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"Coughlins fault"


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O'Connor: Blame Coughlin for mess

Monday, November 26, 2007

 

By IAN O'CONNOR

RECORD COLUMNIST

 

 

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Eli Manning is the most conspicuous pi񡴡, the Giant with the biggest "Kick Me" sign tethered to his rump. He looked like Fran Tarkenton out there Sunday, throwing touchdown passes to Vikings left and right.

 

But in the blame game played after yet another heartless home loss to Minnesota, Manning didn't deserve to be sacked as much as his head coach did.

 

Fact: In one day, Manning threw more scoring passes for the men in purple (three) than any Minnesota quarterback had thrown in 10 games.

 

Fact: Coughlin had a worse day at the office by failing to honor the chief responsibility of any coach.

 

"Obviously," he said, "I did a very poor job of getting them ready to play."

 

Yes he did. And when your team loses by a 41-17 count to a band of sub-mediocrities like the Vikings, nobody wants to hear about that enthusiastic week of practice losing coaches forever raise as a shield to deflect the daggers spinning their way.

 

The Giants kicked the ball out of bounds to start the game. Two plays later, they allowed Tarvaris Jackson a 60-yard home run ball to Sidney Rice.

 

The same Tarvaris Jackson who entered with two touchdown passes, six interceptions and a quarterback rating of 55.5 for the season.

 

No, Coughlin didn't have his Giants ready to play any more than he had them ready to play in that first-round game with the Panthers two years back. Manning was just the most miserable symptom of this larger ill:

 

The coach can't handle prosperity. He doesn't know how to elevate his team.

 

At 7-4, the Giants are just as likely to qualify for the NFC tournament as they are to do nothing once they get there. So on some level, John Mara had to leave Giants Stadium feeling about as sick as he did when driving away from that playoff meltdown to the Vikings' benefit in '97.

 

Jim Fassel survived that one and ultimately landed in the Super Bowl by way of a blowout victory over those very Vikes. Coughlin? His surviving days are over. He barely made it to this season, after all. If he doesn't finally win a playoff game in his fourth year, he absolutely has to go.

 

What makes anyone think the Giants will secure their first postseason victory since the 2000 season, other than the riffraff that passes for playoff contenders in the NFC? Their quarterback just made Minnesota relevant for the first time since its misadventures on the Love Boat.

 

"Everybody wants to be significant," said Vikings coach Brad Childress. "That's the No. 1 reason people lose their jobs, because they're not significant."

 

The Giants are a country mile removed from significant, and Coughlin is the one most likely to pay with his job. He was charged by his bosses to develop his alleged franchise quarterback-to-be, and on Sunday Manning looked Kent Graham bad.

 

With brother Peyton in the house, eager to see kid brother slash and gash the league's worst pass defense, Manning was battered and bloodied beyond recognition. Against the Vikings in 2005, Eli watched only one of his four interceptions returned for a score. This time around Manning found his most reliable receiver, Darren Sharper, and spread the ball to Dwight Smith and Chad Greenway just for the hell of it.

 

"They had a good plan," Eli said.

 

Good enough to overcome the absence of Adrian Peterson, only the league's leading rusher. Good enough to send the Vikings' owner -- a Fairleigh Dickinson alum named Zygi Wilf -- up and down the sidelines in a funny little jig. Good enough to make this the first Giants' team ever to allow three touchdown returns on interceptions.

 

By halftime, the fans were treating the Giants like the Knicks. The booing was well earned.

 

In the end, Coughlin refused to take Manning out of the game. It was a petty and mean thing to do, more evidence that the New Tom is really the Old Tom in a fake mustache.

 

Coughlin claimed he didn't see the purpose in removing his starting quarterback. "I just don't like that feeling," he said. "I wasn't going to do that to him, and I wasn't going to do that to me and us."

 

Manning maintained he "wanted to finish the game," but he knew what his coach knew: The quarterback had no finish left in him. Coughlin assumed the role of a baseball manager punishing a shellshocked pitcher by leaving him stranded on the mound. He left Eli out there to get Purple People Eaten by the Vikes.

 

Manning took an embarrassing, zigzagging 26-yard sack in the final minutes to add insult to insult. Wayward throws. Dropped passes. Blown assignments. Coughlin's dreadful third-and-3 decision to have the ball snapped to Reuben Droughns. What a complete waste of a perfectly good late November day.

 

The Giants travel to Chicago, and then to Philadelphia, with neither date remotely resembling a gimme. So this year's 6-2 could become last year's 6-2 in a heartbeat.

