Coughlin Announces Coaching Hires/Assignment

[Plax 4 Prez]

Coughlin Announces Coaching Hires/Assignment

 

By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

 

 

Read this story from your BlackBerry, phone or other wireless device at http://giants.com/wireless

 

February 13, 2006

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Giants head coach Tom Coughlin today announced several changes to his coaching staff.

 

David Merritt has moved from a defensive assistant to the assistant secondary coach. He will be in charge of safeties while working with new secondary coach Peter Giunta.

 

Tom Quinn has been hired as the team’s new assistant special teams coach. He replaces Mike Priefer, who was recently named the Kansas City Chiefs’ special teams coach.

 

Andre Curtis has joined Coughlin’s staff as the defensive quality control coach.

 

Merritt joined the Giants’ staff in 2004, after spending three seasons with the Jets as a defensive assistant/linebackers. In his first season with the Giants, he was a defensive assistant/quality control coach. He will work closely with Giunta, who was hired on Jan. 18 after spending the previous five seasons as Kansas City’s secondary coach.

 

Quinn, 38, comes to the Giants after spending the previous four years on the coaching staff at Stanford. He coached the special teams in each of those seasons, plus the tight ends in 2002 and 2003, and the outside linebackers in 2004 and 2005.

 

“I’m really excited to be joining one of the best organizations in the NFL,” Quinn said. “My goal has been to work in the NFL.”

 

Quinn grew up in California and played linebacker for the University of Arizona, where he played on three bowl teams. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1990 and a master’s in education the following year.

 

Quinn began his coaching career at Davidson in 1991. From 1992-94, he was the special teams coach and recruiting coordinator at James Madison. In 1995, he was the defensive coordinator at Boston University, where he worked with Giants assistant offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. From 1996-98, Quinn was the defensive coordinator at Holy Cross.

 

“I can’t wait (to move to the metropolitan area),” Quinn said. “I worked nine years on the East Coast. My wife (Alison) is from Long Island, so we’ll be close to her family.”

 

Quinn moved back to the West Coast in 1999 at San Jose State, where in three years he worked with the linebackers, tight ends and with the special teams. He joined the staff at Stanford in 2002.

 

“I love coaching special teams,” Quinn said. “You get to work with offensive players and defensive players. Special teams have such a big impact on the game. Something big is happening every time you do it.”

 

Curtis joins the Giants staff after spending the previous two seasons as the defensive ends coach at Georgia Southern. Prior to that, he was a linebackers coach for four seasons as his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute. While on the VMI staff, Curtis was twice selected to participate in the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship Program. He spent two weeks with the Jets in 2002 and worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year.

 

As a linebacker at VMI, Curtis earned four letters, started 31 consecutive games and finished his career with 354 tackles. In 1998, he was selected to the All-Southern Conference first team after recording 106 tackles.

 

Curtis, 29, starred at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Va.

[Currency]

I hope these coaches will run to the field and tackle the RB which our defensive players missed.

[Gspotter]

I like the fact that we have change in our coaching. I think that TL has had a problem with his secondary in Pitts as well as here, so change is good