Top Candidates To Replace New York Giants’ Tom Coughlin
There has been much debate on the fate of Tom Coughlin, for the purpose of this conversation let’s say the Giants part ways with the Super Bowl winning coach. Its time for a fresh voice, a new way of doing things and a different result. After 3 playoff lacking seasons the Giants have to find a better man to coach this team. Coughlin’s stock may be going down, but make no mistake he is a hard act to follow. Where will the next coach of the New York Giants come from?
The first process is to look in-house. The Giants have one semi enticing option in Ben McAdoo. The positive for McAdoo would be that he is a very bright man who understands offensive football. The bad is that he is inexperienced. He is still growing into the offensive coordinator position. While the 37 year old coach is a hot commodity, he is not yet head coaching material. The Giants now must look outside of their organization.
Nov 13, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; CBS commentator
Bill Cowheron the set prior to the game between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
The next step is to examine proven coaches that are available. The two that come to mind are John Gruden and Bill Cowher. Both coaches would be very qualified to rebuild and rebrand this football team. Both coaches however are very comfortable with a Super Bowl ring on their finger and a job on television.
Neither coach would come cheap and neither coach would accept anything but full control of personnel. Assuming the Giants will not part ways with Jerry Reese, don’t expect these guys. This would likely rule out a trade for Jim Harbaugh who would also demand a lot.
Cowher may not be realistic but he would be the perfect candidate. He is a no nonsense guy very similar to Tom Coughlin. The Giants would take on Cowher’s tough and gritty persona; no candidate would grab more respect then the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. Cowher roamed the sidelines in Pittsburgh for 15 seasons. He has been through it all. He has seen great times and he has seen bad times.This would not be the first time that Cowher had to rebuild a football team.
If there was a situation that would lure Cowher back to coaching this would be it. The connection between the Mara and Rooney families could play a huge roll if New York wanted to coax him into the job.
In this process of elimination we look to NFL assistant coaches and coordinators. Todd Bowles, the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals is probably at the top of the list. Bowles is a players coach, a guy who just simply gets it.
He is an emotional guy who demands a lot from his players but also has a stoic poise about him. The Giants biggest problems are on the defensive side of the football and the offensive line. Bowles is a defensive mastermind and has seen how the Cardinals rebuilt their offensive line. Bowles must be given a good long look.
Jack Del Rio has to get a look as well. Del Rio was a long time head coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars (as was Coughlin). He lives and breathes for the game of football. He merits players respect not only for his wealth of coaching experience but also his playing days in the league. If the Giants want to become a dominant team defensively, these are the best two active coaches available.
Nov 22, 2014; Berkeley, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw on the sidelines during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
In the realm of College Football there are also some very exciting options. I can think of 2 college coaches that merit strong consideration for the Giants head coaching position. They are David Shaw and Kevin Sumlin. Lets break down the main attributes that these great college coaches could bring to the Giants.
Shaw is one of my favorite coaches. He has over a decade’s worth of experience as an assistant coach in the NFL. He stepped in for Harbaugh at Stanford when he went on to the NFL. Shaw is a great college coach. He is an offensive mastermind. The thing that sets Shaw apart is his never bending positive demeanor. He loves his players and his players would do anything for him. He is always energetic but hides it in a very calm and comforting way. He can help any quarterback succeed and he is all about his smash mouth running game.
Sumlin is the master of crazy situations, a trait Johnny Manziel‘s chaos helped him develop. Nothing can rattle Sumlin. There is absolutely no question that the Texas A&M coach is a leader of men. The question is does his fast paced offense translate into the National Football League? Chip Kelly and his Philadelphia Eagles is an example that helps his case since it’s eerily similar. One also has to wonder who his defensive coordinator would be since Texas A&M has never had a great defense. Sumlin is ready for the NFL, somebody will take a chance on him. It could very well be the Giants.
These are the top candidates as far as I am concerned. There are all perfect coaches for the job as I see it. Out of everyone however, Shaw is the best and quite honestly, most realistic choice. I have no idea what the Giants brass is thinking but I strongly recommend they take a look at Stanford’s beloved Coach Shaw.