 

Between now and then, Coughlin has to get better. He tried firing up his team after a third-quarter field goal cut its deficit to 24-10, but all his fist-pumping and backslapping didn't make a dent.

 

The Giants still don't know how to handle even the slightest hint of prosperity. Sooner rather than later, Tom Coughlin will pay the final bill on that.

 

I knew this would happen the trickles of fire coughlin are being heard and soon they will be roars. Especially after we drop 3 in a row . Vikes, Bears and Eagles. and fall out of the wild card contention.

 

GOD I hope Reese dont sign him to a long term contract now he should sit on it like last year wait to see how this funk ends.

 

I mean how can you NOT have your team ready to play? Did you think the Vikings would just walk in and hand yo the game???? was Thursday Bowling day instead of "ELI THROW THE BALL TO A RECIVER AT PRACTICE SO HE CAN CATCH IT DAY"? "ELI THESE ARE THE ROUTES YOU AND THE RECEIVERS SHOULD WORK ON DAY?

 

ARRRRGH this loss is more than bitter it is down right making me want to explode It will take a long time for me to forgive this team for this game (if I ever do) I am pissed at everyone on this team except the DL and Plax

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You're letting Plax off the hook for his garbage time TD and receptions...?

 

He was completely ineffective in the first half and ran horrible routes all day. It wasn't until prevent defense time that he got any real touches. He needs to be rested. IMO.

 

But regardless, that article sums up just about every gripe I have with the Coughlin Era Giants and Manning himself.

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I knew this would happen the trickles of fire coughlin are being heard and soon they will be roars. Especially after we drop 3 in a row . Vikes, Bears and Eagles. and fall out of the wild card contention.

 

GOD I hope Reese don't sign him to a long term contract now he should sit on it like last year wait to see how this funk ends.

 

I mean how can you NOT have your team ready to play? Did you think the Vikings would just walk in and hand yo the game???? was Thursday Bowling day instead of "ELI THROW THE BALL TO A RECEIVER AT PRACTICE SO HE CAN CATCH IT DAY"? "ELI THESE ARE THE ROUTES YOU AND THE RECEIVERS SHOULD WORK ON DAY?

 

ARRRRGH this loss is more than bitter it is down right making me want to explode It will take a long time for me to forgive this team for this game (if I ever do) I am pissed at everyone on this team except the DL and Plax

 

Flip-Flopping writers are great aren't they. A few weeks ago it's the new and improved, we're a great team, Coughlin and now after one bad loss it's back to fire him. This team has many more problems than Coughlin, ask Fassell about that. Also Coughlin saying he didn't prepare them is just him being polite. What would you rather he said? Eli is so inconsistent that unless the O is playing great he is going to fuck us. To be honest I think Coughlin is fine has a HC but this team just can't execute a game plan worth shit. None of the WRs and Eli were in sync. It just wasn't the Giants day..

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With all due respect, that column is a steaming pile of horseshit.

 

Why are the Patriots undefeated?......Brady.

Why is Belichick a genius in New England?.....Brady.

Why was Bill Walsh a genius in San Fran?.....Montana.

Why was Belichick run out of Cleveland?......broken down QB.

Why do the Colts still have a chance to repeat?......Peyton

Why are the Cowboys 10-1?......Romo.

Whay are the Packers 10-1?......Favre.

 

Why did the Giants just get their asses kicked by a mediocre team?......Eli.

 

Listen, I still like Eli a lot, but sometimes you've got to just look at the facts - Eli DIRECTLY GAVE THE VIKINGS 28 POINTS. There's nothing to argue here about Coughlin, Plax, etc.

 

Go ahead and put Brady and Moss on the Giants offense.....I bet Tom Coughlin would look like the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi then.

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Coughlin didn't fuck up that game on Sunday, his players did. He's not the best coach in the world, but fair is fair. If Eli was playing in New England and threw those passes, nothing would be said about Bellichek, even leaving him in late wouldn't be questioned. This is just a shot at Coughlin plain and simple. Coughlin didn't throw those passes and Eli is a big boy now, he needs to shoulder the responsibility for this, which is where O'Connor should have placed it. Pile of Rubbish.

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Yeah... I've gotta agree with the above posters. This is just a shot at Coughlin, and quite frankly, a horseshit article.

