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Tom Coughlin

East Notes: JPP, Giants, Washington, Jets

October 3rd, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is some news coming out of the Eastern divisions …

  • A recent report stating Jason Pierre-Paul will re-join the Giants in two weeks came as news to Tom Coughlin, according to James Kratch of NJ.com. “I don’t know anything about that,” Coughlin told media at a charity function. This wouldn’t be the first time the New York staff has been in the dark on this unique saga that’s continued to unearth new layers.
  • Exorbitantly paid kick returner Dwayne Harris looks like the Giants’ next man up at receiver now that Victor Cruz‘s timetable has been further delayed and Preston Parker being cut, per Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo also floated the idea out of Shane Vereen being used as a receiver, an idea that may be more efficient than using Harris (one target this season). The former Cowboys return man has 33 career catches; Vereen’s made 119 since being drafted in 2011.
  • Even if he’s not burdened by it, Ryan Kerrigan wants to show the Washington organization made the right investment in signing him to a five-year, $57.5MM deal this offseason, notes ESPN.com’s John Keim. “That’s a lot of personal pride. I got that big contract and I want to show I’m worthy of it. Of course you want to justify it, but it’s not something like I wake up every day and say I’ve got to [justify] it,” Kerrigan said. With a half-sack through three games, Kerrigan’s a bit behind the 13.5-sack pace he set a year ago.
  • The current plan in Washington is to use recently signed veteran Mason Foster on special teams behind the team’s current third inside linebacker, undrafted rookie Terrance Plummer, while Perry Riley is injured, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com.
  • Brandon Marshall‘s rejuvenated start with the Jets doesn’t mean as much for his long-term prospects unless one of Gang Green’s complementary targets can become consistent, Jets wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell told Seth Walder of the New York Daily News. “Someone has to step up, because if we don’t have guys that step up, they’ll find a way to take away Brandon Marshall with getting him in double coverage,” Dorrell said. “He’s effectively able to get open in some of those situations, but not all the time.” Marshall’s 23 receptions for 272 yards are well ahead of his career-worst pace established last season.

East Notes: Brady, Coughlin, Brooks

July 19th, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Rory Parks

We still do not know what will come of the Tom Brady saga, but as we await Roger Goodell‘s final decision on Brady’s suspension, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe provides something of a different perspective on the story. Although it has been widely assumed that Brady would file a lawsuit against the NFL and seek an injunction to stay his suspension unless it is completely wiped out, that decision could be harder than it appears.

After all, although a lawsuit carries little legal risk for Brady–he would not have to share any evidence like text messages or emails, and any sworn statements he makes would likely replicate what he has already said–the on-field ramifications could be a different matter. On the one hand, a lawsuit could delay the process so long that Brady ends up playing the entire 2015 season, but he could also lose in court and be forced to serve the suspension later in the 2015 campaign when the Patriots are fighting for playoff positioning. A loss, of course, would also lend a great deal of validation to Brady’s critics and would cast a pall over his career. Plus, even if he were able to get the suspension lifted, the NFL could appeal and potentially have the suspension restored later in the season.

Brady will have a lot to mull over when Goodell finally hands down his decision, and out of everyone who Brady may consult as he decides how to proceed, it is difficult to find a truly impartial adviser. As Volin writes, “Realistically, only one person can truly decide what’s best for Tom Brady — the man himself. Hopefully, he understands that.”

Now let’s take a look at some more links from the team’s east divisions:

NFC Mailbags: Giants, Panthers, Cowboys

July 18th, 2015 at 11:37am CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift our focus to the NFC…

  • General manager Jerry Reese deserves more criticism for the current state of the Giants roster than head coach Tom Coughlin, says Dan Graziano. Regardless, the writer points to the organizations lack of turnover at the position (three different GMs in 37 years), which leads him to believe that Reese will be sticking around.
  • The Panthers have some room to work with under the cap, but David Newton writes that there’s no need to rush negotiations with their extension candidates. The team has Luke Kuechly wrapped up through the 2016 season, and the same goes for Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short. Cornerback Josh Norman is set to become a free agent following the season, but Newton isn’t convinced that the team will pay him what he may be seeking.
  • Todd Archer believes fans shouldn’t be counting on the Cowboys to sign another running back. As the writer describes, the coaching staff seems set on their current grouping of Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar.
  • Archer is also a fan of the Dez Bryant contract, and he believes the wideout received a fair amount of money. Meanwhile, Archer disagrees with the theory that the Cowboys haven’t invested in their defense. He points to the contracts handed out to Brandon Carr, Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick, as well as the drafting of Morris Claiborne, Byron Jones and Randy Gregory.

