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Coughlin replacement could be a Weis guy
by Gary Myers is a Daily News sports columnist
Tom Coughlin hasn't changed much of the Giants' culture in his nearly three years as their coach, other than to revoke the players' membership to the Jim Fassel Country Club.
Coughlin's goal was to restore Giants pride. Watching Tiki Barber, the lame duck running back, throw him under the bus as a recreational sport is not what Coughlin had in mind. The Giants are still an underachieving, injury-plagued team.
As a result, The Coughlin Watch has started. That signals the start of the Charlie Weis Watch.
If the Giants lose to the Cowboys today, the chaos of the last month will be just the warm-up act for the dissension that will follow. The turmoil that surrounds Coughlin's team has him on the ropes. He won't get fired tomorrow if the Giants lose today, but this is the game that could determine his future.
He came in with silly rules and stressing discipline, but he inherited a team of big names and big egos and has been unable to keep his locker room under control. His high-tension act is not working. The Giants want to give Coughlin a contract extension, but may fire him at the end of the year if the perception is that this team has quit on him. It already seems that they are tuning him out.
If Coughlin gets canned, where do the Giants turn? It's not a deep group of candidates after there were 10 openings last year with seven first-time head coaches hired. One thing is certain: Having a plan to fix Eli Manning will be the No. 1 job requirement.
Here's our top five candidates:
1. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame: Two months into his first season with the Irish last year, the school extended Weis' deal five years through 2015. By the end of the deal, he will make a reported $30 million-$40 million at Notre Dame, which obviously struck quickly to fight off suitors from the NFL. When he signed the extension, Weis said he plans to retire at Notre Dame. So it may not be easy to get him to leave - and it could be costly, depending on any buyout provisions - but the Giants might be the only team that could entice the Jersey guy to leave South Bend. He desperately wanted the Giants job three years ago, but finished second to Coughlin. The other candidates interviewed then were Romeo Crennel and Lovie Smith. Weis developed Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn into the likely first pick in the 2007 NFL draft after helping turn Tom Brady into a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. If Coughlin goes, the Giants would salivate at the prospect of Weis straightening out Manning. The Giants have always been Weis' dream job.
2. Cam Cameron, Chargers offensive coordinator: He's well respected and has done a great job in San Diego with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Now that Marty Ball has been put in storage, Cameron's offense is flying.
3. Jeff Fisher, Titans: Tennessee holds a $5 million option on him next year. This will be his third straight losing season. If the Titans let him go, or if Fisher asks out, he will be the hottest coach on the market. He's been the head coach of the Oilers/Titans since the 11th game of the 1994 season, the second longest tenure after Bill Cowher. If Bill Parcells is not coaching the Cowboys next year, it could be Fisher.
4. Bill Parcells, Cowboys: If he's available, he jumps to the No. 1 spot. The Giants would have brought him back instead of hiring Fassel in 1997 if George Young didn't object. The Giants fell apart one year too late to get Parcells back in 2004 after they fired Fassel. He took the Cowboys job in 2003. Parcells is signed in Dallas through next season. There were indications that this was going to be his final year and he would retire. But the emergence of Tony Romo has energized Parcells. He has one of the best young teams in the league. If the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl this year, Parcells might be inclined to stick around and go for it next year. But if he and Jerry Jones decide four years is enough, then finishing up where he started as a head coach before heading to Saratoga and Florida might be a perfect final chapter to his career.
5. Tim Lewis, Giants defensive coordinator: He had an impressive interview with the Jets last year. He got the Giants' defense straightened out after the Seattle debacle and it was playing very well until losing six starters to injuries. If the Giants stay in-house, he would be the logical choice.
Coughlin has one year remaining on his contract. The Giants will wait until after the season to decide whether to fire him, extend him or have him coach out the last year of his deal, which has been against their policy, but not out of the question. There have not been any talks to this point with Coughlin about an extension.
If Coughlin remains, then it might be in his best interest to bring in a new playcaller, unless he wants to do the job himself. Offensive coordinator John Hufnagel is the Giants' answer to the Jets' days of Paul Hackett.
There is one other factor to consider: GM Ernie Accorsi is retiring after the season. If the Giants hire from within with a combination of Jerry Reese and Chris Mara to replace Accorsi, it could work in Coughlin's favor. But if they go outside the organization, the new GM may want his own guy rather than inherit a strong-willed coach used to doing things his own way.
