Stunning Fall From Grace

In the 4th quarter last week, from shotgun formation, Shaun O'Hara snapped the ball early. Not only was Manning not looking, the snap was horrible and the ball barely reached Manning's feet. The play appeared to unfold in slow motion and the ball seemingly sat at Manning's feet for an eternity before New Orleans finally jumped on it. That moment - frozen in time - was for me the exclamation mark to the most monumental collapse of any season in Giants history.

Less than three years ago Tom Coughlin inherited a team in total shambles. He turned things around so quickly that he brought a Division Championship back to NY in only his second season. This is a coach who, with one game left to play in his third season, has the team positioned to make back to back playoff appearances for the first time in more than 15 years. The same man who, after a mere two years at the helm, had everyone convinced the Giants were legitimate Super Bowl contenders. A coach who, half way into his third season, had his team sitting at 6-2 and about to face off against the Chicago Bears in a battle to define which team was the very best in the entire NFC.

A mere 7 games have been played since that time. For Tom Coughlin, the fall from grace from then to now is both stunning and breathtaking. Incredible as it may seem, the man who 7 games ago had his team positioned at the very pinnacle of the NFL after only 2.5 years as head coach is apparently now about to be fired.

The talk in the media and amongst the fans has reached a state of frenzied hysteria. In a matter of days the talk has gone from whispers that Coughlin's job might be in jeopardy to absolute certainty he is history. It seems everyone has accepted his removal as a fait accompli and now the sole question of the day has become the identity of his successor.

I, for one, must respectfully demur. I have not been a big Tom Coughlin fan. I think his concept of discipline is petty. I do not like his demeanor on the field nor his refusal to accept blame when the team has struggled. While I do not know him personally, I don't particularly like who he appears to be as a man. I like tough coaches. But there is a difference between a petty disciplinarian and being tough. It has been my perception that Coughlin has avoided being tough with his players and with his assistant coaches. I also happen to like defense first, offense second and would prefer a defensive minded coach. There are plenty of reasons why Tom Coughlin is not my kind of guy. And I wouldn't shed any tears if he is gone after this season.

I also believe, however, that Tom Coughlin does not deserve what he is apparently about to receive. There are many reasons why things have reached this sorry state of affairs at this moment in time. The most obvious being the loss of 6 of the last 7 games. A tremendous collapse - probably the worst in Giants history. But what is the cause? I am sure there are many. First, the Giants as a team were simply not as strong as many believed. The Super Bowl speculation before the season even started only set Coughlin up for the eventual big fall. Injuries certainly played a factor. The mere fact that the loss of the team's #2 WR and OT was sufficient to cripple the offense is testimony to the fragility and lack of depth on the team. The same is true on defense - the two all-pro bookend defensive ends were the only real strength of the defense. Eliminate those two players and there really is no defense.

Add in a struggling quarterback and a running back who had 12 plays of 30+ yards in 2005 but only one in 2006 and you quickly have a mediocre team. The same mediocre team that Tom Coughlin had at the very pinnacle of the NFL elite a mere 7 games ago. I don't like Tom Coughlin. I don't like his methods. I don't like his coaching style. But I have to be fair. The Tom Coughlin that had this team at the top of the NFL 7 games ago is the same man today. He hasn't changed. What has changed are a few injuries that exposed the team as one with insufficient talent and depth to overcome injuries to 2 key players each on offense and defense. That should be no surprise. It is, after all, only year three of rebuilding a team that had reached the very bottom of despair under Fassel. There simply has not been enough time to acquire sufficient talent and depth to overcome such losses.

The current collapse and resulting media and fan hysteria presents a great opportunity for next year's head coach to make sweeping changes. Changes that are clearly needed. Changes that will be made regardless of the identity of the head coach. Eli Manning is clearly struggling and needs new coaches before he can ever be considered a bust. While there is no way to know for certain, I believe a small number of veteran players have been intentionally undermining Tom Coughlin's authority in the locker room - fueling the flames of an underlying current of discontent - since the first day he arrived. A small group of players who are as petty as Tom Coughlin's rules - players who refuse to make a total commitment to this team because of their own personal power struggle with the head coach. Such players certainly have the legal right to file union grievances over extra practice sessions or whatever other petty rule they want to pick on. But fans have the equal right to demand that the Giants find a way to move such players off into the sunset and fill the team with players dedicated to winning regardless of their personal feelings for or against the head coach. This team finally needs player-leaders who, rather than being the ones filing union grievances, instead quietly let such players know in no uncertain terms that their kind isn't welcome on this team.

I'd love to see Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells return to NY as heroes. But the Giants made a commitment to a different man less than three years ago. A man that turned the franchise around - arguably so quickly that the high expectations from his rapid success could be his own undoing. Tom Coughlin deserves the chance to finish painting the canvas that he has started. Tom Coughlin deserves to be the one to make the sweeping changes that will come after this season is over. To hire new offensive coaches to help Eli. To cleanse the locker room of the cancer that exists. I am not a Tom Coughlin fan and am not thrilled about Tom Coughlin as the coach of the team I love, but I would lose a measure of respect for the Giants as an organization if they failed to keep the commitment they made less than three years ago. Tom Couglin deserves to be treated fairly and it would be unfair not to allow Tom Coughlin to finish what he was brought here to do.