Despite Late-Season Collapse, New York Giants Opt to Bring Back Coach Tom Coughlin in 2007

Those New York Giants fans who wanted coach Tom Coughlin run out of town -- and I put myself in that group -- did not get their wish.

Three days after a turbulent season ended with a last-second 23-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs, the Giants announced that Coughlin would return in 2007. When Coughlin was not fired the day after the defeat to the Eagles it became apparent he would be coming back.

The team's owners, John Mara and Jonathan Tisch, ignored the harsh criticism of the media who wanted Coughlin's head on a silver platter. The media may not have been entirely objective since they have developed an intense dislike of the Giants coach. Nonetheless, Coughlin, with his silly rules and fines, comes across as an unlikable individual and seems to have an uncanny ability to rub people the wrong way.

The job of an NFL coach is not to make friends and win popularity contests. Vince
Lombardi hardly was beloved by his players during the heyday of the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s but Lombardi won championships, something Coughlin has not done. The loss to Philadelphia dropped Coughlin's career playoff mark to a less-than-stellar 4-6, though he did lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a pair of AFC championship game appearances in the 1990s.

I don't know that the players liked Coughlin any more last season but there wasn't as much criticism because the Giants went 11-5 and won the NFC East. This season, the Giants fell apart in the second half, going 2-6, and Coughlin was
accused of losing control of the team. If there's one constant in sports, it's that winning cures all ills.

It may be unfair to say the Giants stopped playing hard for their coach. They
certainly played hard against the Eagles, rallying from a 20-10 deficit before falling short. I still believe, however, that Coughlin lost control of the team, and that was evidenced by so many undisciplined penalties that contributed to defeats in the second half of the season.

Coughlin shouldn't shoulder all of the blame for the second-half collapse. A
portion of it must go to quarterback Eli Manning, whose continued erratic play
after three seasons in the NFL is troubling. Critics of Peyton Manning's little
brother contend he lacks leadership qualities and doesn't like to get hit. Eli Manning's inconsistent play is exasperating because on occasion, he does show flashes of brilliance. He looked like his brother on the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter against the Eagles. There were too many times during the season, however, when Eli had the deer-in-the-headlights look.

In addition, the Giants' defense was decimated by injuries and played horribly down the stretch. After New York tied the Eagles with under six minutes remaining, you almost knew the Eagles were going to respond with a score because the Giants couldn't tackle anyone. The only question was if Philadelphia would leave any time but since the Giants had just one timeout remaining, the Eagles were able to run out the clock, leading to David Akers' xxx-yard field goal as time expired. The fact that the Giants wasted two timeouts in the second half is another example of the mental mistakes that helped turn a 6-2 start into an 8-8 finish.

I think Mara and Tisch weighed several factors before deciding to give Coughlin
another chance:

-- Maybe they didn't deserve it and maybe it was only because of how bad the NFC was, but as dysfunctional as the Giants were in the second half of the season,
they did make the playoffs despite losing six of their last eight games. Only five teams have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and the Giants are one of them.

-- The injuries. During the season, the Giants lost defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, wide receiver Amani Toomer, linebacker LaVar Arrington and offensive tackle Luke Pettigout. That is a lot to overcome.

-- The Giants did not lay down against the Eagles, despite what some of the prognosticators predicted. Yes, the Giants made plenty of mistakes and the defense was non-existent on the Eagles' last drive. Still, the game was 20-20 with five minutes left.

-- The lack of a suitable replacement for Coughlin. If there was a top candidate out there, Mara and Tisch may have been more willing to push Coughlin out the door. Apparently, they didn't find one. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was mentioned as someone the Giants should go after, but Weis insists he's not leaving South Bend.

-- Coughlin was the late Wellington Mara's guy. Mara hired Coughlin, believing
he could instill discipline and change the country club environment that existed under Coughlin's predecessor, Jim Fassel. John Mara may have been reluctant to fire the guy his dad hired.

Even though I don't agree with the decision to keep Coughlin, I respect the Giants for showing restraint and loyalty.

But now that Coughlin is coming back against the wishes of many Giants fans, he must change his ways, he must loosen the reigns. Otherwise, the players will continue to tune him out and the Giants will keep spinning their wheels. Anyway, it's not like Coughlin received a ringing endorsement from Mara and Tisch. All he got was a one-year extension so that he doesn't spend the 2007 season, the last year of his original contract, as a lame-duck coach and be taken even less seriously by the players.

The way I see it, Coughlin fancies himself Lombardi and unless you are Bill Belichick with three Super Bowl rings, you can't be Lombardi in this day and age. The players have too much power.