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| After Tom Coughlin put his name on a four-year, approximately $12 million contract early last night, he left no doubt in his rhetoric that he had already taken charge of the 4-12 Giants. "It is a tremendous challenge, and I am looking forward to working with these players and re-establishing the New York Giants' tradition of physically controlling the line of scrimmage,'' the 57-year-old Coughlin said. "We want to win the battle at the line of scrimmage, eliminate the disease of turnovers and control field position of special teams.'' |
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| EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eleven years after they first courted him, the New York Giants finally introduced Tom Coughlin as their coach. "It really struck me from an emotional standpoint how very deep my emotions go toward this position and this particular franchise," Coughlin said at a news conference Wednesday, a day after signing a four-year, $12 million contract. Coughlin succeeds Jim Fassel, who was fired following a season that began with Super Bowl expectations and ended with the team's worst season (4-12) in two decades. A former Giants receivers coach under Bill Parcells, Coughlin promised to bring back the brand of football that led New York to two Super Bowls under his mentor. "What we must be all about now is the restoration of pride, of self pride, of team pride, the restoration of our professionalism and the dignity with which we conduct our business," the 57-year-Coughlin said. "We must restore our belief in the process by which we will win, and we must replace despair with hope and return the energy and passion to New York Giants football," the former Jacksonville Jaguars coach said. A no-nonsense coach, Coughlin said the Giants must eliminate turnovers and costly penalties, which hurt the team badly last season. "I believe the young men who represent the New York Giants want strong leadership," Coughlin said. "They want clear and stated objectives. They want superb detail and organization and discipline which provides us all with the confidence to win." John Mara, the Giants' executive vice president, was convinced Coughlin was the right man for the job after his second interview on Monday. "We like what his vision is, what his football philosophy is," John Mara said. "We like the passion he brings to the game. I go back to the old (former Giants general manager) George Young attitude in looking for a head coach, you want someone with a high energy level and with something to prove." Coughlin has both. The energy level was obvious in the strength of his voice and the determination with which he spoke. It was almost as if this was a talk at a team meeting. He also has something to prove after being fired after the 2002 season, his third straight in Jacksonville. He had a 72-64 record in eight seasons with the Jaguars, twice leading them to the AFC title game. Coughlin stressed the key to winning is at the line of scrimmage. Center Chris Bober thought Coughlin would be a good fit after a mistake- and injury-marred season. "I heard he likes to run a ball-control, smash-mouth style of football and, as a lineman, that's exciting," said Bober, eligible to become a free agent in March. "I hope I can be a part of it." The Giants finished the season with an eight-game losing streak, but the downward spiral started early in the season, when New York gave away wins against Dallas and Philadelphia with last-minute mistakes. "The hiring of coach Coughlin signals a new chapter for the Giants and for my career," defensive end Michael Strahan said. "I'm already looking forward to getting ready for next season and working to reach the goal we've set for the team of winning a championship." |
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| With his time as the Jaguars owner coming to an end (the team will be turned over to Shahid Khan next Wednesday), Wayne Weaver took a look back at the past 17 years he was in charge of the organization. In this interview with the team’s official website, he was in a nostalgic mood and he shared perhaps his biggest regret as owner: firing original head coach Tom Coughlin in 2002. At the time, Weaver said the franchise needed to go in a new direction -- Coughlin had been there eight years at that point -- and pointed out, “There's a point in this business where you have to say, 'We need innovative new ideas, new fresh approaches,' and you have to move in different directions and that's what this is really all about.” A decade later, Weaver is remorseful about that stance (which, by the way, must make Jack Del Rio feel pretty special). “If hindsight you could change, I’ll be honest with you: I probably would have never changed Coughlin,” Weaver said. “I would have tried to have Tom take a step back and just be the coach. I thought about it, but I didn’t think Tom would do it. I thought Tom’s pride would never allow him to take a step back and me take the general manager’s position and all power and say, ‘Go coach the football team.’ He did that in New York, but I thought it would hurt his pride too much.” Weaver also blamed himself for not fully understanding the salary cap and all its implications when Jacksonville first entered the league. In retrospect, though, it’s easy to regret firing the coach who took your expansion team to the playoffs in four of its first eight seasons. “If you remember, my three short list names I had narrowed it down to were (Mike) Shanahan, (Tony) Dungy and Tom,” Weaver said. “I hired Tom because I felt he was more autocratic and I felt that not knowing anything about this business I needed somebody where I could say, ‘You set the stage here. You build the platform we have to build this franchise around.’ I felt he would be the best guy to do it and as it turned out, he was the best guy to do it. We had tremendous success. Our draft choices were probably better than the average team at the time. That was Tom’s work ethic. He was very involved and he was a good evaluator. He held people accountable to develop those players.” Alas, this seems to be Coughlin’s lot in life. He can take your expansion team and make it a winner almost immediately and he can win the Super Bowl for his second franchise, but for some reason, he always seems to be on the precipice of getting fired. Jacksonville did it and now regrets the move. You wonder if the Giants will make the same mistake. |
Also, TC took over from another regime that had gone into the tank. Now the tanked regime is his own. It's time for change and a new voice.
