Tom Coughlin hears the criticism
December, 23, 2010

I've had that uncomfortable conversation with New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin about job security before. It was a topic of discussion this past offseason based on the Giants' second-half collapse in '09.

Coughlin is normally resolute in saying he wants all the heat on him, but on Wednesday, he admitted to ESPNNewYork.com that the criticism can get a little noisy at times.

"I try not to let that be bothersome to me, but it's really difficult to ignore it," Coughlin told Ian O'Connor. "Every time we lose a game, that stuff comes up."

That sounds a bit different than what we're used to from Coughlin. He's known as one of the top motivators in the league, so it's a little odd when he admits that the criticism might be affecting him. I agree with O'Connor that Coughlin shouldn't be fired if the Giants miss the playoffs, but it could happen. We've heard co-owner John Mara dismiss reports that the New York Giants are on Bill Cowher's Christmas wish list, but it's not like Mara has said unequivocally that Coughlin will return in 2011.

Cowher experienced the best job security this league has to offer while working for the Rooneys in Pittsburgh. I believe John Mara and Steve Tisch are fond of Coughlin, but they don't have the patience of a Dan Rooney. Coughlin earned the benefit of the doubt with that title in '07, but a coach can lose that a lot quicker in the New York market.

"It's part of the business and there's nothing I'm going to say to change it," Coughlin said. "Win games, and it goes away. We won three in a row and nobody was saying anything about [my job]. So we've got to go win games, and I understand it. I've been in it long enough to understand.

"You've got to go win, and that's what this is all about. And we didn't win last week, so here comes the speculation again."

When he won that first Super Bowl with the Giants, Bill Parcells was a made man in the Meadowlands. The same can't be said for Parcells' close friend and protege, Coughlin. If he loses to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, you can guarantee that the Cowher speculation will reach a new level.

It's not fair to Coughlin, but it's the reality of the situation.

Speculation on the job security of New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has generally been that he's safe. But with another late-season fade, he might not be.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News takes a realistic view of Coughlin's career, noting that in five out of six of Coughlin's seasons as head coach, the team has either crumbled down the stretch, been crushed in the first round of the playoffs, or both. In fact, it may be the Super Bowl championship run of 2008 that has saved the man thus far, as those late season collapses have "become an unfortunate staple of the Coughlin Era," in Vacchiano's words.

Given the uncertainty of the offseason ahead -- and the fact that Coughlin only has one year left on his contract -- we tend to think he's pretty safe. But an embarrassing plunge out of the playoff mix over these last two weeks could change that. Should he be let go, the Giants -- with their core of talent -- would be atop any free agent head coach's wish list, including Bill Cowher.

- Tim Kavanagh

Big_Pete wrote:
I think if the team doesn't win Coughlin's future will be tenuous. This is a very key game.

Pizan wrote:Geez Pete you've been wanting to talk about firing TC since the start of the season. If they lose vs the Packers I'll talk about it.

To be fair, I think Coughlin is one of the better coaches in the league at player development. A big reason why we don't have many busts is because Coughlin's approach works very well with developing young players.

The problem is, when we develop them, we don't put them in positions to maximize their talent. That's moreso the Xs and Os of coaching. And that has always been an issue under Coughlin.

The man does a great job of developing talent, and managing the team and having his players ready to play and play hard, but he's not the best strategist.