Tom Coughlin - Pro Football Rumors

Giants, Tom Coughlin Parting Ways

January 4th, 2016 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Tom Coughlin has informed his assistants that the Giants are making a head coaching change, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Schefter adds (via Twitter) that Coughlin will be “stepping down” from his position, though that may be just for the sake of appearances, since the Giants weren’t expected to retain him. According to Schefter (via Twitter), Coughlin made the decision to step down before the Giants had the chance to ask if he wanted to stay.

“I met with John Mara and Steve Tisch this afternoon, and I informed them that it is in the best interest of the organization that I step down as head coach,” Coughlin said in a statement, per Schefter. “I strongly believe the time is right for me and my family, and as I said, the Giants organization.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as head coach of the New York Football Giants. This is a not a sad occasion for me. I have spent 15 years with this organization as an assistant and head coach and was fortunate to be part of three Super Bowl winning teams. A Lombardi Trophy every five years is an achievement in which we all take great pride.”

Coughlin, who previously served as head coach of the Jaguars, led the Giants to a 102-90 record during his 12 seasons with the team. He also added eight victories in 11 postseason contests, with all of those wins coming in two seasons – 2007 and 2011 – during which the Giants won the Super Bowl.

In recent years, however, Coughlin’s Giants have struggled, having failed to earn a postseason berth since that 2011 Super Bowl season. After going 9-7 in 2012, New York has had three straight losing years, finishing 6-10 in a weak NFC East in 2015 and sealing Coughlin’s fate.

The Giants become the sixth team seeking a new head coach this winter, joining the 49ers, Dolphins, Browns, Titans, and Eagles as the clubs in the market for someone new. The New York job figures to be one of the more appealing openings, given the franchise’s history of success, its ownership group, and a talented offense led by Eli Manning and Odell Beckham.

The architect of that offense for the last two seasons has been offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, and he’ll be an interesting name to watch this offseason. There had been speculation that the Giants were grooming McAdoo as Coughlin’s eventual replacement, but it’s not clear if the team believes he’s ready for the head coaching position at this time. Manning has enjoyed two of the best seasons of his career under McAdoo, and figures to want his offensive coordinator to stick around, whether it’s in his current role or with a promotion. The Eagles also reportedly have interest in McAdoo.

Although the Giants’ offense has remained fairly effective, the roster has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, and a lack of talent is partially to blame for the club’s struggles. General manager Jerry Reese, the man responsible for putting together the roster, has seen his draft record questioned recently, but he doesn’t appear to be in danger of losing his job, as Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network tweets.

Coughlin had been the NFL’s third-longest-tenured head coach prior to today, trailing only Bill Belichick (Patriots) and Marvin Lewis (Bengals). While today’s move was called a resignation, it’s not a retirement. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that Coughlin will have interest in coaching again, if the right opportunity arises.

Coach Rumors: Coughlin, Shula, Shaw, McCoy

January 4th, 2016 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants have yet to announce a decision one way or the other on head coach Tom Coughlin, but it sounds like we’ll find out shortly whether the club will be in the market for a new coach. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Coughlin is scheduled to meet with Giants ownership at 1:00 pm eastern time, and it appears a decision has been made.

As we wait to find out Coughlin’s fate, let’s check in on a few other coaching-related notes and rumors….

Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula figures to draw interest from teams searching for a head coach, but he doesn’t plan to interview while Carolina remains alive in the postseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Since the Panthers aren’t scheduled to play until the divisional round, that would mean any potential suitors for Shula would have to wait until at least January 17th, and possibly later, to interview him, which could reduce interest.
Rapoport also provides an update on David Shaw, tweeting that the Stanford coach plans to remain in his current role, despite the possibility of garnering interest from the 49ers and/or Colts.
Chargers head coach Mike McCoy is scheduled to address the media later today, and as Ben Higgins of 10News in San Diego tweets, that looks like a positive sign for McCoy, since teams don’t typically schedule presser for coaches that are being fired.
The Browns‘ unusual approach to their coaching and GM searches could complicate the process for the team, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Since executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown will have final say on the 53-man roster, rival teams will have the option of blocking their own executives from interviewing for Cleveland’s GM job. The Browns also plan to hire a head coach before landing a GM, so while it may be appealing for a head coaching candidate to have the opportunity to bring in his own personnel guy, that guy would have to be unemployed, or employed by a team willing to let him go.
Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is among the candidates the Eagles are expected to consider for their head coaching job, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.