The age thing is huge, as well as the idea that the offensive philosophy has gone stale.
I could make a long argument for why we shouldn't bring him back, as well. I actually have thought long and hard about both sides.
I just think there are more pro's than con's to the approach I finally chose to support. The main one being consistency in a turbulent league.
You do that and they will be right in it next year..
If he, for instance, tells ownership he only wants to coach one more year, then we won't go with a lame duck, you make the change now. If he commits for another three years, you extend him.
That's what I meant by age thing.
Wow, he's 62. He looks great! Didn't realize that.
That said, I do think his age is an issue in this case
I expect the pattern to continue, unfortunately. Coughlin and his staff will be here next year.
No.
I also believe Fewell has to go. To me, he coaches scared when we need the D to be aggressive and play to win. He seems to coach not to lose. There is a big difference.
It is hard to say it is a fault to have the loyality Tom has with his staff but it would appear to be. I really do think if Tom wants to continue coaching the Giants will let him but, will they insist on coaching changes? I suspect they might...that alone may force Tom to call it quits.
That said, based on comments made by the owners a few weeks ago, I do not believe his job is in jeopardy at all.
As far as seeing Eli play in a new system, I'm not sure that would be good for Eli. I believe TC built this offense around Eli's traits. I've heard many coaches say that is what you have to do. You have to build a system that can exploit the specific talents of your QB and the team assembled around him. I also believe this is why we don't see drastic changes in the system from year to year.
TC has been the best thing that happened to the Giants in a very long time and I'll end by pointing to the chatter that dominated this board after we won our last Superbowl which was of the theme, "TC can coach here as long as he wants". Amen to that!
Right now, I see a franchise with no direction. I see an offense that is completely lost. I'm for Coughlin coming back, IF I see a plan in place. What is the plan?
This offense has not had ONE good game since the last Philly game last year (a team who packed it on). The Giants have been badly beaten by the elite teams dating back to Cincy last season. The offense has given us NOTHING, not even one game in a losing effort to give us something to be a little positive about.
I just need to see something, and now we're 8-14 in the last 22 regular season games including a disastrous pre-season which showed zero offensive productivity.
Something isn't working here, and it needs to be fixed.
This problem runs a lot deeper than fortifying the interior of our OL. This offensive scheme was simply a giant failure this season. We need to go in a different direction imo.
It's time to see what Eli can do in a different system. So we can finally see how much of it is the system and how much of it is Eli.
is what you do when you are almost there with a little bit more effort
is what you do when you are a few pieces away
is what you do when you have a proven model that works most of the time but just did not in this particular case
is what you do when your message is being executed, when you are being consistent, you are being disciplined, you are playing with pride and avoiding injuries as TC outlined (the quotes you have in bold)
it is not what you do when are in an outright slide (a season and a half slide) and no light at the end of the tunnel
it is not what you do when in certain cases you are not getting the effort you demand and require even though you are asking for it
it is not what you do when you are quite frankly a good number of pieces away and are looking to rebuild to a decent degree with a 70 year old coach
it is not what you do when (this will hit a nerve) the model has proven to not work consistently. we all love the two super bowls, but two magnificent runs do not embody consistency, they are streaks, fantastic, wonderful, phenomenal streaks stating you are the best team in the league and the best time. We have not seen the consistency
it is not what you do when your team is doing absolutely none of the things that your coach has outlined for recipe for success
We can all appreciate and always admire TC for what he has done for this franchise. I know I do. And if he were ten years younger, I would agree with you perhaps. But we need some major changes, in personnel and in philosophy. That philosophy change is only going to come with new coordinators. You do not replace your coaching staff (sans HC) for the third/more time when the HC is almost 70. This is thinking about the short and longer term future of the Giants, not any one individual or move and if you factor both the short and long term, NOW is the right time for wholesale changes.