Giants’ Tom Coughlin Signs Extension

March 11th, 2015 at 7:24pm CST by Luke Adams

7:24pm: The Giants have officially extended Coughlin’s contract through the 2016 season, tweets Schwartz.

MARCH 11, 4:22pm: Coughlin’s one-year extension will be announced soon, perhaps even Wednesday afternoon, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter).

FEBRUARY 23: During his press conference at the combine in Indianapolis, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said that extension talks between he and the team had occurred, and he would soon be able to provide an update on that front. It appears that update will come today. According to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (via Twitter), the expectation is that Coughlin will sign a one-year extension with the Giants after he returns from the combine today.

Almost exactly a year ago to the day, Coughlin agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Giants, and it looks like his new deal will be another one-year pact. While the longtime coach joked at season’s end that he thinks he has at least another decade in him, he’ll turn 69 before the 2015 season begins, so it makes sense that he and the club would keep agreeing to short-term extensions rather than a multiyear pact. Coughlin’s current contract would have expired at the end of the coming season, so tacking on an extra year will allow him to avoid heading into the year as a lame-duck coach.

For a time during the 2014 season, the Giants were playing so poorly that it seemed as if it could be Coughlin’s last year in New York. However, the team won three of its last four games, and the emergence of rookie wideout Odell Beckham in the season’s second half provided some optimism for the franchise going forward. Coughlin also had to deal with an unusual number of injuries in ’14 — per Spotrac, no club finished the season with more players on the injured reserve list than the Giants, who had 22 guys on IR.

Financial terms of Coughlin’s new deal aren’t yet known, but if he earns a similar salary to his previous contract, his one-year compensation figures to be in the neighborhood of $7MM.

NFC East Notes: Murray, Giants, Cowboys

January 14th, 2015 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Professional Football Writers of America’s awards aren’t official, they often foreshadow the results of the AP voting, and if that’s the case this year, that’s good news for Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. The PFWA selected Murray as the Offensive Player of the Year after a season in which he ran away with the NFL’s rushing title by nearly 500 yards (Twitter link). Murray joins MVP Aaron Rodgers and Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt as today’s PFWA honorees.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • Appearing on WFAN Sports Radio in New York today, Giants co-owner John Mara said he hasn’t discussed a new contract with head coach Tom Coughlin yet, though he expects those discussion to take place “fairly soon.” Mara also identified the Giants’ offensive line as the position most in need of an upgrade (Twitter links via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
  • The Giants have hired former Rams defensive coordinator Tim Walton as their defensive backs/secondary coach, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
  • Former agent Joel Corry examines the upcoming offseason decisions for the Cowboys in a piece at CBSSports.com, focusing on the club’s cap situation, along with its two notable free-agents-to-be, Dez Bryant and Murray. While Corry views the franchise tag as a near-lock for Bryant if no long-term agreement is reached, he’s less certain the team will retain Murray, pointing out that while running backs haven’t done well on the open market recently, one of Murray’s caliber hasn’t become available for quite some time. Earlier today, we heard that Murray was a good bet to reach the open market in March.
  • Cowboys offensive coordinator Bill Callahan will pursue other possibilities so he’s unlikely to re-sign with Dallas during the exclusivity period, according to ESPN.com’s Ed Werder (via Twitter).

Giants Notes: Coughlin, JPP, Fewell, Eli

December 30th, 2014 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Giants co-owner John Mara, head coach Tom Coughlin, and general manager Jerry Reese all spoke to reporters today in New York, and touched on a few notable topics along the way. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlights from the presser, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (all Twitter links):

John Mara:

  • Mara stressed that he still believes in Coughlin, Reese, and the rest of the staff, despite disappointing results on the field in the last two seasons.
  • While Mara said the fates of the coaching assistants will ultimately be Coughlin’s decision, he conceded that “the defense did not play well.”
  • The Giants typically won’t let a coach head into the final year of his contract without an extension, but Mara hasn’t yet decided whether or not he’ll extend Coughlin’s deal, which expires after the 2015 campaign. Asked if ’15 would be a “win or else” season for Coughlin and others, Mara said he didn’t consider that an unfair stance.
  • Mara admitted that after the team’s loss to the Jaguars earlier in the season, he wanted to “fire everybody.”
  • Mara would be “very surprised” if Jason Pierre-Paul isn’t a Giant next season. While he cautioned that the price would have to be right, the Giants co-owner acknowledged that the franchise tag will be an option for retaining JPP.

