The Tom Coughlin Act Is Wearing Thin In New York

Added on Sep 29, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

The Tom Coughlin might get fired watch is on… again. This isn’t the first time Big Blue’s head honcho has found himself on the proverbial hot seat. An 0-2 start in 2007 had many calling for his head. Of course, he went on to win the Super Bowl against the undefeated Patriots and immediately became the second-coming of Bill Parcells. However, a disappointing 2009 season which saw the Giants lose eight of their last eleven games, coupled with this year’s 1-2 record, has the lynch mob growing restless.

Dumb penalties, costly turnovers, attitude problems and a lack of focus and desire has plagued the G-Men for the last eleven months. Most coaches, when faced with mounting pressure, will close ranks, take the brunt of the criticism and attempt to rally the team. Not Tom Coughlin. Rather than deflect the bullets himself, he instead chose to push one of his own players into oncoming traffic. When speaking with the New York Post, Coughlin lobbed the following grenade regarding Hakeem Nicks’ key drop versus the Titans:

“Why this is taking place with Hakeem? You got to catch that ball. You would expect a guy at this level, if he gets his hands on the ball he’d better catch the ball. Period.”

Is Coughlin right? Absolutely. NFL receivers should catch everything thrown their way. That being said, singling out one guy, who happens to have scored four of the Giants seven touchdowns, might not go over too well in the locker room.

His dictatorial coaching style has caused problems going back to his days in Jacksonville. The guy doesn’t subscribe to coddling well-paid athletes, nor should he. Nevertheless, a lot of today’s players don’t respond well to being publicly bashed by their head coach. It should serve as motivation and light a fire under their asses, but it often has the reverse effect.

Coughlin is dealing with a plethora of issues right now. The offensive line has been decimated by injuries. Eli Manning won’t stop throwing awful interceptions. Brandon Jacobs has turned into a whining malcontent. Now is not the time to lose the locker room.

It’s still too early to flip the panic switch. Tommy boy has worked wonders in the past. Winning, as they say, cures all. Although, upcoming games against the 3-0 Bears and 2-1 Texans leaves little room for error. If the Giants continue to play a uninspired and sloppy brand of football, it could be curtains for Coughlin. Hmm… I hear Bill Cowher is available.