You cannot fire Gilbride without firing Tom Coughlin. Hence, they both return.
As far as Fewell, I don't like a lot of things about his defense, namely not challenging WR's at the LOS, but he's done his job well enough this year that I can't find ground for firing him.
Quinn can go.
The coaches can't seem to coach anyone up. It is really pathetic.
This isn't just ONE bad year. They sucked last year as well. Keeping status qua = No hope/Cellar dweller next year.
The last two games point exactly to the type of late-season collapse that marks the end of a major coach's career. The team has given up and there is a feeling, spreading across an organization, that things are winding down, rather than being an unfortunate interlude. Look at the way Andy Reid - obviously still a very viable coach in 2012 - ended his Eagles career. Think back to the 2003 end-of-Fassel season. Or the way Tom Landry ended his career in Dallas with a 1-11 conclusion to the 1988 season. After the Dallas loss, I knew we were going to find out a lot about Coughlin's viability as a coach in 2014 in the next few games. The news has arrived. It's over.
The team hasn't been able to reload like this in one offseason because they've been so successful. Lets let the guys who built a team that one 2 super bowls build a team again now that they have the opportunity (and they already have a qb!). I trust a Coughlin rebuild over mystery head coach's rebuild.
Because of that, I'd be happy to have TC back.
I think i'd rather keep Coughlin a year too long than get rid of him a year too soon. I'd err on the side of cohesion.
NO ONE prepares harder and there aren't many coaches who are better at evaluating talent or molding a team.
I just hate the turnovers every year. It needs to stop.
I think the biggest issue regarding the coaching staff is complacency. I've seen it in very good organizations with excellent leaders, where after a certain point complacency sits in because of comfort and the message is lost. To me, it seems like we're looking at a bit of that here.
Does that mean that TC is no longer a good coach, and that he won't have success elsewhere? Hardly, but I think he's run his course here.
That's a big "if". The argument is exactly that Coughlin no longer has the desire and energy in him, no matter what he says.
jcn - "Complacency." Exactly right. That is what I was trying to say in my post and I think you did it better.
We're one of the worst 5 teams in football.
We're one of the worst 5 teams in football.
You cannot get rid of 9/10ths of the roster.
TC/Gil/Fewell
Players
To stay the course doesn't make sense completely. There will be player turnover so that will be fluid. Is that enough for this team to move forward?
But if you move on from people a year early than a year late (which I agree with), who on the roster is worth keeping at the right cost? Very few of them are living up to any type of deal that they signed.
That's a big "if". The argument is exactly that Coughlin no longer has the desire and energy in him, no matter what he says.
jcn - "Complacency." Exactly right. That is what I was trying to say in my post and I think you did it better.
It is a very big IF. Its also something only TC knows inside. Either he still has the desire or he doesn't. IF he has it I want him. Its a useless exercise to argue how he feels because he will never make that clear and he won't stay if he doesn't have the desire. Just not how he operates.
One way to think about the Giants is that they're an O-line away from contention, that the system is fine, Eli's just been shell-shocked by consistent pressure, and heavy investment in the O-line will basically do the trick in turning us back into a 25+ ppg team. I can understand this position, even if I disagree with it deeply. Here, the thought is that Eli's last 20+ games or so are something of an abberation. Moreover, our offensive system works because it has in the past, and despite its flaws, its track record (i.e. 2 SB wins and not 5+ seasons of mercurial performances) is enough to vindicate it. Finally, on this view, the defense is almost there and we're a few tweaks away from contention. I think the strongest assumption of this line of argument is the argument that the NFL is a very fickle place and teams can go from no. 1 territory to contention very quickly. The Chiefs and the Colts are cited as evidence of this. I think that's all very fair.
Here's an alternate argument, slightly less optimistic.
1. We don't have a realistic alternative at QB outside of Eli and whatever plans we have for the near future (i.e. a 2 year time period), need to take him into account. 2 SB's are also enough to vindicate some hope of revival. Nevertheless, we want to have a way of structuring his future contract that if two years down the road, with necessary improvements to his supporting cast in place, he still doesn't perform, we can get rid of him and try anew. We likely won't be in a position this draft to get a legitimate franchise talent at QB anyway, so we're better off waiting.
