When asked to contrast Tom Coughlin with Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll, Eagles defensive back Walter Thurmond said that all three coaches share the drive to win championships but that Coughlin takes a different path when it comes to some of the new medical practices that have caught on in Philadelphia and Seattle.
“He doesn’t believe in the sport-science aspect like Coach Carroll or Coach Kelly and the newfound technology for the players,” Thurmond said. “His style takes a hit, because he doesn’t believe in this aspect. He believes in winning, but he doesn’t believe in the modern medicine to progress the players to that next level.”
The idea that Coughlin is slow to adapt to new techniques isn’t one that feels like it comes out of left field. He’s the oldest coach in the league (although Carroll is No. 2 on that list) and has been in the same job with same head trainer and conditioning coach since joining the team in 2004. Beyond that, he’s also the coach who said that injuries are “a mental thing” when he joined the Giants so it’s easy to see where Thurmond would develop those feelings. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team has adopted new techniques of late, however.
“You would have to ask Walter what he is referring to specifically when it comes to comparing and contrasting,” Hanlon said, via ESPN.com. “But the fact is, over the past 2-3 years, we have adopted and implemented a few programs: the GPS system we employ to monitor workload, diet in terms of offerings and preparation in the dining hall, and sleep studies. Those are a few of the things we have done as we continue to evolve.”
Injuries are a reality of life for every NFL team, but they’ve been an overwhelming one for the Giants over the last few years. Whether that’s because of training methods, Coughlin’s disdain for sports science, bad luck, something else or all of the above, it’s something that the team should be looking into in order to change the trend of lengthy injury reports during the 2015 season.