 

Tom has his problems (like loyalty to assistants who obviously suck) but if there's ONE thing that everyone around him always says, it's that he's a tireless worker who pays meticulous attention to detail. Coughlin wasn't firing passes to Vikings defenders, nor was he watching passes bounce off his hands or whiffing on blocks so his QB could get his ass kicked. As far as the questionable play calling (direct snap to Rueben) I can give him that one, but the flip side of the coin is... the "right" play calls against the worst pass D in the league is another pass, and exactly where had that gotten the team all day?

 

Coughlin can't elevate his team? Coughlin can't deal with prosperity? Funny... these Giants had the same problems when Fassel was around.

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Yeah... I've gotta agree with the above posters. This is just a shot at Coughlin, and quite frankly, a horseshit article.

 

Tom has his problems (like loyalty to assistants who obviously suck) but if there's ONE thing that everyone around him always says, it's that he's a tireless worker who pays meticulous attention to detail. Coughlin wasn't firing passes to Vikings defenders, nor was he watching passes bounce off his hands or whiffing on blocks so his QB could get his ass kicked. As far as the questionable play calling (direct snap to Rueben) I can give him that one, but the flip side of the coin is... the "right" play calls against the worst pass D in the league is another pass, and exactly where had that gotten the team all day?

 

Coughlin can't elevate his team? Coughlin can't deal with prosperity? Funny... these Giants had the same problems when Fassel was around.

 

 

I'm a Fassel supporter, but when he predicted that they would make the playoffs and then they go make the Superbowl, that's the kind of cohones remark that the New York Media sucks life from.

 

By the way, if Eli throws that ball directly to Shockey like he should have, then Shockey walks to the end zone and it's 27-17. That would have been a good call, it simply wasn't executed.

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I'm a Fassel supporter, but when he predicted that they would make the playoffs and then they go make the Superbowl, that's the kind of cohones remark that the New York Media sucks life from.

 

By the way, if Eli throws that ball directly to Shockey like he should have, then Shockey walks to the end zone and it's 27-17. That would have been a good call, it simply wasn't executed.

 

Yep, that was the ball game right there.

 

Fact is, Coughlin and Gilbride put together a reasonable game plan......pass against the worst passing defense in the league. And to their credit, they were able to run on them too. After that 60 yard bomb, the Giants drive to tie the score 7-7 by running it right at them. Heck, I was feeling pretty good at that point.

 

Again, it's clear to me where the blame lies on this one - right on Eli. I'm the first guy to defend him against haters, and the first to praise him for a good game. He was terrific against the Lions, and was clearly the best player on the field in Detroit. But he was - by a long shot - the worst player last week.

 

If he is unable to outplay Rex Grossman next weekend, we are in a world of hurt.

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With all due respect, that column is a steaming pile of horseshit.

 

Why are the Patriots undefeated?......Brady.

Why is Belichick a genius in New England?.....Brady.

Why was Bill Walsh a genius in San Fran?.....Montana.

Why was Belichick run out of Cleveland?......broken down QB.

Why do the Colts still have a chance to repeat?......Peyton

Why are the Cowboys 10-1?......Romo.

Whay are the Packers 10-1?......Favre.

 

Why did the Giants just get their asses kicked by a mediocre team?......Eli.

 

Listen, I still like Eli a lot, but sometimes you've got to just look at the facts - Eli DIRECTLY GAVE THE VIKINGS 28 POINTS. There's nothing to argue here about Coughlin, Plax, etc.

 

Go ahead and put Brady and Moss on the Giants offense.....I bet Tom Coughlin would look like the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi then.

 

Dude, did you read the entire thing? He rips on Manning, too.

 

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Yeah... I've gotta agree with the above posters. This is just a shot at Coughlin, and quite frankly, a horseshit article.

 

Tom has his problems (like loyalty to assistants who obviously suck) but if there's ONE thing that everyone around him always says, it's that he's a tireless worker who pays meticulous attention to detail. Coughlin wasn't firing passes to Vikings defenders, nor was he watching passes bounce off his hands or whiffing on blocks so his QB could get his ass kicked. As far as the questionable play calling (direct snap to Rueben) I can give him that one, but the flip side of the coin is... the "right" play calls against the worst pass D in the league is another pass, and exactly where had that gotten the team all day?

 

Coughlin can't elevate his team? Coughlin can't deal with prosperity? Funny... these Giants had the same problems when Fassel was around.

 

Yah, but they didn't have the same players when Fassel was around. Like it or not, Coughlin DOESNT know how to get his players to play to their potential. We have Shockey, Plaxico, Toomer, Jacobs, Eli Manning, and all behind a GOOD line. And they average like 17points a game. That's horrendous and pitiful.