Tom Coughlin:

  • Asked about the job security of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, Coughlin said he’s “evaluating everything,” but also strongly defended the embattled DC. Asked if he felt like players responded to Fewell, Coughlin replied, “Yes, I do.”
  • Vacchiano notes that it doesn’t sound as if Coughlin wants to fire either Fewell or special teams coordinator Tom Quinn — the head coach was “very defensive” of both.
  • Coughlin was noncommittal about how long he intends to continue coaching, joking that he thinks he has at least another decade left in him.

Jerry Reese:

  • The GM suggested that he thinks the Giants are heading in the right direction and “could have a really good football team going into next year.”
  • After spending aggressively in free agency in 2014, Reese said the team doesn’t plan to take the same approach in 2015.
  • Discussing Coughlin, Reese said, “You can tell quickly if a team’s not going to play for a coach. That never happened.”

Here are a few more Giants-related links from the last 24 hours:

  • Eli Manning is ready to discuss a contract extension, but isn’t necessarily making it a priority, and will defer to the team, as he tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
  • Giants quarterback coach Danny Langsdorf will leave after one season in New York to accept a job as the offensive coordinator for Nebraska, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
  • Declining to talk about his contract status, Pierre-Paul indicated that he wasn’t going to make any promises about returning to the Giants as he nears free agency, per George Willis of the New York Post.
  • Asked about the possibility of the Giants replacing Fewell or other members of the defensive staff, cornerback Prince Amukamara said, “From what I am hearing I could see that happening” (link via Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News).

Coaching Rumors: Harbaugh, Coughlin, Gase

December 29th, 2014 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

There has been plenty of action since our first round of coaching rumors this morning, with five teams – the 49ers, Raiders, Jets, Falcons, and Bears – now in the market for new head coaches. We’ve had enough news and rumors since then to warrant another round-up of the latest coaching-related updates, so let’s dive in….

  • Although an agreement appears to be in place between Jim Harbaugh and the University of Michigan, NFL teams like the Bears, Jets, and Raiders continue to make overtures to try to change his mind, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report confirms (via Twitter) that the Raiders are still making a push to try to land Harbaugh, even if it looks like a long shot at this point.
  • Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has been told he’ll be back to coach the team in 2015, but has a meeting scheduled for this afternoon with co-owner John Mara to discuss possible changes to the coaching staff, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
  • The Falcons and 49ers have already requested permission to speak to Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Coaches who currently work for playoff teams with first-round byes are allowed to interview for jobs this week, so Gase is one coordinator whose name figures to surface frequently in the next few days.
  • In addition to Gase, the Falcons may also look to talk to Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has several tidbits for us, tweeting that Jack Del Rio could emerge as a coaching candidate for the Raiders, the Falcons will contact Rex Ryan, and Mike Shanahan could have interest in the Bears‘ job.
  • Former 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, who currently serves as an advisor to NFL executive Troy Vincent, would have interest in interviewing for the Bears‘ head coaching job, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Giants Notes: Coughlin, Manning, Kiwanuka

December 28th, 2014 at 10:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

Head coach Tom Coughlin may believe he has the team trending in the right direction, but Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com believes the best thing for the Giants this offseason would be to be honest with themselves.

He writes that Coughlin’s 49-47 record over the last six seasons leaves much to be desired, and that the team has regressed that past two years. He also thinks that defending defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s job is unrealistic, as Fewell’s unit has been disappointing.

He does not believe the team needs to fire Coughlin, but wants them to take a good look on what they have actually accomplished, as opposed to where they think the team is trending.

