New York Giants: Is Uncomfortable Change Needed?

Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. The New York Giants would be viewed as insane by the late Einstein because this team is very hesitant to change and is stubbornly trying to get a different result.

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The 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl runs were magical moments for the Giants and their fans. With Super Bowl wins on their resume the Giants were looked at as one of the best run franchises in the National Football League. The Giants were given the benefit of the doubt; after all you don’t change what works.

Well the problem is what the Giants are doing isn’t working and it hasn’t been working for a long time. The Giants have just slugged through two of the worst seasons in franchise history. As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough to start the 2013 season with an 0-6 start the Giants had to have a seven game losing streak in the middle of the 2014 season.

The Giants have not gone back to the playoffs since their Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots in 2011. The Patriots have been to the playoffs every season since and just won the Super Bowl this year. Albeit controversially, the Patriots have been the model of success in the NFL while the Giants have been a model of disappointment.

So the general manager and head coach keep their jobs for another season. To be fair both Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin have done some pretty amazing things in their careers. Also Jerry Reese just had a sensational draft for this team. It does merit notice that nothing has changed in the Giants organization. Why should we expect a different result?

Dec 7, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin during warm ups prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants do have a mountain of talent. Of course you know that Eli Manning is the franchise quarterback and a two-time Super Bowl MVP. And I’m sure that you understand that Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz are two of the most exciting receivers in the game of football.

The team has talent. The fact remains that the 2013 team had talent. The 2014 team had talent too; when you can lose a Cruz and still have a top ten passing attack, there is a lot of talent there. Yes, coach Coughlin has led his team to the Super Bowl championship twice and he could probably do it again.

But do you realize how improbable those two Super Bowl runs were? To beat an undefeated Patriots team in 2007, Manning famously (and barely) avoided a sack to launch a shot in the dark to David Tyree, who somehow pinned the football against his helmet to secure the catch.

From weeks 10-15 of the Giants 2011 season, the Giants only won one game. The team finished the season 9-7 beating the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East title. In a year that started with a 6-2 start, the Giants barely scraped their way into the postseason. The same 9-7 record in 2012 didn’t get the team into the playoffs.

Yes, the Giants did win two Super Bowls in 5 seasons and that sounds pretty impressive. From 2007-2014 the Giants won 71-128 games. Essentially that means they have won 55 percent of the time dating back to Tom Coughlin’s first Super Bowl season.

The truth is that very little has changed throughout the past 8 seasons. Sure players have come and gone but the results have been rather average if you take out the two Super Bowls. The reason the Giants won the Super Bowls (other than a bit of luck that goes with any championship) is that the team got hot at the right time.

In a previous article I discussed how streaky Tom Coughlin’s Giants have always been. The Giants have either been hot or cold during his tenure. There has been nothing in between. That just doesn’t work in the NFL and it sets the team up for plenty of disappointment.

I’m not taking anything away from Coughlin. He is a sure-thing hall of famer. He has won two Super Bowls and his ability to find the magic within his team those seasons is a big reason for the glorious moments. He has always been a great coach.

But every coach has his day. Not many coaches get to walk away when they choose to like Don Shula and Bill Walsh. Just about every coach, no matter how amazing their career was has an expiration date with his team. The Giants probably should have gone in a different direction after back to back losing seasons.

Change is uncomfortable but sometimes it is completely necessary. Tom Coughlin is a great coach and this story could still end with a happily ever after. Tom Coughlin is now under contract until 2016. That being said this season should be the last chance. If the Giants disappoint they may just need to make that uncomfortable change.

Next: New York Giants: 5 Players Who Need Strong Training Camp

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