Age is just a number to Tom Coughlin, the former New York Giants head coach. He appeared on “Fox and Friends” to discuss his charity the Jay Fund on Monday morning and ruled out the notion of his retirement.
One Fox host asked how Coughlin is faring without a team to prepare for the 2016 season. “Not well, not very well, to be honest with you,” Coughlin replied.
“It’s a very difficult thing, I don’t care who you are, or how long you’ve been doing it. I’ve been doing it a long time, so you get yourself into the rhythm,” he continued. “Your whole life, the calendar of your life is based on football, about the seasons, whether it’s in-season or out of season. You have a schedule that you follow. So there’s some adjusting for me to make.”
Coughlin seems like a man who thrives on structure and timing. After all, he kept the clocks in the Giants facility set to five minutes fast and, to all who worked for him, if you weren’t five minutes early, you were late.
Coughlin was then asked if that means he is retired. He replied simply, “I don’t like that word. I’m way too young for that.” Certainly, other 69-year olds would disagree with him.
The two-time Super Bowl champion coach flirted with the 49ers and was a contender for the Eagles vacancy. Giants ownership has offered him a consulting position with the organization and John Mara reiterated last week that he hopes Coughlin will take him up on that offer.