If the New York Post has it's way, Tom Coughlin will be back as head coach of the New York Giants. Steve Serby of the NYP, said that sources have told the paper that there is a 99.9 % chance that Coughlin will return to the sidelines come next season, inspite of the team's 5-9 record this year.
For many the issue regarding Coughlin isn't so much that he's lost the team, the issue has been his age; Coughlin will be 69 next year. To some, his advanced age might be keeping the coach from making proper decisions as the game advances around him. However, Coughlin has said repeatedly that he feels great and wants to coach.
Looking back at this season it was never Coughlin's fault. Sure the team has missed the playoffs four times in five years, and is about to endure its second consecutive sub .500 season, but there are many reasons, beyond the head coach, for the teams ills.
For one, and Serby pointed this out too, the Giants have never been healthy this year. Victor Cruz, Jon Beason, Geoff Schwartz, Rashard Jennings, Walter Thurmond, and Prince Amukamara have all missed time this year due to injury. Even Rookie of the Year candidate Odell Beckham Jr. missed the first part of the year due to a hamstring injury. The Giants had only one game in which both Beckham and Cruz played together.
The team forced fed an overrated offensive coordinator down Eli Manning's throat. While Manning's numbers have been good, this offense has been stagnate because of the play-calling of Ben McAdoo. McAdoo probably will return next year, but he deserves a short leash.
Not to mention Perry Fewell has been in over his head with this Giants defense. New York's defense is ranked 26th in the NFL this year, and 30th against the run. They have been awful and Fewell has failed to get this unit to play well over the few years he's been the defensive coordinator. A change would be a good idea.
Of course all of these issues land back at the head coach who watches over this mess. If the Giants decide to move from Coughlin, you can't blame them.
That being said, I think everyone would like to see him go out on better terms than this. I think Coughlin's future will weigh heavily in the next two weeks. If the Giants defeat the Rams and Eagles and finish 7-9, Coughlin's return would make sense, since the team finished strong for the second consecutive season. Then again, if Big Blue splits or losses their next two games to finish 6-10 or 5-11, it would be hard to imagine life with Coughlin in 2015.
This is not an easy decision for John Mara and Steven Tisch to make, in fact it will be the first head coaching search they ever conduct, since John's father Wellington was the man who hired Coughlin in the first place.
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