Our Coaches on the hot seat series continues with what will most likely be our most controversial selection, Tom Coughlin. I have been alone amongst the writers in saying that he is in trouble at New York and indeed I am glad I don’t live in the States as he will have a hard time finding me, reporting from my bunker this side of the world!
Hot Seat Coaches: Tom Coughlin New York Giants
Current Record: 96/81 Overall
3/8 in 2014
The two time Super Bowl winning coach for the New York Giants is somewhat of a living legend to fans of the franchise, indeed even the mere mention of Coughlin being in trouble will get you lynched in some circles. While there is no denying that Coughlin has done amazing things for the Giants in the past, in more recent times his record has been poor. Since New York won Super Bowl XLVI the Giants have gone 19/ 24 and have not had a winning record in two years. While many would not see this for reason to panic and indeed it should not be considering the amount of injuries the team have suffered in the last two years it does show a worrying trend, this team is on the decline.
Much of the talent that saw the team win can be attributed to the 2007 draft and to previous GM Ernie Accorsi but the likes of Steve Smith are long gone and while recent additions such as Odell Beckham Jr. show hope for the future the defense is on the verge of collapse and currently occupies 31st place in the league. There has been inklings that the team are no longer listening to coaching staff, when Jason Pierre-Paul was asked about defensive adjustments during half-time in the loss to the Seahawks he said the following,
“I don’t know. I was in the bathroom” Ralph Vacchino @RVacchinoNYDN
While this could be attributed to a momentary lapse in judgement on Pierre-Paul’s part, he is a veteran football player and as such should have made sure he was aware of any changes to be made and in no way should have said it to the press as a legitimate reason for not knowing. Again one could claim that this is on the Defensive Coordinator and not Coughlin to make sure every player knows what is going on and in part you would be right but the buck stops at Coughlin and as such he is responsible.
During the off-season Coughlin was given a one year contract extension that would include the 2015 season and has stated that he would like to coach into his seventies. While this is admirable one more losing season and the Giants hand might be forced. John Clayton of ESPN recently stated that he can see the following happening come the end of the season
“What I see happening after the season is an evaluation of where this team is and whether it needs younger leadership. If Coughlin stays, it would probably be for only one more season. The Giants’ roster, meanwhile, might need a two- or three-year overhaul.” John Clayton
So if the roster is two or three years away from being competitive again the question becomes, why would Coughlin want to stick around for another losing year? Coughlin is 68, has won 2 Super Bowls and is sure to find himself in the hall of fame in the future, why sully it with another year of hardship and decay? Lower level coaching changes haven’t worked in the last off-season and if you aren’t going to see the fruit of your labour perhaps it is time to turn over the reigns to someone who will? Indeed a coaching change during this overhaul could see a three year turnaround into four years.
2015 Status: Retired
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