What is 'Plan D' (as in doomsday) for Giants coach? If no Patricia, McDaniels, Shurmur, then what?

So what happens if the Giants are the bridesmaid three times over?

Say, for example, Shurmur lands with the Cardinals where he is thought to be the favorite, McDaniels is drawn to the idea of quarterback Andrew Luck with the Colts as they reportedly seek an offensive-minded coach and Patricia opts to reunite with a fellow Patriots cohort in Lions general manager Bob Quinn.

That's the reason it's risky that the Giants supposedly didn't narrow their original list to four finalists by keeping (most likely) Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in the mix just to play the safe numbers game.

Or did they?

Remember, it's still not out of the question that another franchise could suddenly be in the market for a coach, as sometimes happens in the NFL out of nowhere in the second half of January. 

Maybe it's the Titans after a playoff loss — Mike Mularky was reportedly on the hot seat before last week's comeback win against the Chiefs —or some other team unhappy with a disagreement about the offseason plan.

If the Giants get caught flat-footed, it will anger a fan base that already voiced its displeasure at the gameday gates with decisions like the second-guessed hiring Ben McAdoo and not retaining Tom Coughlin in a role like he has with the Jaguars, benching Eli Manning for Geno Smith and drafting but not playing Davis Webb.

It also could become that second-tier candidates think twice after being a backup choice that might not get the great job security expected from Giants ownership if better candidates emerge in the 2019 or 2020 offseasons.

Standing an introductory podium trying to win over fans and media who know you were a No. 4 choice at best is a tough way to command credibility.

In all regards, the general manager Dave Gettleman is better off to lock up one of their three finalists with a handshake agreement early next week — even if an official announcement must be delayed under NFL until after the Super Bowl — before being the unsuspecting kid without a chair when the music stops playing.

If not, here are some names for 'Plan D' — the Doomsday scenario:

DeFilippo has worked wonders with second-year Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who was in the NFL MVP conversation.

DeFilippo was one of the first logical candidates for the Giants. The Bears and Cardinals acted instead of the Giants, with both teams interviewing DeFilippo last week. 

He was the Jets quarterbacks coach when they drafted Mark Sanchez and the Raiders quarterbacks coach when they drafted Derek Carr. Let's hammer home the point: He has been asked to develop young passers.