If the Giants beat the Cowboys today and go on to win the NFC East, the leverage goes back to Coughlin.
by Gary Myers is a Daily News sports columnist
Tom Coughlin hasn't changed much of the Giants' culture in his nearly three years as their coach, other than to revoke the players' membership to the Jim Fassel Country Club.
Coughlin's goal was to restore Giants pride. Watching Tiki Barber, the lame duck running back, throw him under the bus as a recreational sport is not what Coughlin had in mind. The Giants are still an underachieving, injury-plagued team.
As a result, The Coughlin Watch has started. That signals the start of the Charlie Weis Watch.
If the Giants lose to the Cowboys today, the chaos of the last month will be just the warm-up act for the dissension that will follow. The turmoil that surrounds Coughlin's team has him on the ropes. He won't get fired tomorrow if the Giants lose today, but this is the game that could determine his future.
He came in with silly rules and stressing discipline, but he inherited a team of big names and big egos and has been unable to keep his locker room under control. His high-tension act is not working. The Giants want to give Coughlin a contract extension, but may fire him at the end of the year if the perception is that this team has quit on him. It already seems that they are tuning him out.
If Coughlin gets canned, where do the Giants turn? It's not a deep group of candidates after there were 10 openings last year with seven first-time head coaches hired. One thing is certain: Having a plan to fix Eli Manning will be the No. 1 job requirement.
Here's our top five candidates:
1. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame: Two months into his first season with the Irish last year, the school extended Weis' deal five years through 2015. By the end of the deal, he will make a reported $30 million-$40 million at Notre Dame, which obviously struck quickly to fight off suitors from the NFL. When he signed the extension, Weis said he plans to retire at Notre Dame. So it may not be easy to get him to leave - and it could be costly, depending on any buyout provisions - but the Giants might be the only team that could entice the Jersey guy to leave South Bend. He desperately wanted the Giants job three years ago, but finished second to Coughlin. The other candidates interviewed then were Romeo Crennel and Lovie Smith. Weis developed Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn into the likely first pick in the 2007 NFL draft after helping turn Tom Brady into a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. If Coughlin goes, the Giants would salivate at the prospect of Weis straightening out Manning. The Giants have always been Weis' dream job.
2. Cam Cameron, Chargers offensive coordinator: He's well respected and has done a great job in San Diego with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Now that Marty Ball has been put in storage, Cameron's offense is flying.
3. Jeff Fisher, Titans: Tennessee holds a $5 million option on him next year. This will be his third straight losing season. If the Titans let him go, or if Fisher asks out, he will be the hottest coach on the market. He's been the head coach of the Oilers/Titans since the 11th game of the 1994 season, the second longest tenure after Bill Cowher. If Bill Parcells is not coaching the Cowboys next year, it could be Fisher.
4. Bill Parcells, Cowboys: If he's available, he jumps to the No. 1 spot. The Giants would have brought him back instead of hiring Fassel in 1997 if George Young didn't object. The Giants fell apart one year too late to get Parcells back in 2004 after they fired Fassel. He took the Cowboys job in 2003. Parcells is signed in Dallas through next season. There were indications that this was going to be his final year and he would retire. But the emergence of Tony Romo has energized Parcells. He has one of the best young teams in the league. If the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl this year, Parcells might be inclined to stick around and go for it next year. But if he and Jerry Jones decide four years is enough, then finishing up where he started as a head coach before heading to Saratoga and Florida might be a perfect final chapter to his career.
5. Tim Lewis, Giants defensive coordinator: He had an impressive interview with the Jets last year. He got the Giants' defense straightened out after the Seattle debacle and it was playing very well until losing six starters to injuries. If the Giants stay in-house, he would be the logical choice.
Coughlin has one year remaining on his contract. The Giants will wait until after the season to decide whether to fire him, extend him or have him coach out the last year of his deal, which has been against their policy, but not out of the question. There have not been any talks to this point with Coughlin about an extension.
If Coughlin remains, then it might be in his best interest to bring in a new playcaller, unless he wants to do the job himself. Offensive coordinator John Hufnagel is the Giants' answer to the Jets' days of Paul Hackett.
There is one other factor to consider: GM Ernie Accorsi is retiring after the season. If the Giants hire from within with a combination of Jerry Reese and Chris Mara to replace Accorsi, it could work in Coughlin's favor. But if they go outside the organization, the new GM may want his own guy rather than inherit a strong-willed coach used to doing things his own way.
If the Giants beat the Cowboys today and go on to win the NFC East, the leverage goes back to Coughlin.
