Tommy's Gotta Go! The times they are a-changin in the Meadowlands

A quick note before we get started: the title of this post is a nod to the song "Scotty Doesn't Know" that was featured heavily in the highly underrated comedy Euro Trip.  Sung by the actual band Lustra, the ditty is heard multiple times in the movie with Matt Damon as the lead singer.  It is a truly awesome song that features, in its closing moments, a line of Scotty's Gotta Go! that I think works well here in the head coaching context of the New York Football Giants.

In 2007, the Giants lost their first two games by a combined 32 points and nearly started 0-3, save for a last second comeback on the road in Washington.  That win was the start of a six-game winning streak that rescued the Giants' season.  Head coach Tom Coughlin ended up leading the team to three straight playoff road wins (including a gutsy battle on the literally frozen tundra of Lambeau Field) and a most unexpected Super Bowl title by taking down the then-undefeated New England Patriots with a little help from an overpowering D-line and a ridiculous heave-and-catch by Eli Manning and David Tyree.

The key to that season?  Coughlin's personal turnaround.  Going into that season, Tommy C had a reputation for being an old-school hardass who worked his players relentlessly during OTAs, minicamp, and weekly practices.  He was no-nonsense and verbally abused his own guys frequently.  He didn't tolerate laziness or sloppy play.  How miserable was this man?  Nine months after winning Super Bowl 42, Coughlin was still voted the head coach that NFL players would least like to play for...by a whopping 5% margin over runner-up and noted cheater Bill Belichick!

But Coughlin realized that after the Week 3 comeback in DC, he needed to change his ways.  He had lost the confidence of his players and the team just wasn't playing up to its potential.  He saw a sign of improvement and he took advantage by loosening up, taking the edge off, and letting his players play.  The more hands-off he became, the better the Giants did on the field.  Less was more, and suddenly Coughlin was back in control of a winning team.

But there are problems once again in 2010.  Coughlin has lost control of his team and the G-men are floundering.  What's wrong and how do we fix it?

The Giants are 1-2 after losing in Week 3 at home to Tennessee (in embarrassing fashion) by a score of 29-10, despite outgaining the Titans in total yards 471-271.  Yes, that's right, the Giants put up 200 more yards but scored almost 2/3 fewer points.  How does this happen?

Simple.  The Giants gave up the ball 3 times, twice inside the 6-yard line.  They were flagged 5 times for personal fouls, including 2 from OT Kareen McKenzie.  They gave up a safety when Ahmad Bradshow was flagged for a chop block in his own end zone.  They also missed 2 field goals.  That's exactly how Eli Manning threw for 385 yards but only managed to score one touchdown on offense.

As someone who attended this game alongside fellow bloggers Andrew, Elissa, Sarah, and Ben, I can vouch for just how sloppy and lazy the Giants played.  The penalties showed that this is an undisciplined team.  Which is the exact opposite of what head coach tom Coughlin preaches (albeit in a nicer way than he used to) each and every week during practice.

So what are people saying?  Michael Strahan has an opinion or two:

"When you watch on TV you see a team with talent, but you also see a team that misses opportunities and doesn't capitalize on all the talent that it has.  And in the case of the Giants, it is not so much them losing games. Good teams lose games . . . but it is the way they are losing. It seems like they are coming unraveled at times that they usually are able to handle it."

"Now all of a sudden [Tom Coughlin] can't coach? I don't think that is the case.  He has to just get these guys on the same page. As a coach you can only do so much and you got to have some guys who are your leaders who can kind of control the situation and police each other."

"It doesn't look like [the Giants are] having fun. They're not looking inspired and [they're] undisciplined and all that stuff. Of course that's what everybody's thinking. That's what I'm thinking when I watch."

Tiki Barber said more of the same:

"[Coughlin] is in a crisis because of the perception that he is losing his team.  We all know that especially in New York, once the media and the perception becomes a reality, you start fighting against it. And when you are fighting against something that is not necessarily real, you make it real. That is why he is in a crisis."


"His job is certainly in jeopardy.  He needs to figure out a way to get control of this situation.  Whether it is playing better and not making mistakes or whether it is having a group of players like he did in previous years, stand up and take accountability for what is going on, not pushing the blame by saying we should've, we could've, we didn't, saying we played poorly, we need to take responsibility for it."

"I've never, and I would challenge anyone to this, I have never said that Tom was a bad coach.  I think he is a great coach. My issue with him, and he knows what it is because we had plenty of discussions, some civil, some not, is about how you treat people. His biggest evolution is in how he's respected his players and how he's got them to play for him. That is why they won the Super Bowl in 2007. Now, he needs as a team, he needs to find that mutual center of respect and success will come their way."

My take?  I agree with both Strahan and Tiki.  I think the Giants are playing undisciplined, uninspired football.  I think the team is missing a leader -- Strahan and Antonio Pierce have retired, and nobody has stepped up to become a strong and vocal foundation in the locker room.  The talent exists for the Giants to forge a comeback and challenge for an NFC playoff spot.  But Coughlin needs to step up and take charge where the players aren't.  But he needs to do it in a tactful and respectful way.

Classic Coughlin pose: hands on hips, scornful face.

My guess is that Coughlin hasn't been very tactful or respectful.  Just look at the Brandon Jacobs situation, post-helmet throw.  He barely played in Week 3, but even when he was playing, he is not the bulldozer he once was.  Breathe on the guy and he goes down now.  It reeks of a guy who has quit on his coach because his coach treats him badly.  Football players will sacrifice their bodies and play their hearts out for a coach that inspires them.  Coughlin does not seem to be inspiring much of that right now.

Is it too early for us to call for Coughlin's firing?  Probably.  And Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com agrees.  Perhaps Jerome Bettis is a little quick to suggest Bill-Cowher-to-New-York.  But the question deserves to be asked.

#1 Action Item: improve coach-player relations

But this is New York, and the Giants are 4-10 in their last 14 games dating back to last season.  It doesn't matter that the Giants won a Super Bowl less than three years ago.  The fact is that the talent is there, yet the production isn't.  5.5 sacks in 3 games from arguably the league's best defensive line just isn't getting the job done.  So the leash on Coughlin is short.  If he can't perform the same turnaround he did in 2007 -- when he reformed his ways and reclaimed control over his players -- the time is coming when the Giants must consider making a coaching change.  My prediction, for what it's worth, is that the Coughlin Era in New York is going to end sooner rather than later.  I'd love to be proven wrong, but my instinct is that 2010 Tom cannot turn things around like 2007 Tom once did.