Posted by TMS:

anyone who doesn't think Coughlin's a lame duck coach next year is kidding themselves... a 1 year extension is a mere formality... if the Giants truly believed in this guy they'd have extended him to another 3 or 4 year deal... waiting on Cowher is all well & good, but IMO if they really wanted him they coulda thrown a boatload of cash at him right now & gotten him... he's not going to be any cheaper a year from now, i'll tell u that much right now... & you're going to have teams like the Cowboys & Redskins bidding him up at that time also instead of teams he's unlikely to go to like the Raiders.

i agree that if this nets us Cowher after next season, i'm fine w/waiting, but i think we could have him this season just the same... i don't see how keeping Coughlin here is the right decision other than the fact that the Mara's & Tisch's are so conservative in their decision making... the stuff about Coughlin convincing them that he had a plan to right the ship & to develop Eli better next season is hard for me to buy into... so he's going to get himself a new Offensive Coordinator & a new QB coach? is that any different than bringing in a fresh voice to lead this team & to get these veterans to play up to their potential this season instead of waiting a year to do it? what's Coughlin's plan to fix the defense i wonder? is he going to fire Tim Lewis too & find himself a new D Coordinator?

Not sure if that comment was addressed at me, but I agree that Coughlin is generally considered a "lame duck" since if there were better options this year the Giants surely would have pursued them, but with only one year left on his deal I meant it in the sense of someone who cannot return, no matter what at the end of his term. With that second year, unless they fire him after the season (using the end of next season as a point of reference for him being a "lame duck" in that sense) he will be back again (not counting a firing during next year).

Do I think that has a good chance of ocurring? Hecks no. But if Coughlin, by some miracle, finds a way to get the team to perform well next year, his chances of coming back again will be higher than with a one year deal. In fact, I don't think he would stand any chance of doing well next year with only a year left, given the venom many fans and media cats are spitting. And I'm one of those who want him gone, for his own venom spitting. But that scenario is probably the most difficult situation for the Giants...well more for those fans who want him gone ASAP, yet also the most unlikely.

So, yes, I don't think the one year extension is a vote of confidence, and is more like a holding pattern until better opportunities come, OR by some chance Coughlin manages to show he can do well. Look at Van Gundy with the Knicks in '99. He was a lame duck too, but Allan Houston's "shot" and the run at the Finals saved his job. If something similar happens with Coughlin, I think it's pretty darn probably he'll be back for that second year of the deal in 2008-09.

Also, I dunno how you know that Cowher would come if the Giants "throw a boat load of money at him" now. He says he's taking the year with his family. Dude has already won, and KNOWS he will be a VERY hot commodity next off-season, with the Giants and who knows who else begging for him to come. I doubt Cowher needs the gratification just yet.




[Edited by - PresIke on 01-10-2007 2:08 PM]

his 2 daughters go to school at Princeton... how much closer does he want to be to his family than East Rutherford? the money is the main factor in this, don't fool yourself... if the Giants threw the dollars his way i can't imagine he'd turn it down... this is the perfect organization for him to coach.

Coughlin basically got what Isiah got...One year to show improvement..

Posted by holfresh:


Coughlin basically got what Isiah got...One year to show improvement..

I don't see anything wrong with it. Give him the chance to bring in some guys he wants and give him a year. If it doesn't work out, we'll be looking for a coach this time next year.

Posted by PresIke:

TMS, i don't really LIKE the move, but the Giants options are not good. If they fire Cowher, do you think that they want to let some dude hold the fort for a year? Remember Don Cheaney? Would a coach even want to go into that type of situation? I don't think that any new, inexperienced, coach (which is probably the best chance of someone coming in for one year) would want to go into a situation where you know you aren't really wanted. How could you even coach like that?

With Coughlin, at least this gives him one ounce of credibility with the players. Because the other options all leave either Coughlin with a one year deal where the players know he's even more likely to be gone or (unlikely) with an other "lame duck" hold the fort coach who isn't even expected to stay. That's either equally, or even more crazy than keeping Coughlin, and just not going to happen. No one with a chance at success is going to take that job.

So the Giants bite the bullet move is extend Coughlin for one year to tell the media and the players that there is a chance, albiet probably small (looking at things at this moment), yet he's still a lame duck in essence because you know the team probably wants someone else in there, but the choices now are not good.

It's not a decision that makes me happy, but I think it's the best way to salvage things right now. It's a salvage job, and a holding pattern, with some possibilities for a change in the planned approach, if Coughlin manages to succeed next year. (which I ain't counting on)

you're misunderstanding me... i think the Giants COULD have gotten Cowher if they were willing to pay the big dollars to get him... that's the only reason i'm so disappointed... i don't want to see Coughlin stick around for an extra year & get fired after next season... it's pointless & a waste of time... Strahan's not getting any younger & i don't want to see the same type of boneheaded mistakes or the lockerroom discord from this this team for another season... i agree that hiring an interim coach in place of Coughlin would have been pointless as well... i believe if you want to land the big fish you need to go out with the right bait & go get him... you don't sit at the dock with the same crusty old worm on your hook & hope you catch a big one someday.

Coughlin got his team into the playoffs. He deserves another chance to go further, I think it's that simple.

