Tom Coughlin Resigns

The NFL’s Black Monday – the gloomy dawn of the postseason when coaches and general managers are fired or otherwise depart – claimed the New York Giants’ Tom Coughlin. He chose to exit after a second consecutive 6-10 finish, a third straight non-winning record and a fourth year in a row out of the playoffs.

That dismal descent is not what we will remember Coughlin for. We’ll remember those two Super Bowl victories, two triumphs against the odds, two times defeating the New England Patriots for the NFL championship.

It’s an odd record compiled by the 69-year-old Coughlin. Those championship teams were hardly dominant, with a 10-6 record in 2007 and a 9-7 mark in 2011. But when a Coughlin team got hot and found its identity, it persevered and won. The Giants ended the Patriots’ bid for a 19-0 season with a last-minute touchdown in Super Bowl XLII and held off the Pats’ late charge in Super Bowl XLVI.

A roster depleted by poor drafts and injuries contributed to the Giants’ recent slide, but they also lost six games this season in the final two minutes, which points to coaching and strategy. Even so, it can be argued that Coughlin did better the last two years with what he was given than most coaches could have conceived.

Expect the Giants to find the right replacement. Organizationally, they are sound and not panicky. They’ve had five coaches since 1983 and three (Coughlin, Jim Fassel, Bill Parcells) took teams to the Super Bowl, with Coughlin and Parcells each winning twice.

Also expect the new coach to demand better personnel to maximize the latter years of Eli Manning’s career. The offensive line and the overall defense need to be improved or 6-10 becomes the new normal.

Coughlin gave Giants fans much to cheer before the final few seasons and there was never a reason to doubt his integrity, his desire or his dedication to the task. A decent man did way more than a decent job and that ruddy visage on the sideline will be missed.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman