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Chapter One: Trouble at the Meadowlands


Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin had the ability to upset the sports world - but just couldn't seal the deal

From the minute Thomas Richard Coughlin stepped on the plane to fly back to New York, he knew he was in trouble.

Coughlin was seen as a smart, safe choice for the Giants when he was hired in 2004. He had done somewhat well while coaching college, and had served under the great Bill Parcells, already making him popular with the Giants. He had served as Wide Receivers Coach for the Giants from 1988 to 1990, and during that time they had won Super Bowl 25, narrowly edging out the Buffalo Bills due to Scott Norwood's missed 47-yeard-field goal. He returned to coaching college for a short stint, and many teams desired the Parcells-mentoree to coach their team. Coughlin, always one to seek a challenge in football, waited, and he got the challenge he desired.

It was 1995, and the NFL had granted an NFL team to Jacksonville, Florida, the largest city land-wise in the U.S, and one of the largest cities in Florida. Expansion teams never did well in their first seasons, but Wayne Weaver, the owner of the new Jacksonville Jaguars, sought to end this belief, and hired Coughlin, who had been successful at Boston College, to lead the team. His first season with the Jaguars was lackluster, giving the team a 4-12 record, and putting them at the bottom of the AFC Central Division. However, Coughlin, got to work, implementing a fast-paced, quick strike offense that had depended on Quarterback Mark Brunell and Wide Receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell to dispatch the opposing secondary. They did just that, and while they weren't perfect, as they went 9-7, they managed to clinch a playoff seed. The Jaguars dispatched the Bills in the playoffs, marking the end of an era. Their defense suffocated John Elway and his Broncos, and reached the AFC Championship game, where Coughlin would get to face his mentor, Bill Parcells. The mentor clobbered the mentee, 20-6. Despite falling one game short to the Super Bowl, Jacksonville was excited for it's future, and saw Coughlin as the man to make the team a dynasty.

The Jaguars would proceed to make the playoffs for the next three years in a row. They went 11-5 in both 1997 and 1998, however, fell short both years, losing to the Broncos in 1997 and the Jets in 1998.

However, in 1999, the Jaguars were the hottest team in the NFL, finishing 14-2. Their offense was explosive, and Mark Brunell just could not be stopped. The passing game torched secondaries, and Fred Taylor made defenders sweat whenever he stepped onto the field. Defensively, the team made being on the opposing team's offense a living hell. Dom Capers, who had been specializing in defense for nearly 30 years, perfected an already fearsome Jaguars defense. In the playoffs, they thoroughly embarrassed Dan Marino, who was playing his last season. The score? 62-17. The Jaguars were on top of the world. Until they faced the Tennessee Titans, arguably their fiercest rivals.

In what was a huge upset, the Titans ended the Jaguars' playoff hopes in the AFC Championship game, 33-14. (Some Jaguars players later alleged that D.C. Gregg Williams had stolen offensive plays, but this claim is heavily debated.)

From 2000 to 2002, however, things began to fall apart. In 2000, crippled by severe defensive injuries, they went 7-9. In 2001, 6-10, and 2002, 6-10. Owner Wayne Weaver fired Coughlin, and a career that seemed destined for multiple titles came crashing down. He took a break for a year, wondering where it all went wrong.

Coughlin received a chance to redeem himself, after a desperate New York Giants team came calling. in 2003, the team led them to a 4-12 record, and Coughlin had never backed a way from a challenge. Also, a desire to jump back into the sport made him want the job more. He was hired, and his first big decision was picking a Quarterback to replace Kerry Collins when the time came. He jumped at Eli Manning, the younger brother of Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning. Collins was enraged and left the team, forcing Coughlin to pick Former Super-Bowl winning St. Louis Rams player Kurt Warner for Manning to watch and learn from. After poor performances by Warner, Manning was started. Coughlin got to work, and it showed, first going 6-10 in 2004, and 11-5 in 2005. However, problems started to show again, and the giants went 8-8 in 2006. The Mara's, the family who owned the Giants, were not happy, and gave him a year year extension for the 2007 season. The message was clear: Postseason, or no more seasons for you. Coughlin widely over-performed expectations. He went 9-7, and took the team to the playoffs, upsetting every team they played in the NFC playoff race. They now had to take on the 18-0 New England Patriots, complete Offensive juggernauts, in Super Bowl 42

The Giants fought hard, and seized on New England's weaknesses during the game. However, the just could not overcome the "3rd & 5 Meltdown", as it was now called, and have given Bill Belichick, a former colleague of Coughlin's, a fourth title with the Patriots. It was clear the Mara's wanted something different.