 

The's guys have had what? 3 or 4 years to all be on the same page and fire on all cylinders and they look exactly the same every single year? This article is spot on.

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Yah, but they didn't have the same players when Fassel was around. Like it or not, Coughlin DOESNT know how to get his players to play to their potential. We have Shockey, Plaxico, Toomer, Jacobs, Eli Manning, and all behind a GOOD line. And they average like 17points a game. That's horrendous and pitiful.

 

Gotta disagree with ya, Storm. Haven't Shockey and Plax had career years every year since Coughlin's taken over? And let's not forget that Tiki was known more for fumbling than TD runs in the pre-Coughlin era.

 

I'll admit Toomer hasn't done nearly as well, but that could also be due to injuries and age.

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Gotta disagree with ya, Storm. Haven't Shockey and Plax had career years every year since Coughlin's taken over? And let's not forget that Tiki was known more for fumbling than TD runs in the pre-Coughlin era.

 

I'll admit Toomer hasn't done nearly as well, but that could also be due to injuries and age.

Plaxico had very similar numbers while he was with the Steelers...I wouldn't say he had career numbers under Coughlin...

 

As for Shockey...he's been pretty consistent in number his entire career besides the one he was injured...so I wouldnt say that Coughlin hasnt gotten either player career years...

 

He did get Tiki to stop fumbling.

 

And the progress of Manning has been spotty at best under Coughlin...

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With all due respect, that column is a steaming pile of horseshit.

 

Why are the Patriots undefeated?......Brady.

Why is Belichick a genius in New England?.....Brady.

Why was Bill Walsh a genius in San Fran?.....Montana.

Why was Belichick run out of Cleveland?......broken down QB.

Why do the Colts still have a chance to repeat?......Peyton

Why are the Cowboys 10-1?......Romo.

Whay are the Packers 10-1?......Favre.

 

Why did the Giants just get their asses kicked by a mediocre team?......Eli.

 

Listen, I still like Eli a lot, but sometimes you've got to just look at the facts - Eli DIRECTLY GAVE THE VIKINGS 28 POINTS. There's nothing to argue here about Coughlin, Plax, etc.

 

Go ahead and put Brady and Moss on the Giants offense.....I bet Tom Coughlin would look like the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi then.

 

:clap: :clap:

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With all due respect, that column is a steaming pile of horseshit.

 

Why are the Patriots undefeated?......Brady.

Why is Belichick a genius in New England?.....Brady.

Why was Bill Walsh a genius in San Fran?.....Montana.

Why was Belichick run out of Cleveland?......broken down QB.

Why do the Colts still have a chance to repeat?......Peyton

Why are the Cowboys 10-1?......Romo.

Whay are the Packers 10-1?......Favre.

 

Why did the Giants just get their asses kicked by a mediocre team?......Eli.

 

Listen, I still like Eli a lot, but sometimes you've got to just look at the facts - Eli DIRECTLY GAVE THE VIKINGS 28 POINTS. There's nothing to argue here about Coughlin, Plax, etc.

 

Go ahead and put Brady and Moss on the Giants offense.....I bet Tom Coughlin would look like the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi then.

 

You're definitely spot on about QBs making coaches look great. That's why the best coach in the NFL right now is Tony Dungy. He made champions out of TB and Indy which were bad teams for a long time. If Parcells was still coaching I would say him also. Belichick is only a genius because of Brady as far as I am concerned. He was going nowhere with Bledsoe (5 -11) until he got hurt and then Brady started. I am not saying Belichick is a bad coach but with Brady he is now considered one of the greats.

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That's true, but we also have nothing to compare it to as a pro. We don't know if Eli would be any better under someone else.

 

True.

 

 

But with the case of Belichek...sure Brady helped, but he's also a great defensive mind and knows how to pick assistant coaches.

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The decision that made Bellichek suddenly a superstar coach was not bringing back Bledsoe as a starter when he got healthy and leaving the job to Brady. And it's gone from there. Not only is Brady a great Qb, but he's a fantastic leader and everyone, and I mean everyone loves playing with the guy. You cannot measure how important that is.

 

I still think that Bellichek is a decent coach, not great. He was mediocre in Cleveland, and for all the shit Parcells gets, it was him who brought him back to the Jets when nobody was interested in him and it was from there that he got the interest from the Pats. And he's got a great situation for up there, because Scott Pioli could be the best GM out there. Look at this season, Welker for virtually nothing, Moss for a 4th?. Adalius Thomas and Stallworth?. And to make matters worse they draft excellent each year. Bellichek is in a great situation up there.

