Tom Coughlin is returning to coach the New York Giants for a 12th season after rumors he was on the hot seat following a 6-10 season, per Dan Graziano of ESPN. The Giants are expected to make changes to Coughlin’s coaching staff.
Tom Coughlin will return to New York Giants, per report
The Giants will retain their head coach after some speculation earlier in the season that he could be fired.
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Coughlin was speculated to be out the door nearly all season as the Giants have regressed over the last few seasons, from nine wins in 2011 and 2012 to just seven last season and this year’s six-win campaign. Fortunately, the Giants have showed signs of life down the stretch with three wins in their final four games. The emergence of a stronger passing game anchored by standout rookie Odell Beckham, Jr. gives Giants fans reason to hope if the defense can turn things around.
Coughlin's legacy in New York is built around the two Super Bowl victories he engineered in 2007 and 2011, both times over the heavily favored New England Patriots. He joined Steve Owen and Bill Parcells as the only coaches in Giants history with two league championships and placed himself among the short list of coaches with multiple titles since NFL-AFL merger.
First named an NFL head coach with the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, Coughlin was known as much for his drill sergeant demeanor as his win-loss record. That approach eventually drove him out of Jacksonville, leaving him without a home for the 2003 season. When the Giants fired the more player-friendly Jim Fassel that same year, management determined that a disciplinarian like Coughlin was the answer.
Yet for much of his tenure, Coughlin was perceived to be on the verge of losing his job. Consecutive trips to the postseason in 2005 and 2006 resulted in first-round exits, and Coughlin’s hard-nosed methods, including the expectation that players arrive at least 10 minutes early for meetings, wore down his team. Many in the New York media called for the Giants to make a change at head coach, perhaps hiring former Super Bowl winner Bill Cowher.
But Coughlin, realizing his last shot at being an NFL head coach was slipping away, adjusted his coaching temperament. He relaxed “Coughlin Time” and his famously strenuous practices. The changes resulted in a better prepared, confident Giants team that went on to win Super Bowl XLII that year.
Still, Coughlin’s teams struggled with consistency for the latter half of his time in New York. After following up the Super Bowl with a 12-4 season, the Giants missed the playoffs each of the next two years. Local sportswriters once again had Coughlin on the hot seat, leading to another unexpected championship run in 2011.
That title marks the last time Coughlin has reached the postseason. Coughlin does have the experience, however, and the Giants hope they can continue the late-season momentum of 2014 into fresh playoff hopes next season.
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