Former Eagles linebackers coach will lead Big Blue's defense.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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January 22, 2007

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –Tom Coughlin stayed close to home to find his new defensive coordinator, as the newest addition to his staff was residing just down the New Jersey Turnpike and in the NFC East.

The Giants’ head coach today named Steve Spagnuolo to head the team's defense. Spagnuolo replaces Tim Lewis, who was dismissed on Jan. 11 after three seasons as the Giants' defensive coordinator.

Spagnuolo comes to the Giants after eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, the last three as the club's linebackers coach. While he was in that role, middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was selected to two Pro Bowl berths. In 2005, Trotter was voted to the game after leading the Eagles with 169 tackles, including 13 for a loss. That season, Philadelphia led the NFL with 60 tackles for a loss, including 25 by the linebackers.

Spagnuolo was the only coach to work under highly-respected defensive coordinator Jim Johnson during his entire tenure in Philadelphia. During six of his eight seasons with the Eagles, Spagnuolo coached a player who earned Pro Bowl honors.

“I was very impressed by his detail, his energy and his enthusiasm,” Coughlin said. “His resume is outstanding. He’s had a lot of different football jobs. He’s been in the scouting end of it, he’s been a defensive line coach. When he first went to Philadelphia eight years ago he coached the corners and then the safeties. The last three years, he’s coached the linebackers there. He’s been with Jim Johnson and that outstanding defense for a number of years. His philosophy is an aggressive philosophy. I like his background. He’s been a coordinator at the college level. He’s been a coordinator in the World League. He’s worked for Jack Bicknell, who is a wonderful guy and an excellent football coach. I’m very impressed and very excited to have him on board.”

Coughlin wanted a coordinator who had worked for and learned under outstanding coaches. In addition to Johnson, Spagnuolo is close to Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid, who has led the Eagles to five NFC East titles in the last six seasons.

“He goes back a long way with Andy Reid, way back to the college level,” Coughlin said. “They’re not only fellow coaches, but they’re friends. It is a plus that he would be someone who knows our division, but it’s also a plus that he comes from a program which has Andy Reid as the head coach and Jim Johnson as the defensive coordinator.”

After two seasons of improvement, the Giants’ defense took a step back in 2006. The unit was ranked 25th in overall defense in 2006, allowing an average of 342.4 yards a game. That was a 15 yards-per-game increase over the 2005 figure. The Giants ranked 14th against the run (114.4 yards a game, an 11-yard increase over the previous season) and 28th vs. the pass (228.1 yards a game, a modest four-yard increase).

The Giants allowed 362 points, a 48-point increase over their 2005 total. The team’s point total had declined significantly in each of the previous two seasons.

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Spagnuolo said. “I’m excited and certainly proud to be a part of the New York Giants. When you think of the NFL and you think of NFL football, there are certain teams that jump out in your head and I think the Giants are one of them. I think it goes without saying that I’m a lucky, lucky man to have the opportunity to hold that position with that particular team.

“When you’re in the business I’m in you aspire to be in certain positions and coordinator was one that I wanted,” Spagnuolo said. “There are only 32 of them in this league and I don’t think you ever say no to them. Every year in this league is going to be a challenge, so I look at this as another one and I’m looking forward to it.”

Spagnuolo (pronounced SPAG-no-low) helped coach an Eagles defense that is traditionally one of the NFL’s best. This season, Philadelphia ranked 15th in the NFL, allowing 328.1 yards a game. The Eagles were 26th against the run (136.4) but ninth versus the pass (191.7). Philadelphia allowed 328 points, tying the Eagles with Atlanta for 15th in the league.

Spagnuolo will likely retain the Giants’ base 4-3 defensive look, but he has experience coaching a 3-4 defense.

“We’ve discussed in detail a variety of opportunities for fronts, but again, it’s based on personnel and we’re going to give him a chance to really get in here and take a hard look at our personnel,” Coughlin said. “Steve is familiar with the fire zone theories. He’s also familiar with absolute blitz coverage, which obviously you’ve seen over the years from the Philadelphia defense. I just thought it was such an attractive commodity to have a guy who has worked to a great extent and in great detail with one of the recognized outstanding defensive coaches in our league.”

