patricia could have both stepped off the coaching carousel this offseason and landed in their home states.
As it turns out, the New Yorker is with the Lions, and Shurmur instead heads the four-time Super Bowl champion New York Giants and must settle for a week of training camp a short drive from his hometown.
Shurmur and the Giants are in Allen Park for joint practices this week leading up to Friday’s preseason game against Patricia’s Lions at Ford Field.
About five miles away from Shurmur’s hometown of Dearborn Heights, where he was a three-sport star at Divine Child High School before becoming a offensive line stalwart for coach George Perles at Michigan State, Shurmur on Tuesday recalled fondly meeting with Lions brass for the opening in the winter.