Here are some other notes from around Big Blue:

  • Gary Myers agrees with Graziano that the team needs to move on from Fewell, according to his article for the New York Daily News. He writes that the defense needs a new voice, but believes Coughlin deserves another year.
  • Players will be available to the media on Monday, reports Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Coaches, front office executives, and decision makers will likely brief fans on the state of play sometime on Tuesday,
  • The schedule for coach Coughlin to speak gives a hint that he will be returning in 2015, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Schwartz believes if he was going to be fired, the team wouldn’t have announced when he would be available at all, and the organization would not wait until Tuesday to deliver that news.
  • If quarterback Eli Manning has any input, he would encourage the team to keep Coughlin anyway, according to Schwartz (via Twitter). “I think coach Coughlin is an excellent coach,” said Manning. “And he deserves to be the coach and we’ve got to play better for him.”
  • Graziano adds that Manning will lower his cap hit because the Giants will most likely extend him at some point (via Twitter). He did say he would be willing to play out the final year of his deal, according to Raanan, but after a successful season, the team would be smart to negotiate a longer extension.
  • One Giant who will not be returning is Mathias Kiwanuka, according to Raanan (via Twitter). Raanan cites his cap number and high salary as reasons the team will move on from him.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Bears, Giants, Eagles

December 28th, 2014 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Once Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers inevitably part ways at some point this week, the club will need to begin its search to find his replacement as head coach. Appearing on FOX Sports, Jay Glazer (Twitter link via his colleague, Mike Garafolo) listed several candidates that San Francisco will likely interview: Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, Jim Tomsula, Teryl Austin, Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, and interestingly, UCLA head coach Jim Mora. Mora, who’s held head coaching positions with both the Falcons and Seahawks, was also mentioned as an NCAA coach likely to jump to the NFL by Albert Breer of NFL.com on Daniel Jeremiah’s Move the Sticks podcast two weeks ago. Here’s more from the NFC…

  • Bears assistant coaches believe they will believe they will be fired after today’s game, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes that “wholesale changes” could be coming to Chicago. In the same vein, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune examined what the future holds for the Bears, who are expected to fire head coach Marc Trestman and possibly GM Phil Emery.
  • Tom Coughlin hasn’t been made aware of his status for 2015, but the expectation is that he will return to coach the Giants next year, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
  • Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been unequivocal in explaining that he won’t give New York a deal when it a comes to negotiations, and today he offered an even stronger, and quotable, declaration of his feelings. “Do you give discounts?” he asked Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link). “Do you get discounts when you go to Macy’s?”
  • Eagles FB/TE James Casey is due $4MM next season, and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter) doubts that he’ll return to Philly next season. Per Berman, Casey signed on with the Eagles in the hopes of getting extensive time on offense, but he’s become more of a special teams player.
  • 49ers linebacker Dan Skuta is a free agent at season’s end, and Cam Inman of the Mercury News believes (Twitter link) that he’ll follow current San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to his next stop.

NFC Links: Cutler, Fitzgerald, Giants

December 20th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Ben Levine

We heard about a month ago that Vikings fullback Jerome Felton was considering opting out of his restructured contract. The 28-year-old can accept a 2015 deal worth $2.45MM (plus a $50K workout bonus), but a reduced role may force him to pursue other opportunities.

The former fifth-round pick addressed the subject on Friday (via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune):

“I’d like to come back, but I know the reality. I know they have Zach [Line] on the roster, even though I’m not getting many snaps. My salary, the number of reps I’ve gotten this year, all of that plays into it. But I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity, and I know there is a lot of good film on me out there.”

After having played at least 400 snaps the previous two seasons, the veteran has only seen the field on 148 snaps in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Understandably, Felton isn’t happy about the lighter workload:

“I’m not happy about it, but I refuse to be a negative person. I’ve stayed positive and kept working hard. It’s frustrating because I do feel I’ve played at a high level. I thought there would be a good role for me on the team, but obviously it was impacted by Adrian’s situation.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFC…

  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggests that the Bears could make history if they decide to trade Jay Cutler. According to Schefter, a team has never had to give up extra compensation to get rid of a player, but plenty of league executives believe that will be Chicago’s only hope of ridding themselves of the embattled quarterback.
  • Kent Somers of AZCentral.com says there’s a 50-50 chances that wideout Larry Fitzgerald will be with the Cardinals next season. Meanwhile, the writer believes quarterback Carson Palmer will return.
  • If the Cardinals don’t keep Palmer, they may be seeking a veteran quarterback. However, Somers can’t imagine the team pursuing Jay Cutler.
  • The Giants could undergo some drastic change this offseason, but ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano believes at least two members of the organization will be back: wideout Rueben Randle and head coach Tom Coughlin. The writer mentions that defensive coordinator Perry Fewell could potentially be on his way out.
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