USA TODAY International Edition
Coughlin getting results, respect
wasn’t any question about that.”
Coughlin, a robust 65, is well respected, if not necessarily beloved, by his players. But their grudging admiration is evident.
Four years ago, the Giants gave Coughlin the requisite icenumbing Gatorade bath after defeating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. But his Giants did not hoist him on their shoulder pads and carry him off the field like they did for the franchise’s Bill Parcells back in the day. Perhaps it will happen Sunday if the Giants win the rematch in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sometimes, Coughlin’s players realize only years later what they had in a coach. And a man.
“After playing for Tom, the way he runs his ship, the rest of my career was a cakewalk,” says Doug Flutie, tutored by Coughlin when he was quarterbacks coach at Boston College. Flutie played in the NFL, U. S. Football League and Canadian Football League for 21 seasons.
Flutie says Coughlin “taught me more about football than all my other coaches combined.” Coughlin’s meticulous nature prompted the nickname “Technical Tom.”
“Tom was so intense all week — he would be right in your ear behind the huddle,” Flutie says. “The practice was tougher than the game, so the game felt easy. I am grateful to have played for him. I love Tom.”
If the Giants prevail, Coughlin will become the oldest winning coach in Super Bowl history, a story of steely- eyed survival. The Giants struggled at times in the regular season, just as they did four years ago. Again fans and the news media wondered about Coughlin’s longevity in the job. A November New York Daily News headline screamed: “This collapse may do Tom in.” But he again rallied the troops and survived the naysayers’ cries for dismissal.
“He never has been on the hot seat with us — Tom is basically the same guy we hired in 2004,” Giants co- owner John Mara says. “I think he is a little more, ah, mild- mannered with his players. I think he realizes today’s player has to be dealt with differently.”
Coughlin, who is 128- 74 as Giants coach, has had one losing season in New York, his first. He went 6- 10 in 2004.
Says co- owner Steve Tisch: “Look inside that locker room. He has inspired every single player to play for each other.”
After all, where would the Giants be without the stern tactician with the pious countenance and the sometimes- potty mouth of Howard Stern? “The words fly. Wish I could tell you I was better at controlling it,” Coughlin says.
Snapshots of Coughlin on game day: Standing resolutely on the sideline, headset over a Giants cap, piercing blue eyes peering intently. . . . Hands on hips in a defiant “What the heck is going on here?” pose. . . . Exhorting a player with exuberant clapping after an intelligent play. . . . Arms flailing in protest at an official’s call, his face shaded in a scarlet- red hue.
“Everybody wants to talk about how rough he is, how unforgiving he is, how the reins are pulled back pretty tight, but playing for him is golden for me,” Giants defensive end Justin Tuck says. “You know exactly what to expect.”
Lots and lots of rules, for one thing. Seemingly archaic stuff: be five minutes early for meetings. Watch what you are wearing. Act like a pro.
An uptight, fussbudget coach who holds his players to exacting standards and for whom losing is akin to dying? Unquestionably. A decent, hardworking family man with integrity and character who fights for those he loves and holds in high regard?
Undeniably.
A harsh reputation
Coughlin has shown a knack for leading his teams to victory at the right time of the year. The win against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game was his seventh road postseason victory as a coach, tying him with Hall of Famer Tom Landry for the most in NFL history. The Giants are 5- 1 on the road in the playoffs under Coughlin.
“When the Giants were 7- 7 ( in December), everyone was counting out Tom Coughlin,” says Hall of Fame running back Larry Csonka, who shared the Syracuse backfield in the 1960s with the halfback from Waterloo, N. Y. “The reason they are here is one man: Tom Coughlin.”
Csonka should know. He vividly recalls meeting Coughlin in 1964 when they were struggling freshmen during a brutal, blisteringhot training camp under legendary tough- guy coach Ben Schwartzwalder.
“I am sitting in a meeting, just trying to exist, and Tom is next to me,” Csonka says. “In the middle of the heat, blisters, shaved heads, jock itch and just being lower than dirt, Tom is energetically taking notes. Every day, every meeting. I thought, ‘ What is he doing, and why is he doing it?’ Back then, football was all repetition. But Tom was more thorough than that — to the nth degree.”
Csonka favorably compares Coughlin to Don Shula, his Hall of Fame coach with the Miami Dolphins, explaining, “There’s a lighthearted side to them, but until they know you have sacrificed and are worthy of being part of the family, they are screaming meanies and possessed disciplinarians.”
That was Coughlin’s harsh reputation in Jacksonville, where his tyrannical rule was dubbed “Camp Coughlin.” He coached the Jaguars from 1995 to 2002, and they became one of the most successful expansion teams in NFL history, twice reaching the AFC title game ( losing both).
“No one in the media ever has taken the time to evaluate what it took for someone to take over an expansion team and start from scratch,” Coughlin says. “What do you think the modus operandi ought to be there? Ice cream and after- school parties? Let’s get real.”
Learning to lighten up
Coughlin’s voice is tinged with a double dollop of exasperation and annoyance, a notuncommon occurrence. Patience is not his strong suit. But he has made strides. “Picking my spots better in terms of the spontaneity . . . trying to correct something right away” with players, he says.
A more gentle, player- friendly Tom Coughlin?
“Warmer? Fuzzier? I don’t know if I’d use those adjectives,” Giants guard Chris Snee says.
Snee should know. Coughlin is his father- in- law. But he has “lightened up a lot" in recent years, Snee says.
Coughlin doesn’t like talking about himself. Asked for the ultimate compliment he could receive from a player, he briefly bristles with a Ronald Reaganlike “There you go again” retort before patiently explaining.
“I’m not very good at this stuff. I don’t like to be reflective,” he says. “I think what we try to do is instill our players with great pride, the idea of being the best they can be. Preparation is the key to success. You’re not going to get to where you want to go without a great work ethic, without great focus.”
At first, Giants safety Antrel Rolle misunderstood his coach because, as he says, “I always felt like he was trying to turn us into men.
“Once I matured enough and took a step back, ( I realized) he is not trying to turn us into men — he is trying to help us become better men.”
Indeed, Coughlin’s former teammates and players, the latter group who survived his rigorous demands, say they are far better for the sometimes- grueling experience.
Flutie recalls visiting Coughlin in his office one afternoon, long after his college days.
“First thing out of his mouth: ‘ When are you going to get your hair cut?’ ” Flutie says. “I chuckled, but he was serious. We had a nice talk. He asked me to jot down my 10 favorite pass concepts. About a month later, I crossed paths with Tom.
“‘ I’m still waiting on those plays,’ Coughlin said.
“That’s the way he is,” Flutie says wistfully, before pausing. “I could use a lot more Tom Coughlin in me.”