East Notes: Coughlin, Eagles, Fins, Jets, Hardy

January 3rd, 2016 at 6:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Beleaguered Giants head coach Tom Coughlin isn’t a lock to go quietly, according to Pro Football Talk. The site tweets that Coughlin’s resignation isn’t definite, which would obviously require the team to fire the longtime coach if it wants to get rid of him. It isn’t out of the question that Coughlin will end up back with Big Blue for a 13th season, as co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch could be at odds over his fate, per PFT.

Mara and Tisch will meet Monday to discuss Coughlin’s future, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Vacchiano adds (on Twitter) that neither Coughlin’s assistant coaches nor some members of his family know his fate.

More from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase will interview with the Eagles and Dolphins regarding their head coaching vacancies in the coming days, ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini reports (Twitter link).
Speaking of the Dolphins, while they’re unlikely to promote interim head coach Dan Campbell to the full-time role, his players hope he gets the job. “I know, 100 percent, he has the support of the locker room,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Sunday, ESPN’s James Walker writes. Owner Stephen Ross had kind words for Campbell after Miami’s 20-10 victory over New England, but he doesn’t exactly sound ready to promote the 39-year-old. “I guess in 2016, we are undefeated. It’s 2015 that I am disappointed in and the way this team,” Ross said. “But I really have to thank Dan Campbell for the great job I think he’s done in really elevating this team. I’m very pleased with that.”
Though Pro Bowl Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson suffered a broken leg Sunday in the team’s season-ending loss to Buffalo, he’ll make a full, normal recovery, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter). As La Canfora notes, despite the injury, the free agent-to-be is in position to earn a big payday this offseason.
Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, a pending free agent, wants to return to Dallas next season. “If the Cowboys offer me an opportunity to stay, I would love to stay here,” he said, per ESPN’s Jean-Jacques Taylor. Owner Jerry Jones seems open to re-signing Hardy. “He was an outstanding player and we may not have gotten his individual sack total up, but he made an impact across the board. He was a good player for us, and we’ll evaluate real close any good player.”

Giants’ Tom Coughlin Could Resign Monday

January 1st, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It appears the Giants’ matchup with the NFC East rival Eagles on Sunday will bring about the end of Tom Coughlin’s 12-year tenure with Big Blue. The two-time Super Bowl winner will resign after the game, sources tell Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo.

Whether Coughlin steps down or the Giants fire him, it does look as if his reign with the team that hired him in 2004 will inevitably conclude after the season. Given the Giants’ inability to take advantage of their place in a mediocre-at-best division in 2015, questions about Coughlin’s job security have abounded throughout the campaign. The 6-9 Giants will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season under Coughlin’s watch. The 69-year-old had previously led the Giants to playoff berths in five of his first eight seasons in New York. Two of those berths ended in titles for the Giants, who won eight-plus games in eight of Coughlin’s first nine seasons at the helm. Since 2013, however, the Giants haven’t had a season in which they’ve finished .500 or above, going an ugly 19-28 along the way. Nevertheless, Coughlin has amassed a solid regular-season record in New York (102-89). That, combined with his pair of championships and earlier success in Jacksonville (68-60, four playoff appearances from 1995-2002), could ultimately send him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

While it’s too early to speculate on replacements for a coach who is still employed, the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano wrote Friday that the Saints’ Sean Payton and Alabama’s Nick Saban should both be targets to replace Coughlin. Last week, Vacchiano reported that Giants owner John Mara‘s ideal scenario included retaining Coughlin as the head coach and eventually handing the reins to offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

Coaching Rumors: Giants, Browns, Dolphins, Eagles

January 1st, 2016 at 5:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

If the Giants go the expected route and fire longtime head coach Tom Coughlin in the coming days, his act will be a tough one to follow in New York. Coughlin’s 12-year run with the Giants has been fruitful, likely Hall of Fame-worthy, with the 69-year-old having helped the franchise to 102 regular-season victories and a pair of Super Bowl titles. The Giants’ next coach should be someone capable of that type of success, someone to enliven a disenchanted fan base, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Vacchiano suggests Giants owner John Mara should take a swing-for-the-fences approach and target either Saints coach Sean Payton or Alabama’s Nick Saban to succeed Coughlin.