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The decision that made Bellichek suddenly a superstar coach was not bringing back Bledsoe as a starter when he got healthy and leaving the job to Brady. And it's gone from there. Not only is Brady a great Qb, but he's a fantastic leader and everyone, and I mean everyone loves playing with the guy. You cannot measure how important that is.

 

I still think that Bellichek is a decent coach, not great. He was mediocre in Cleveland, and for all the shit Parcells gets, it was him who brought him back to the Jets when nobody was interested in him and it was from there that he got the interest from the Pats. And he's got a great situation for up there, because Scott Pioli could be the best GM out there. Look at this season, Welker for virtually nothing, Moss for a 4th?. Adalius Thomas and Stallworth?. And to make matters worse they draft excellent each year. Bellichek is in a great situation up there.

 

I still can't believe they got those 3 receivers and for a few years now too. Welker's contract is a five-year deal worth $18.1 million and Moss is a 1 year $3 million plus $2 million incentives (which I am sure he will get). Stallworth is a little over priced but how the hell did they get those 2 for almost nothing? Even worse is the Giants seem to always have ST problems and Welker was very good at returns in Miami. In my opinion Wleker was the steal of the year.

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It's not TCs fault he was handed a shit roster filled with brainless idiots to work with by Accorsi. Where the fuck was all this outrage towards that retard for the decade he was here? Jesus H Christ, he totally fucked this team beyond belief and no one says shit about him. Just jump on the usual suspects: TC & Eli. They do deserve their share of the blame, but the witch hunt by media is fucking pathetic. I guess blaming the person responsible for the stupidity that still emenates from the organization doesn't sell enough papers.

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Ernie Acorsi was like French generals in WWII....still fighting the previous war. He served at the knee of George Young and both worshipped at the altar of Johnny Unitas. Also Acorsi was still reliving the brush off from Elway when he refused to go to the Colts if drafted. That was one reason why I was leery about the whole Manning situation. He was trying to rectify a past loss by getting the Second Coming of Elway. Nothing against Manning...but I think one of the greatest burdens that he faced and still faces are the huge expectations heaped upon him before the first snap.

 

EchoChamber is correct...Acorsi was one of the most mediocre GM's the Giants have had recently. But he is the master of media manipulation so a lot of the blame does not accrue to him. Coach Cheerleader inherited a lot of Acorsi's fuck ups with no option other than to cross your fingers and play them. Who can forget that still from Philly that was supposed to be the Return of Carl Banks in the middle. Who made maybe two tackles in his entire career here.

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I still can't believe they got those 3 receivers and for a few years now too. Welker's contract is a five-year deal worth $18.1 million and Moss is a 1 year $3 million plus $2 million incentives (which I am sure he will get). Stallworth is a little over priced but how the hell did they get those 2 for almost nothing? Even worse is the Giants seem to always have ST problems and Welker was very good at returns in Miami. In my opinion Wleker was the steal of the year.

 

Al Davis deserves honorable mention when the League MVP voting comes in. It's not often that you pick up a Hall of Famer for a 4th round draft pick.

 

On behalf of all non-Patriots fans, here's a big "fuck you" to Al Davis.

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Dude, did you read the entire thing? He rips on Manning, too.

 

Yes, I read the whole thing.

 

This comment forms the basis of his argument:

 

"...But in the blame game played after yet another heartless home loss to Minnesota, Manning didn't deserve to be sacked as much as his head coach did....."

 

That comment is completely wrong. Anyone who watched the game with even casual interest can tell you that the greatest blame rests with Eli.

 

Sure, other teammates and the coaching staff didn't bring their "A" game. But Eli's "F" game doomed it all. It's ludicrous that such a story even made it's way into a sports section.

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Yes, I read the whole thing.

 

This comment forms the basis of his argument:

 

"...But in the blame game played after yet another heartless home loss to Minnesota, Manning didn't deserve to be sacked as much as his head coach did....."

 

That comment is completely wrong. Anyone who watched the game with even casual interest can tell you that the greatest blame rests with Eli.

 

Sure, other teammates and the coaching staff didn't bring their "A" game. But Eli's "F" game doomed it all. It's ludicrous that such a story even made it's way into a sports section.

 

Oh I agree completely, but I didnt think he was talking about one game here...Coughlin has had 4 years here now to turn the obviously talented players he has into a fully functional machine and the fact of the matter is, he hasn't. They still make the same mistakes they've always made and only coaching fixes that.

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