Posted by TMS:

Posted by PresIke:

TMS, i don't really LIKE the move, but the Giants options are not good. If they fire Cowher, do you think that they want to let some dude hold the fort for a year? Remember Don Cheaney? Would a coach even want to go into that type of situation? I don't think that any new, inexperienced, coach (which is probably the best chance of someone coming in for one year) would want to go into a situation where you know you aren't really wanted. How could you even coach like that?

With Coughlin, at least this gives him one ounce of credibility with the players. Because the other options all leave either Coughlin with a one year deal where the players know he's even more likely to be gone or (unlikely) with an other "lame duck" hold the fort coach who isn't even expected to stay. That's either equally, or even more crazy than keeping Coughlin, and just not going to happen. No one with a chance at success is going to take that job.

So the Giants bite the bullet move is extend Coughlin for one year to tell the media and the players that there is a chance, albiet probably small (looking at things at this moment), yet he's still a lame duck in essence because you know the team probably wants someone else in there, but the choices now are not good.

It's not a decision that makes me happy, but I think it's the best way to salvage things right now. It's a salvage job, and a holding pattern, with some possibilities for a change in the planned approach, if Coughlin manages to succeed next year. (which I ain't counting on)

you're misunderstanding me... i think the Giants COULD have gotten Cowher if they were willing to pay the big dollars to get him... that's the only reason i'm so disappointed... i don't want to see Coughlin stick around for an extra year & get fired after next season... it's pointless & a waste of time... Strahan's not getting any younger & i don't want to see the same type of boneheaded mistakes or the lockerroom discord from this this team for another season... i agree that hiring an interim coach in place of Coughlin would have been pointless as well... i believe if you want to land the big fish you need to go out with the right bait & go get him... you don't sit at the dock with the same crusty old worm on your hook & hope you catch a big one someday.

I suppose I'm just not sure I understand how you KNOW the Giants can get Cowher now. I think we as Giant fans and the Giants WANT Cowher now, but he has to not be on the table for the Giants to re-up Coughlin for one year. Unless you think the Giants organization are completely inept, which I have heard before, and isn't an argument without validity. However, I think if the Giants thought they could get him, or someone they liked, they would fire Coughlin. I think they are probably set on trying for Cowher, and the other options don't make them excited enough so they gamble on holding Coughlin for now.

u think most fans give a rat's hairy arse about the friendship between the Mara's & the Roonies? we pay huge ticket prices to go to games so we can root for the best possible team... we want & deserve the best possible coach available, & right now his name is Bill Cowher... he retired already from the Steelers, so that makes him fair game... this is a business & should be run as such... you don't put personal interests over the best interests of the fans who support your franchise.

Posted by PresIke:

I suppose I'm just not sure I understand how you KNOW the Giants can get Cowher now. I think we as Giant fans and the Giants WANT Cowher now, but he has to not be on the table for the Giants to re-up Coughlin for one year. Unless you think the Giants organization are completely inept, which I have heard before, and isn't an argument without validity. However, I think if the Giants thought they could get him, or someone they liked, they would fire Coughlin. I think they are probably set on trying for Cowher, and the other options don't make them excited enough so they gamble on holding Coughlin for now.

like i said, if waiting a year means we're definitely getting him next year, fine... i can be patient... i just don't see why we have to wait a year when everything he's looking for is right here... he'd be close to family, he'd be coaching for 1 of the original NFL franchises w/a ton of tradition & prestige to add to his resume, he'd be inheriting a roster of talented players that are already built to win so no real growing pains other than implementing his own system, & he'd get paid the way he wants (unless the Giants don't want to shell out the big bucks to get him)... all i know is that if Cowher ends up coaching for the Redskins, Cowboys or some other franchise next season, i'm gonna go off on a rampage & it won't be pretty.

Posted by TMS:

right... & that should always take precedence over the respect & dignity they owe to the fans who line their pockets i guess... please don't preach to me about how the Mara's have run their franchise over the years... i have all the love in the world for them as owners, but this is a moronic decision to bring back Coughlin & there really isn't anything you can say to me to prove otherwise... i don't see how rewarding underachievement & a season full of turmoil & consistently bad mental breakdowns on the field of play helps this franchise going forward.

As long as you put the onus on the players as well, I'll agree with you. This should not be left on Coughlins shoulders alone. I'm of the stance that Coughlin has done NOTHING here, good or bad. I don't think he's helped this team and I don't think he's hurt the team, but he needs to do more on the plus side. We all know Coughlin is meticulous and as Bill would say "wants to shop for the groceries if he's going to cook the meal" so I'm ok with giving him a year at bringing in his own players and give him next year to improve.

Doesn't this sound familiar

Posted by PresIke:

You may think that the Giants can get him if they "throw a boat load of money" at him, but Cowboy and Redskin fans are probably thinking the same thing man, and those teams are fine with spending, so why can't they instead of us, if your claim is true?

the Giants offer him the opportunity he's looking for in being closer to his family, as well as all the rest of the ideal situations i outlined earlier... if he truly doesn't want to coach again this season, then fine... the Giants better have at least done their due diligence on the guy & inquired if he would consider the job before deciding not to be "disrespectful" to their friends & keeping around a clueless head coach for another season... i am of the opposite mind that if there was any team the Steelers' owners would want to see him coaching for, it would be the Giants, & i think he's served them for enough years that they wouldn't begrudge him if he decided to coach here either.