Vacchiano doesn’t believe the Giants are in position to hire a neophyte as their next coach, though he acknowledges that neither Payton nor Saban will be easy to land. Payton is still under contract with the Saints for two more years and makes over $8MM per annum, but it’s possible he’ll seek another opportunity this offseason. If so, the team that hires Payton will need to give him a similar contract in terms of value and send compensation to New Orleans in the form of one or more draft picks. Saban is similarly paid at $7MM a year. A large price tag shouldn’t stand in the way of hiring either for the big-market Giants, Vacchiano opines.

Elsewhere on the coaching landscape. . .

Browns head coach Mike Pettine‘s short tenure with the team is likely to end after Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, Rand Getlin of NFL.com reports (Twitter link).
If the Browns do fire Pettine, they could replace him with Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Cleveland has done its homework on Gase, as have the Dolphins, according to La Canfora. The Eagles are another possibility for his services.
Speaking of the Eagles, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is an under-the-radar candidate for Chip Kelly‘s former job, per Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (Twitter link). Guenther, 48, is a native Pennsylvanian whose defense leads the league in points per game allowed (17.5).

Coaching Notes: McCoy, Giants, Titans, Dolphins

January 1st, 2016 at 10:52am CST by Rob DiRe

With “Black Monday” approaching, there should be a number of decisions made on coaches across the league. Kevin Acee of the Union-Times San Diego argues that Chargers head coach Mike McCoy should among those fired at season’s end.

Here are some other notes from around NFL head coaching positions:

Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly may have taken himself out of the running for the Giants’ head coaching job, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. He said he’d be unlikely to give up full control unless an NFL team was able to offer him the same privileges.
The Giants haven’t fired Tom Coughlin yet, but the head coach hasn’t turned to the media to make a case for himself, writes Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News. Rather than talk about his future, he’d rather focus on winning in Week 17.
While the Titans are exploring their next head coaching candidates, Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 has picked out three potential fits among former NFL head coaches. He writes that Jim Schwartz, Chip Kelly, and Mike Smith would all be fits in Tennessee.
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald plays a similar game as Marvez, picking out potential head coaches for the Dolphins. He puts Sean Payton and Chip Kelly at the top of his wish list.
Speaking of the Dolphins job, if Chuck Pagano is fired in Indianapolis, Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com believes that Pagano could be a fit in Miami (via Twitter).
The Eagles have obstacles to climb in order to find a new head coach, as they are looking for a new leader without a quarterback of the future and without a second-round pick, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. If they beat the Giants, they won’t have a top-10 pick in this draft either.

Coaching Rumors: Meyer, Kelly, Saban, Coughlin

December 30th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer told reporters Wednesday that he recently spurned an NFL team’s advances, Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk writes.

Asked if the team was the Browns, Meyer said, “I’m not going there. I’ll just say [a team] reached out.”

Meyer added that he’s content at the college level and expressed wariness toward making the jump to the pros.

“The NFL, Chip Kelly is one of my closest friends, Greg Schiano is one of my closest friends. A lot of times they say college coaches don’t make it very well. I don’t know who makes it well. People are getting fired left and right. Pete Carroll has done very well.”

In other coaching news. . .

Although Kelly’s career in Philadelphia is over, he could end up with another head coaching job in the league in the coming weeks. With that in mind, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined some possible landing spots for Kelly. The Titans, Browns, 49ers, Dolphins or Colts could all be his next stop.
With coaching searches fast approaching, Albert Breer of NFL.com lists the candidates most likely to draw interest. Kelly is one of them. Interestingly, so is Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The Mara family is fond of him, per Breer, which might make the Giants a fit. The Colts are also a possibility, as they could offer Saban control over their roster – not to mention they have a 26-year-old franchise quarterback in place.
For Saban to end up with the Giants, they’ll first have to fire two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin. That appears likely to happen, as a source told the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano that plenty in the team’s front office want to move on from Coughlin. It’s believed that one of those people is co-owner Steve Tisch.