2. The talent level on this team is much lower than we thought it was. Across the O-line, we have below average players aside from Pugh. Beatty has been a massive disappointment. The interior O-line is horrendous and it amplifies Eli's greatest weakness (interior pressure). This is the first place to fix, and fix aggressively. We should, at the minimum, have two new players in the interior O-line next season. Ideally, it would be a total overhaul. Even if this doesn't ultimately fix Eli, it should help our running game, which with Brown and Hillis should at least be somewhat above average given decent blocking.
3. Our WR corps has similarly suffered from Nicks becoming a non-factor. He's a glorified Jerrico Cotchery at the moment. That is not a difference maker. Cruz has tried to do his part, but he's not the sort of WR who's going to tower over two defenders and grab balls. He needs space to do his magic. Randle is a talent who suffers from a lack of concentration. There could be a future where he's a 75-80 catch 1000 yard, 8 TD star. There could also be a future where he becomes a consistently inconsistent frustration. If Nicks is gone, we need a difference maker here.
4. We have no TE.
5. On D, we have some player who look like serious keepers - Joseph, Hankins, Amakamura, Hill, Beason (perhaps, health and contract matter here). Maybe JWill. Rolle is difficult to include because of his contract.
The unfortunate thing is that this list, given the performance this year, doesn't include a single DE. Our pass rush has been an abomination, and no matter how good the effort we get from the other players, without even an average pass rush, they'll be fighting an uphill battle. The key culprit here is JPP. This year, he gets more of a pass given injuries. Last year, if you're feeling charitable, also gets somewhat of a pass because of injuries. He's going to have an entire offseason to rest up. He doesn't need to return to DPOY form for our D to become much, much better, but he certainly needs to become a 12 sack, elite two-way D if he wants a good contract from us.
Another unfortunate thing is that the list doesn't contain more than one CB. We're going to need at least another quality CB.
6. Our offensive system, while marvelously successful on two different occasions (though was it the system that got us those titles, or was it the fact that Nicks, Cruz, and Eli just balling the **** out and could've accomplished what they did in any offensive system EVEN one with fewer moving parts.), has two deep flaws. First, it has a very steep learning curve, which in a salary cap era, lessens the value we can get from players on their rookie contracts. Second, when experienced players get injured, and less intelligent and experienced players take their place, the offense gets markedly worse. Since football is a physical game with lots of injuries, this is presumably a large worry. If Eli still has it (I'm cautiously hopeful here), then are getting the most out of his prime with a system that depends (more so than others) on the best players not getting injured?
2007 wasn't a "turn around" from the previous years. It was part of the process. The process has run it's course.
Time for a new voice.
The offensive line is priority number 1. The 3 interior spots need fresh bodies (and the tough part is I don't think the replacements are on the roster), as well as a blocking tight end.
I know people get frustrated with Gilbrides play calling. But it truely was an awesome thing to watch in 2008 when it was humming. People never complained about those shotgun handoffs when derek ward was getting 4-8 yards a clip.
1) Delay of game stuff hasn't been corrected in 10 years
2) We haven't been able to run a screen on offense or stop a screen on defense in four years
3) Our coverage teams have been awful for basically the entire decade. (As you saw with the Seahawks -there is an incredible amount of hidden yardage there.
4) The linebacker position has been notoriously weak. (I know this also falls on Jerry but look at the Seahawks - that had a bunch of unproven guys there that are now superstars-coaching is a part of it)
When I see things that are correctable consistently uncorrected at my company, it's either because: The leader is unaware, the personel cannot adapt, The leader waits for it to correct itself, or doesn't have the answer.
In either case, when something needs to be addressed, it needs to be addressed. Ten years is a long time to let some of this stuff slide by.
If TC has a plan or the answer to some of these things, I believe that he would have done everything in his know how to take care of it by now.
I don't think he has all the answers nor should he. Jerry needs to step in and give him a staff that will help him find the answers. The great coaches have great hall of fame staffs. There isn't a future head coach in this bunch. Tom is loyal to a fault. Its time for Jerry to break that up and do his job of putting the best team on the field from players to front office.
Pete Carroll is 62. He was 59 when he fled USC to go to the Seahawks. TC will be 68 when the 2014 season starts. HUUUUGE difference if a rebuild job is in order
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Pete Carroll is also in his 60s, correct?
Pete Carroll is 62. He was 59 when he fled USC to go to the Seahawks. TC will be 68 when the 2014 season starts. HUUUUGE difference if a rebuild job is in order
Don't think the adage: age is a factor...look at what Marv Levy did.
