Giant Loss and Cowher Talk Are 'Ridiculous'

Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick said he wanted a puppy and the New York Giants obliged the quarterback's wishes and became his lapdog.  Yesterday's epic Giants loss was the latest in a long line of mega-meltdowns against the Eagles and the murmurs of 'Fire Coughlin' are starting to get louder--especially after Super Bowl-winning coach, Bill Cowher, said the Giants are number one team he would like to coach.

Enough of putting the blame on the Giants punter Matt Dodge for yesterdays dog-fight ugly 38-31 loss to the Eagles.  The collapse of the whole team rests on the shoulders of head coach Tom Coughlin.  Funny, it looked like the Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid's head was on the block after the Giants took a 31-10 lead with seven and a half minutes left and then, in a series of Giants bungled plays, missed tackles and a heavy dose of Vick's passing and running, Reid was revered and Coughlin reviled.

Giants owner John Mara shook his head at rumors the Giants were interested in Cowher.  The former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach announced he was interested in getting back to the coaching game and whittled down his team choices to the Miami Dolphins, the Houston Texans and at the top of the short list, the New York Giants according to an ESPN report.

Mara called the stories, "Ridiculous.  We were writing Bill Cowher stories two months ago and now we are going to write them again?  That's ridiculous."

Cowher spent 15 seasons with the Steelers and won two AFC titles and the 2005 Super Bowl under him.  Cowher left the Steelers in 2006 and works as an analyst for CBS.  He is one of a small group of prized free-agent coaches available.

Last January, Cowher's name was bandied about for the Giants head coaching position after Coughlin and the Giants miserable December losing streak eliminated them from the playoffs.  Two months ago the calls for Cowher got louder from Giant fans after the G-Men were reeling from consecutive losses.

Former Steeler running back Jerome Bettis thinks Cowher will wait for the Giants job to open up.  On SiriusXM's Mad Dog Radio, Bettis said he feels that New York was "Where he always wanted to be.  The Mara family, he's always been close to them."  Bettis said these were his opinions and admitted he had not talked with his old coach.

Coughlin's repeated berating of his punter on the sidelines has become a all too common sight-- but the loss was a team effort and it starts at the top.  Coughlin's defense--which held Vick in check for fifty-two and a half minutes broke like a wet paper bag.  The offense couldn't even work the clock in the second half.  Don't even mention the special teams.  Which team lines up five yards further than it should for an obvious on-side kick?  The Giants, that's who!  Coughlin and his staff deserve most of the blame for this monumental loss.

The Giants control their own playoff destiny.  They are hanging on to wild card by a a thread thinner than a fan's patience with Coughlin.  They must win the remaining road games against the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins to be assured of at least a wild card.

Coughlin's tough-love style of coaching is well known.  It will take more than a firm hand to help this band of second-half underachievers.  A loss of Sunday's magnitude can damage a weak team's spirit beyond repair or drive a superior team to once attainable heights. Let's see how old Coughlin handles it.

Coughlin has a Super Bowl ring and one year left on his contract.  Another December slide from the playoffs for the second year in a row could mean Cowher could getting his dream job in New York.