Getty ImagesFor many coaches, an 0-6 start would move them straight from the hot seat to the ejector seat.
But Tom Coughlin is not most coaches.
The goodwill and Lombardi Trophies he’s brought to the Giants in his career bought him some beenfit of the doubt, and Giants co-owner John Mara said Thursday he never lost faith in his coach.
“Let’s just say I never thought that the coach all of a sudden forgot how to coach or that the players forgot how to play,” Mara told Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. “Sometimes you go through these streaks in this sport. You just have to try to be patient and supportive, and that’s what we tried to be here.
“Hopefully that’ll pay off for us.”
Things have turned with four straight wins, which keeps them in the mix in the mixed-up NFC East.
But Mara said that maintaining faith in his coach and General Manager Jerry Reese wasn’t particularly difficult, as difficult as the season was to that point.
“I don’t think so because I do have a lot of faith and confidence in our organization because they have won before,” Mara said. “They didn’t all of a sudden forget all they knew about football. I think you have to have patience in this business. If you don’t, if you get impulsive and start making changes just because you’re upset after a game, it’s not going to work out in the long run.
“That’s the way you have to look at these things. You’ve got to let the season play itself out and hope you can turn things around. That’s kind of the mind-set we’ve always had.”
Mara wouldn’t comment specifically on the future of either Coughlin or Reese, but he didn’t have to. It’s part of the reason he’s avoided talking during the early part of the season.
“Obviously if there are changes that are possible during the season that you think are going to improve your team — for example Jon Beason joining our team or getting Andre Brown back or things like that — you make those moves,” Mara said. “But to make drastic changes in the middle of the season with your staff is just something you try to avoid. It very rarely works out in the long run. If you feel like you have a good nucleus you’ve got to let them have a chance to turn things around.”
Of course, having a plan and being willing to stick with it when it could be uncomfortable is a difficult thing to ask, hard for organizations which don’t have the kind of track record the Giants do.
giants will beat the cowboys this sunday and win the nfc east this year
I bet he does when the cowboys blow them out of the water on their own turf. No backup qb this time boys!
The giants,beat the,eagles and packers without a qb and two other horrible teams., The Cowboys,believe it or not are their hardest test during this soft wnning streak. wasnt this,team suppossed to be a superbowl contender? Remember the countdown to the superbowl clock that their gm put in their lockeroom? Glad their owner,is happy with a 4-6 record. When they finish with a 7-9 record i hope he still is happy.
I’ll say the same thing at 4-6 that I said at 0-6….if the Giants don’t make the playoffs, TC should step down. Missing the playoffs 4 out of 5 years, even with 1 SB thrown in the mix, is not getting it done.
Also….its a little early for an article like this. The time for this would have been if the Giants get to 7-6.
Queue all the bs comments about how John Mara is responsible for the Washington and Dallas cap issues.
Best owner in the league.
RIP Wellington Mara. Long live the Giants! Go Blue!!!!!
Go Giants
They already won Fluke Bowl 42 and 46, can they win another?
Easy to say when your on a 4 game winning streak
Biggest mistake they could make would be to ask Jerry Jones for advice
Coughlin has earned the right to coach for as long as he wants. Team doing bad? Well, he’s not on the field. I’ve had repect for this man as a coach ever since he took the expansion Janguars to the Conference Championship in yr 2.
He was to busy trying to find a way to punish another team or two in the NFC East to make sure his team will do good.
sammyscrawfo says: Nov 22, 2013 6:48 AM
I bet he does when the cowboys blow them out of the water on their own turf. No backup qb this time boys!
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But there IS Romo, however, which is even better.
nebster21 says: Nov 22, 2013 12:04 PM
He was to busy trying to find a way to punish another team or two in the NFC East to make sure his team will do good.
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What’s going to be the excuse three years from now when your stupid owner blows the cash on the wrong free agents again? You’re going to blame Mara for that also, huh?