“You guys (reporters) have seen the Giants-Eagles contests the last few years,” Spagnuolo said. “That’s obviously going to be the bulk of what I am and what I do, because I believe in it. It’s been successful. But I will pick pieces and parts of where I’ve been in a lot of different places. This business is a beg, borrow and steal business, so whenever you can get an idea of something new or innovative, you try to incorporate it into what you have and what you do. I’ll try to put all of the pieces together and come up with something new.”

If Spagnuolo is to successfully implement his schemes, the Giants will likely add some new talent on the defensive side of the ball. But both Coughlin and Spagnuolo sidestepped questions about personnel.

“Those discussions are forthcoming,” Coughlin said. “We have not really gotten into all of the detailed discussions on personnel, with Jerry Reese just being named general manager. Those discussions are really forthcoming. We have taken a hard look basically at our team, but moving forward we have other discussions coming.”

“I haven’t had time yet to really make any decisions that way,” Spagnulo said. “I’m looking forward to getting together with the defensive staff and Coach Coughlin. That will be the gist of what we do at the beginning, but I don’t have a good feel for that right now. You have to remember, when you’re playing either in the conference or someone in the NFL and you’re on defense, you’re kind of honed in to their offense.”

Spagnuolo originally joined the Eagles coaching staff in 1999 as a defensive assistant/quality control coach working specifically with the team's safeties. Two years later, he was promoted to defensive backs coach, where he spent three seasons tutoring Pro Bowlers Brian Dawkins, Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent and Michael Lewis. In those three seasons, the Eagles pass defense ranked in the NFL's top 10 in three key statistical categories: third-down defense, touchdown passes allowed and net yards per pass attempt.

Now he is the latest player or coach to move from one team to the other in one of the NFL’s best rivalries, Giants-Eagles. Current linebackers Carlos Emmons and Dhani Jones made the switch. So did current New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, who jumped from the Eagles to the Giants in 1999.

For the first time in his career, Spagnuolo will coach against Reid instead of with him. He’ll certainly be familiar with the Philadelphia offense.

“I guess there’ll be a slight advantage, but I would say this: I don’t know that that slight advantage is going to make the difference between winning and losing,” Spagnuolo said. “The advantage I guess I’ll have is I’ll know the personnel a little bit better. But when you go back and forth – offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and you’re making calls – I may know what they do, but I don’t know what they’re going to do on that play. They don’t know what I’m going to do on the play that’s about to come up. Maybe knowing personnel will help, but that’s a good football team down there and I’m anticipating we’ll have a good one. I think it will be like all Giants and Eagles games – hard fought, good, tough football games.”

Prior to joining the Eagles, Spagnuolo, 47, spent 15 seasons in the collegiate coaching ranks and two years in NFL Europe.

He spent the 1998 season as the defensive coordinator of NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy, who finished second in the league in total defense en route to a World Bowl appearance. Four of the six linebackers and nine of the 11 defensive starters he tutored went on to play in the NFL. Spagnuolo also served as the defensive line and special teams coach of the Barcelona Dragons in 1992.

A native of Grafton, Mass. Spagnuolo has served as a defensive coordinator on the college level with Connecticut and Maine. In addition, he served as assistant coach at Massachusetts, Lafayette, Rutgers and Bowling Green.

Prior to his stint at Maine, Spagnuolo spent four months as a scout for the San Diego Chargers under then-general manager Bobby Beathard. His first NFL experience came in 1983 as an intern with the Washington Redskins under then-assistant general manager Charlie Casserly.

Spagnuolo was born on Dec. 21, 1959 in Whitinsville, Mass. He attended Grafton High School and earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Springfield (Mass.) College and a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts. He is married (Maria).

Posted by TMS:

if nothing else it gives the Giants an insider on what defensive schemes the Eagles like to play, so it's a positive in that regard... hopefully he can help to develop Corey Webster into a good DB the way he helped guys like Brian Dawkins & Lito Sheppard in Philly... if the Giants draft a LB like i think they should, he will hopefully work well w/him also like he did w/Jeremiah Trotter.