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On February 8th, 2008, Thomas Richard Coughlin, the 17th Head Coach of the New York Giants, met with John Mara and Steve Tisch. In a short, 15 minute meeting, Coughlin offered his resignation, effective immediately, and announced it to the world:




ESPN BREAKING NEWS: NEW YORK GIANTS HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION AFTER FOUR SEASONS AT THE HELM
This is a developing news story. Tom Coughlin has spoken to the press, and his comments are below:

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, uh, anyone watching here today. In 2004, when I was hired to be the 17th Head coach of this franchise, I made a commitment. One to restore victory and pride to this franchise. These past three or four years have been a wonderful experience, and I've been honored to be a member of this team. However, there is a standard. A standard required of coaches, coaches in this league. And while I've implemented this standard during my tenure, I've decided that it would be better if someone else, someone with different experiences and strategies than myself, lead this team. So I've decided, that effective immediately, I will be resigning as the Head Coach of the New York Giants. I'd like to thank everyone who has supported myself and this team. You make us what we are. Its truly been an honor. Thank you. No questions.
As Tom Coughlin jumped into the Chevy Suburban leaving the Meadowlands, he looked out of the window. Yet again, he had come so close to greatness, yet was so far. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and for once, was exited to be jumping on a plane. The flight was the only certain, secure thing for Coughlin, a man who had preached sterness and certainty. He needed a break from this life, and that's what he sought from going down to Florida once again, although for a different purpose.

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The New York Giants were a rudderless ship again. Mara and Tisch were now in the same situation as before they hired Coughlin. A promising team that needed a wildly new direction. They decided that the 2008 Giants needed to be far more risky, far more aggressive than before. They decided that everything needed to be shaken up. So on February 17th, 2008, they announced General Manager Jerry Reece would not be returning for the following season. Privately, the two men had been considering letting the new Head Coach have complete control over the team, as G.M. and H.C. Speaking of the new head coach, they announced that Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Quarterbacks Coach Chris Palmer, along as Mara and Tisch, would be leading the search for a new Head Coach. 8 finalists had been leaked to the press by a front office source:

Jack Del Rio (Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2003-)
Rex Ryan (Defensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens, 2005-)
Romeo Crennel (Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns, 2005-)
Pete Carroll (Head Coach, USC, 2001-)
Lane Kiffin (Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders, 2007-)
Gregg Williams (Defensive Coordinator, Washington, Redskins, 2004-2007)
Al Saunders (Offensive Coordinator, Washington Redskins, 2006-2007)
Dirk Koetter (Offensive Coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars, 2007-)

After interviews, Ryan was noted by some as an early favorite, for his "aggressive" and "take no prisoners" form of football, that supposedly struck a cord with the team's ownership. The source was right, and on March 2nd, 2008, Rex Ashley Ryan was named as the 18th Coach of the New York Giants. He was also named as the team's General Manager/Senior V.P. in a move that showed many, as Ryan would basically have control over the New York Giants. Ryan named fellow candidates for the job Al Saunders to be his Offensive Coordinator, and Gregg Williams to be the team's Defensive Coordinator, demoting Steve Spagnuolo and Kevin Gilbride the day after he was announced to be the team's coached. Both Gilbride and Spagnuolo were enraged with Ryan, and both would be out of the organization by April of 2008. However, even his decision did not rankle fans or the Front Office. However, Rex Ryan's next move would turn heads, and was heavily debated:





ESPN BREAKING NEWS: GIANTS TRADE MANNING TO RAMS FOR OVERALL NUMBER TWO PICK; RAMS GET A THIRD AND FIFTH ROUND PICK IN RETURN, AS WELL AS MANNING

March 7th, 2008; This is a developing news story

March 7th, 2008 was a slow news day until Ryan traded Manning. The sports world was ablaze, as one sports commentator called it "The Great Trade Robbert Part Two". Tons of Giants fans were enraged, and the New York Post published a drawing of Rex Ryan, hands around Eli Manning Throat, and him stepping on the team's stadium, with bold letters proclaiming "THE BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF KING REX THE FIRST". Ryan, who had also caught heat for hiring his brother Rob to be the Giants' Linebackers coach, didn't care about the hate he was receiving. "I honestly don't care. Either you want this team to go 13-3, or be at the bottom of the [NFC] East. I, as well as the other coaches and front office folks, know this is the right call for this organization for years to come." Despite the protests, Ryan and company continued business as usual, preparing for the 2008 NFL Draft. The dilemma? If the team was going to pick Boston College's Matt Ryan or Delaware's Joe Flacco to serve as the team's Quarterback for the upcoming year.

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