Tom Coughlin Unlikely To Remain With Giants

December 30th, 2015 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

While one NFC East team parted ways with its head coach on Tuesday, it doesn’t appear the Giants will emulate the head Eagles and announce a decision on their own coach until next week. However, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the odds of Tom Coughlin remaining with New York for the 2016 season are “slim, at best.”

The thinking within the Giants’ organization, per Raanan, is that the club could have won a few more games this year if Coughlin had been at the top of his game. In laying out the potential scenarios for coaching and/or front office changes, Raanan suggests that replacing Coughlin and keeping GM Jerry Reese is the most likely outcome in New York, since the team simply doesn’t fire general managers.

If Coughlin departs, whether that means the Giants firing him or the veteran head coach announcing his retirement, the team will have to address what to do with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. When McAdoo assumed his current role two years ago, he was viewed as a possible long-term replacement for Coughlin, and he has done some good work with Eli Manning. However, the club may not think he’s ready for a head coaching job quite yet, and a new head coach may want to bring in his own offensive coordinator.

Whatever the Giants decide, it seems inevitable that change will be coming to the team within the next week or so. Raanan writes that standing pat is the least likely scenario for the Giants, adding that it’s “close to incomprehensible at this point.”

NFC East Notes: Bradford, Coughlin, Romo

December 29th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur anticipates that quarterback Sam Bradford will re-sign with the team this offseason, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. Bradford, of course, is eligible for free agency, but the Eagles will have the franchise tag at their disposal if they want – or need – to use it, and the former first overall pick could agree to a new deal with or without being franchised.

“I expect him to [re-sign],” Shurmur said. “He’s all along expressed to us that he enjoys what we’re doing. He likes our offense, he likes the culture here. And so it’s no surprise that that was revealed publicly. But, yeah, I hope he’s here for sure.”

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

The Giants will have a tough decision to make if they want to move on from coach Tom Coughlin. However, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com wonders if Coughlin could make things easier on the organization by simply walking away himself.
If the Giants make a coaching change, they should go after current Saints coach Sean Payton, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News opines. Furthermore, Myers feels that if Coughlin goes, GM Jerry Reese should also be shown the door based on his disappointing results in recent drafts (with Odell Beckham Jr., of course, standing as an exception).
After fracturing his collarbone twice this season, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is considering having a plate inserted in an attempt to prevent further injuries, as Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Davison also passes along Romo’s comments on his future and on the possibility of the Cowboys drafting a quarterback.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

East Notes: Coughlin, Grimes, Eagles, Pats

December 28th, 2015 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

Asked after Sunday night’s embarrassing loss to the Vikings about his job security, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin insisted that he’s not worried about it, and that it’ll “take care of itself,” according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.

While Coughlin claims he’s not concerned about his future with the Giants, he probably should be, says Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who adds that the “walls are closing in” on the team’s longtime head coach. Graziano adds that there was a strange vibe in New York’s locker room after Sunday’s game, suggesting that players seem somewhat resigned to Coughlin’s potential fate, despite the fact that most of those players still strongly support and respect the coach.

As we wait to see what the next couple weeks hold for the Giants and Coughlin, let’s check in on some other notes out of the NFL’s East divisions….

As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, members of the Dolphins‘ front office, including Mike Tannenbaum, aren’t thrilled with the attention that Brent Grimes‘ wife, Miko Grimes, brings to the organization. After being arrested before a game earlier this season, she has recently been critical of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as well as certain local media members. Although her outspoken nature may not significantly impact Grimes’ future in Miami, it’s fair to wonder if it’ll be taken into consideration if the club explores the possibility of cutting the cornerback or asking him to take a pay cut.
After Jason Peters removed himself from Saturday’s game against Washington, reports surfaced that the Eagles’ veteran tackle didn’t want to risk further injury for a team that wasn’t headed to the playoffs. Confirming that story, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News explores what it might mean for Peters and Chip Kelly in 2016.
The Patriots took another injury hit on Sunday when starting tackle Sebastian Vollmer went down with a sprained ankle, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Vollmer has an MRI scheduled for Monday.
The fact that the usually-effusive Jerry Jones wasn’t even willing to talk to reporters following the Cowboys‘ latest loss is a reflection of how bad things have gotten in Dallas this season, says Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. It’ll be interesting to see whether the frustrating year results in major offseason changes, or if the Joneses will simply count on Tony Romo‘s return to reverse the team’s fortunes in 2016.