People like to point to Aaron Rodgers and how he can play well behind terrible Olines but he's in a different system and possesses a different skill set.
Re-vamp the Oline and get a good number 1 receiver - even if it means paying Nicks - and watch things turn on a dime.
However, my guess on watching the team since 1958 is that the owners do nothing except say again, that everyone is on notice yada yada yada.
Doc Rivers (one of my basketball favorite players and coaches) came back to Boston last week with the Clippers. He said that one of the reasons he left the Celtics after last season (in addition to not wanting to be part of another rebuilding project) was that after 9 years he felt like his voice and message were no longer being heard in the locker room. I think that happened to TC and his OC years ago but the team's decline was covered over or pushed off by the remarkable run of the last 6 or 7 games of the 2011 season which ended with the Superbowl victory. How many end of season collapses have there been? How many incredibly stupid penalties or head-scratching offensive and defensive plays.
This team needs an entirely new coaching staff as soon as possible. The current coaches have run out of steam and ideas. TC seems like a good man but it is time to go. He's been paid a lot for doing a job that millions of others would love to have. I still have some confidence in Jerry but he also should be on notice that he better have an extremely successful off-season and draft.
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In comment 11398438 bc4life said:
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Pete Carroll is also in his 60s, correct?
Pete Carroll is 62. He was 59 when he fled USC to go to the Seahawks. TC will be 68 when the 2014 season starts. HUUUUGE difference if a rebuild job is in order
Don't think the adage: age is a factor...look at what Marv Levy did.
Again, Levy was 61 when he got hired at Buffalo to build that team. The team he coached in his 70s was established. When he was 72 he retired. He didnt go through another rebuilding at a late age.
The unfortunate thing is that this list, given the performance this year, doesn't include a single DE. Our pass rush has been an abomination, and no matter how good the effort we get from the other players, without even an average pass rush, they'll be fighting an uphill battle. The key culprit here is JPP. This year, he gets more of a pass given injuries. Last year, if you're feeling charitable, also gets somewhat of a pass because of injuries. He's going to have an entire offseason to rest up. He doesn't need to return to DPOY form for our D to become much, much better, but he certainly needs to become a 12 sack, elite two-way D if he wants a good contract from us.
The JPP situation is quietly the biggest question mark on the team, more than the quarterback. We have to restock the offensive line regardless of Eli's talents, because we have to improve our running game and pass protection alike. It's easy to trace all of the problems on offense to the poor blocking. It's foolish to then say "well, that's the whole problem!" but it does contribute the most to what's ailing us.
JPP, however, is one single player who was counted on to be the engine of our pass rush. Even when healthy, he wasn't one of the league's best pass rushers: he racked up a number of hustle/effort sacks. He wasn't generating those "I just destroyed the tackle and nailed the QB in 2.4 second" sacks that are the hallmarks of Cameron Wake and Tambi Hali and Von Miller, among others. Now with the back injury making him into Just Another Guy, we're in really dire straits if he can't regain full form and then improve as a pass rusher.
The pass rush is a disaster without a healthy JPP, and even with him fully operational, there's still work to be done.
I don't know what this team does for a backup plan.
We aren't talking about owners in the abstract, this relates specifically to Mara and Tisch. What in their history makes you think they will can TC? Mara just spoke publicly about the importance of organizational stability and being "lucky" to have TC earlier this season.
If you think TC's tenure here has run its course, his message is lost, or whatever, fine, but honestly I dont see age as a factor AT ALL.
In the other fellow's yard.
Little rows, we have to hoe
Oh boy, that's hard.
Now if we all could wear green glasses
Then it wouldn't be so hard
To see how green the grass is
In our own back yard."
I think there's every indication that Coughlin is slowing down and not coaching with the energy and passion he did a few years ago.
I know people are becoming more and more critical about Marc Ross (I think he needs to be fired the Monday morning after week 17) but the problems in NYG drafting might be another sign of Coughlin's slowing down. That's a guess, but wanted to throw it out there.
For those that are wanting TC to be let go, you are going to be very disappointed as he will definitely be back in 2014. The most you are going to get is TC being put on notice that 2014 must be much improved.
Also, age has absolutely NOTHING to do with it just as others have said so long as his health desire and energy levels are there and clearly they are with TC. If not, I guarantee you he will leave on his own.