Almost two weeks into their search for a new head coach, the Philadelphia Eagles are running out of options. Their likely top option, Adam Gase, agreed to a five-year deal with the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.
That led the Eagles to interview Tom Coughlin, who recently stepped down from his position as head coach of the New York Giants, on Monday. Coughlin, who will be 70 years old before the start the 2016 season, would be a fascinating hire should the Eagles choose to make him the franchise’s newest head coach.
There’s a number of different ways to view Coughlin, a head coach for 20 of the last 21 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and then the New York Giants. On paper, Coughlin is one of the more successful head coaches of the last two decades.
We all know Coughlin’s accomplishments with the Giants. He led the team to a pair of unlikely Super Bowl titles, both won in the final minute in dramatic fashion over Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. He took the Giants into the postseason four straight seasons from 2005 to 2008, and he went nine consecutive years without a losing record.
He was pretty successful in Jacksonville too, taking an expansion franchise to the conference championship game in just their second year of existence. In 1999, the Jaguars won 14 games, reached the playoffs for the fourth straight season, and again played in the AFC title game.
His tenures in Jacksonville and New York are pretty similar. Here’s a list of comparisons:
- Double-digit losses in 1st season with new team
- Postseason appearance in years 2 through 5
- Number one overall seed in year 5 ending in disappointing fashion
- Fired after 7-9, 6-10 and 6-10 record in final three seasons
- .531 winning percentage with the franchise
It’s pretty incredible to compare. The difference, of course, is the two championships in New York, and it’s those two unlikely postseason runs that make Coughlin the most intriguing head coach candidate this offseason.
But you know what? I’ll pass. There are a number of reasons I’m just not interested in seeing the Eagles hire Coughlin to be the successor to Chip Kelly.
Most importantly, I’m concerned about Coughlin’s age. He’ll be 70 at the start of the 2016 season. That’s ancient by NFL standards. The oldest coach in NFL history was Marv Levy at age 72. You want to tell me that Coughlin is a “young 70” and has five more seasons in him? Fine. I’d rather hire a guy who won’t be a threat to retire at the first sign of trouble. That’s no disrespect to Coughlin. It’s a simple fact that he can’t run from his age.
Almost as important as Coughlin’s age is the lack of winning his teams have done in recent years. The sample size is large enough that it can’t just be ignored. The Giants have had a losing record for three straight seasons, missing the playoffs in six of their last seven years.
Look how Coughlin’s team performed in 2015. They finished with a 6-10 record, losing an unbelievable five games in the final 75 seconds. They were nowhere close to winning the NFC East, despite the Eagles imploding and the Cowboys losing both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant to major injuries. A team with Eli Manning, Odell Beckham and the sixth-highest scoring offense won just six games
Coughlin was one of the worst head coaches in the NFL this season. His playcalling was atrocious, especially in crucial late-game situations. And who can forget his handling of Odell Beckham against Carolina, when he allowed the diva receiver to remain in the game despite literally fighting Josh Norman after almost every play?
Even when things did go right, they still didn’t work out. Eli Manning threw for six touchdowns and the Giants scored 49 points against New Orleans in Week 8. So naturally, Drew Brees threw seven touchdowns and the Saints scored 52 points. The Giants led 20-10 in the third quarter against the undefeated Patriots in Week 10, but lost on a stunning 54-yard walkoff field goal.
If this was just one bad season, I could overlook it. But it’s not. It’s a trend for a man whose best days seem to be years behind him, a coach who isn’t getting any younger, whose ceiling might be just three or four seasons.
It’s not a secret that the Eagles’ search for a new head coach hasn’t gone the way the team anticipated. They’re at the point where almost no candidate seems appealing, from Pat Shurmur to Doug Pederson to Ben McAdoo to yes, even Tom Coughlin.
But bringing in a head coach well past his prime won’t fix anything. It’ll just make things worse for Coughlin’s successor, which could very well be in just two or three years.
Need a Buck Shaw like candidate: Standford’s Head Coach!